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<div class='chaptertitle'>ELIJAH.</div> A-hab was the last of the six kings who ruled the ten tribes. And he made them serve Ba-al, and built a house for this false god. These acts did not please God, so he sent E-li-jah, a seer, to tell A-hab that for years and years there should be no rain in the land. And he told E-li-jah to hide near a brook from which he should drink, and the birds of the air would bring him food to eat. E-li-jah did as the Lord told him, and he drank from the brook, and the birds brought him his food from day to day. But as there was no rain, the brook dried up, and there was lack of food in the land. So the Lord told E-li-jah to go to the town of Za-re-phath, where a wo-man dwelt who would give him food. And when E-li-jah came to the gate of the town, a poor wo-man drew near him to pick up some sticks. And he said to her, Bring me a drink, I pray thee. And as she went, he said, Bring me, I pray thee, a bit of bread in thine hand. [184] <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_068.jpg" width-obs="415" height-obs="600" alt="Elijah and ravens" /> E-LI-JAH FED BY RA-VENS.</div> [185] And she said, As the Lord lives, I have no bread in the house, and but a hand-ful of meal, and a few drops of oil. And I came out to pick up a few sticks that I might light the fire, and bake a small loaf for me and my son, that we may eat it and die. <div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_069.jpg" width-obs="278" height-obs="400" alt="" /> E-LI-JAH AND THE WID-OW's CHILD.</div> E-li-jah said, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said. But first make me a small loaf, and then make one for thee and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, The meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil fail till the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. So the wo-man went her way and did as E-li-jah told her, and there was from that time no lack of food in her house. But one day her son was ill, and he grew worse and worse, and then died. When E-li-jah heard of it, he said, Give me thy son. And he took the child from her arms and bore him to his own room, and laid him on his bed. [186] And E-li-jah cried to the Lord, and said, O Lord, I pray thee let this child's soul come back to him. And the Lord sent back the soul of the child, and E-li-jah took the boy and brought him to his moth-er. And she said to E-li-jah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. For three years there had been no rain in the land, and at the end of that time the Lord said to E-li-jah, Go show thy-self to A-hab, and I will send rain on the land. So E-li-jah went, and on the way he met with one of A-hab's head men, who loved the Lord. He knew E-li-jah, and bade him turn back, for the king would be sure to put him to death. But E-li-jah said that he would show him-self to A-hab that day. So the man told the king that E-li-jah was near, and the king came out to meet him. And he found fault with E-li-jah, for he thought he was to blame for the lack of food, and for the long drouth. E-li-jah told the king to have all those he ruled meet in a mass at one place. And when they came there, E-li-jah cried out to them, How long will ye turn your hearts from God? And he told them to prove which was the true[187] God, Ba-al or E-li-jah's God. And he told them to bring two young bulls, and to take the flesh of one and lay it on the wood in front of Ba-al, and he would lay the flesh of the oth-er young bull on the Lord's al-tar. And he said, Call ye on your gods and I will call on mine, and let the God that sends down fire be the God whom we all shall serve. And they said it was a good plan. So they cried out from sun-rise till noon, O Ba-al hear us! But there was no voice or sign that their god heard them. E-li-jah said, Cry with a loud voice for he is a god. He may be a-sleep, or lost in thought. <div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_070.jpg" width-obs="298" height-obs="500" alt="cloud on the horizon" /> THE LIT-TLE CLOUD.</div> And they cried, and made a great noise, and at last fought with their knives till they drew blood. And E-li-jah said, Come near me. [188] And they all came near to him. And E-li-jah took twelve stones, and built an al-tar to the Lord. And he put the flesh and the wood on it, and the wood was wet through and through. Then he cried out, Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and let it be known that thou art the true God. Then fire came down from on high and burnt up the flesh, and the wood and the stones, and the dust; and the ground that had been made so wet was as dry as it could be. And when the crowd saw this they all bowed down to the ground, and said, The Lord he is God! The Lord he is God! And they broke up the false gods, and gave their hearts for a while to the Lord. Then E-li-jah told A-hab that he might eat and drink, for the rain would soon set in. And he went to the top of a high mount to pray for rain. Not a cloud was in the sky. The sea was calm. But E-li-jah knew that he must watch, and wait, and pray, and the sign would come. At last there rose up out of the sea—that is, where the sea and sky seem to meet—a small cloud, the size of a man's hand. And soon the sky was black with clouds, and the wind blew, and there was a great storm of rain. Now A-hab had a bad wife, and when he told[189] her what E-li-jah had done, she made a vow to kill him. And E-li-jah had to flee for his life. He was so worn out that when he came to a lone place he sat down in the shade of a tree and wished that he might die. While he slept, an an-gel drew near, at whose touch E-li-jah woke. And the an-gel said, Rise and eat. <div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_071.jpg" width-obs="255" height-obs="400" alt="Elijah confronts Ahab" /> E-LI-JAH AND KING A-HAB.</div> And E-li-jah found food and drink set out for him. And he ate and drank, and then lay down and slept. And the an-gel came once more, and bade E-li-jah eat, that he might have strength to go on his way. And he sat up, and ate the food the Lord had sent, and it gave him such strength that he went with-out food for more than a month. And at the end of that time he came to Mount Ho-reb. And he went to a cave and lay down and slept there. And the Lord spoke to him, and said, Why art[190] thou here, E-li-jah? And E-li-jah said the chil-dren of Is-ra-el had not kept their word, but had gone back to their false gods, and slain all those who sought to turn them from their sins. And I have fled from them, said E-li-jah, for they seek my life. <div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_072.jpg" width-obs="341" height-obs="500" alt="Angel sent" /> E-LI-JAH IN THE WIL-DER-NESS.</div> The Lord said, Go forth, and stand on the mount. And there came a great wind that split the high hills, and broke up the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Then the earth shook, so that there was no firm ground on which to walk; and smoke came up out of the great cracks that were made. But the Lord was not in the earth-quake. Then there came a still, small voice. When E-li-jah[191] heard it he hid his face in his cloak, and went out and stood at the door of the cave. And the voice said, Why art thou here, E-li-jah? And El-li-jah said that he fled from those who sought to kill him. And the Lord told him to leave the cave, and go back and pour oil on the head of E-li-sha, who was to take his place. And E-li-jah found E-li-sha at work with the plough in a large field. And as he went by him he threw his cloak round E-li-sha. And E-li-sha knew that this meant he must leave all and go with E-li-jah. And he went home to bid fare-well to his dear ones there, and then came back to be near E-li-jah and to wait on him. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_073.jpg" width-obs="297" height-obs="500" alt="chariot" /> E-LI-JAH GOES TO HEAV-EN.</div> Now the time drew near when E-li-jah was to leave the earth. And he and E-li-sha stood near[192] the shore of the Jor-dan. And E-li-jah took his cloak and struck the waves, and they made a wall on each side, and the two men went through on dry land. And as they stood on the oth-er side, E-li-jah said to E-li-sha, Ask what I shall do for thee, ere I leave thee. And E-li-sha said, Let me, I pray thee, be twice as good and wise as thou. E-li-jah said, Thou dost ask a hard thing. But if thou dost see me when the Lord takes me from thee, then it shall be so. But if thou dost not see, then it shall not be so. So they went on, and while they yet spoke, there came a great light in the sky, and the clouds took on strange forms. And E-li-jah was caught up as if by a whirl-wind, and E-li-sha cried out as he saw him pass through the sky, but he was soon out of sight, and E-li-sha saw him no more. <hr class="chap" /> <h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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