53

his son. The kings of the Israelites, therefore, one after another, because of their lawlessness, were destroyed in a short time, but Asa, the king of Jerusalem, was beloved of God. In the tenth year of his reign, the king 1.133 of the Ethiopians marched against him with a heavy force. But he had called upon God as an ally; and clashing with the Ethiopians he killed many, and pursued the rest who fled, and plundered their camp, and he himself and the people took much spoil. And as the king and the army were departing, the prophet Azarias met them and said that God was the giver of the victory to him and to the people, as they cared for righteousness. And he promised happiness thereafter to those who pursued virtue, but that many grievous things would happen to those who neglected the commandments of God. Asa, therefore, having completed his life in piety and having reached a deep old age, died, having reigned for forty-one years, leaving the rule to his own son Jehoshaphat. But Ahab held the kingdom in Samaria, surpassing those before him in impiety, and was driven further into wickedness by his wife Jezebel, who was the daughter of the king of Tyre and Sidon, and a rash and bold woman. She built a temple to her own god Baal and planted a grove and appointed priests and false prophets for him. But Elijah the prophet from the city of Tishbe, being zealous against the impieties of the king and of the people, said to Ahab, "As the Lord lives, there will be no rain except by my word." And having said these things he went away to the brook Cherith by the command of God; there he was fed by ravens who brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening, and the brook supplied his drink. When it dried up, he went to Zarephath, a city between 1.134 Sidon and Tyre, obeying God. And 1.134 before the city he met a certain woman and begged her to bring him water. And as the woman was going, he also asked her to bring him bread. But she swore that she had only a handful of flour and a very little oil, and having gathered sticks she was going to make a small meal for herself and her children, and when it was gone they too would perish from hunger. But the prophet commanded her to take courage; for the flour would not fail from the jar that held it, nor the oil from the flask, until there was rain. And she went and fed the prophet who was a guest with her, and herself, and her children from that very little flour until the famine had passed. But when the son of this woman fell ill and died, she blasphemed against the prophet. But he asked that the dead child be given to him. And taking him, he brought him up to the upper room where he lived and placed him on his bed; and having prayed to God, he breathed on the dead body three times, and he came back to life. And he gave the boy alive to his mother; and she gave thanks. And after these things God commanded Elijah to go and tell Ahab that there would be rain. But the famine had grown severe over Samaria and all the land. And Ahab, taking his steward Obadiah, a good man, went out to see if he could find fodder for the horses. And he went one way, and Obadiah another, searching where they might find grass in springs or brooks. Elijah therefore met Obadiah and asked him to announce him to the king. But he said that he was being sought earnestly by Ahab, in order to kill him if he found him, and advised him to hide, and said that he himself was hiding and feeding 1.135 and thus saving a hundred prophets, since Jezebel had killed all the others. But he swore that on that day he would be seen by Ahab. Obadiah therefore went and reported about Elijah to the king. And when he saw the prophet, he asked if he was the one who was troubling Israel. But Elijah said, "You rather, and your father's house, are troubling the people, by forsaking the Lord and honoring false gods. But gather to Carmel the people and your prophets and those of your wife." And when all had gathered, Elijah said, "I alone am left as a prophet of God, but the

53

υἱὸν αὐτοῦ. Οἱ μὲν ουν τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν βασιλεῖς αλλος ἐπ' αλλῳ διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν αὐτῶν ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ διεφθάρησαν, ̓Ασὰ δὲ ὁ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ βασιλεὺς θεοφιλὴς ην. ου τῷ δεκάτῳ τῆς βασιλείας ετει ὁ βασιλεὺς 1.133 Αἰθιόπων στρατεύει κατ' αὐτοῦ μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως. ὁ δὲ τὸν θεὸν σύμμαχον ἐπεκέκλητο· καὶ συμπλακεὶς τοῖς Αἰθίοψι πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς φυγόντας ἐδίωξε καὶ τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐκείνων διήρπασε, καὶ πολλὰ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐκομίσαντο λάφυρα. ἀναζευγνύντι δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ ὁ προφήτης ̓Αζαρίας ὑπαντήσας τῆς νίκης τὸν θεὸν ειναι αὐτῷ δοτῆρα ειπε καὶ τῷ λαῷ, δικαιοσύνης ἐπιμελουμένοις. καὶ μετιοῦσι μὲν ἀρετὴν εὐδαιμονίαν καὶ εἰσέπειτα ἐπηγγέλλετο, τῶν δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντολῶν κατολιγωρήσασι πολλὰ συμβήσεσθαι λυπηρά. ̓Ασὰ τοίνυν ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ τὴν ζωὴν ἀνύσας καὶ εἰς γῆρας καταντήσας βαθὺ τέθνηκε, βασιλεύσας ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐφ' ἑνὶ τεσσαράκοντα, ̓Ιωσαφὰτ οἰκείῳ υἱῷ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καταλιπών. ̓Αχαὰβ δὲ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἐκέκτητο τὰ βασίλεια, τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ παραδραμὼν εἰς ἀσέβειαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ̓Ιεζάβελ μᾶλλον εἰς κακίαν προβιβασθείς, η τοῦ βασιλέως μὲν Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος θυγάτηρ ην, ἰταμὸν δὲ καὶ τολμηρὸν γύναιον. αυτη ναὸν τῷ οἰκείῳ θεῷ Βὴλ ἐδομήσατο καὶ αλσος ἐφύτευσε καὶ ἱερεῖς αὐτῷ καὶ ψευδοπροφήτας κατέστησεν. ̓Ηλιοὺ δὲ ὁ προφήτης ἐκ πόλεως Θέσβης, ζηλώσας ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀσεβείαις τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ειπε πρὸς ̓Αχαάβ "ζῇ κύριος, εἰ εσται ὑετὸς εἰ μὴ διὰ λόγου μου." καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῷ χειμάρρῳ Χορὰθ κατ' ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ· ενθα παρὰ κοράκων ἐτρέφετο αρτους αὐτῷ κομιζόντων πρωὶ καὶ κρέας τὸ δειλινόν, τὴν δὲ πόσιν αὐτῷ ἐχορήγει ὁ χείμαρρος. ου ξηρανθέντος εἰς Σαρεφθὰ πόλιν ουσαν μεταξὺ 1.134 Σιδῶνος καὶ Τύρου τῷ θεῷ πειθόμενος απεισι. καὶ 1.134 πρὸ τῆς πόλεως γυναικί τινι ἐντυχών, υδωρ αὐτῷ κομίσαι ἱκέτευεν. ὡς δ' ἐπορεύετο ἡ γυνή, καὶ αρτον αὐτῷ ἐνεγκεῖν ἠξίου. ἡ δὲ μιᾶς δρακὸς ἀλεύρου ἐξώμνυτο εὐπορεῖν καὶ βραχυτάτου ἐλαίου, καὶ συλλέξασα ξυλάρια ἀπιέναι ποιήσουσα μικρὰν τροφὴν ἑαυτῇ καὶ τοῖς παισίν, ης ἐκλιπούσης καὶ αὐτοὺς λιμῷ ἐκλιπεῖν. ὁ δὲ προφήτης θαρρεῖν αὐτῇ ἐγκελεύεται· μηδὲ γὰρ ἐκλείψειν αλευρον ἐκ τοῦ ἀγγείου τοῦ τοῦτο φέροντος, μηδ' ελαιον ἐκ τῆς ληκύθου, εως γένηται ὑετός. ἡ δὲ πορευθεῖσα τόν τε προφήτην παρ' αὐτῇ ξενισθέντα καὶ ἑαυτὴν καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἐκ τοῦ βραχίστου ἐκείνου ἀλεύρου ετρεφεν εως ὁ λιμὸς παρελήλυθε. νοσήσαντος δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς γυναικὸς ταύτης καὶ θανόντος, ἐβλασφήμει κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνη. ὁ δὲ δοθῆναι αὐτῷ τὸ τεθνηκὸς παιδίον ῃτησε. καὶ λαβὼν εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον ενθα ῳκει ἀνήνεγκε καὶ εθετο ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύσας τρισσάκις ἐνεφύσησε τῷ νεκρῷ, καὶ ἀνέζησε. καὶ εδωκε τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα τῇ γειναμένῃ· ἡ δ' ηὐχαρίστει. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐνετείλατο τῷ ̓Ηλιοὺ ὁ θεὸς πορευθῆναι καὶ προειπεῖν ̓Αχαὰβ ὡς εσται ὑετός. ὁ δὲ λιμὸς ἐπὶ Σαμάρειαν καὶ τὴν χώραν απασαν κεκραταίωτο. ̓Αχαὰβ δὲ τὸν οἰκονόμον αὐτοῦ ̓Αβδιοὺ ανδρα χρηστὸν παραλαβὼν ἀπῄει, εἰ ευροι τοῖς ιπποις χιλόν. καὶ ὁ μὲν αλλην ἀπῄει ὁδόν, ἑτέραν δὲ ̓Αβδιού, ἐρευνῶντες ποῦ αν ευροιεν χόρτον ἐν πηγαῖς η χειμάρροις. συναντᾷ τοίνυν τῷ ̓Αβδιοὺ ὁ ̓Ηλίας καὶ ῃτει τῷ βασιλεῖ μηνύειν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ καὶ μάλα ζητεῖσθαι παρὰ τοῦ ̓Αχαὰβ αὐτὸν ελεγεν, ιν' ἀνέλῃ, εἰ ευροι, καὶ κρύπτεσθαι συνεβούλευεν, ελεγέ τε καὶ αὐτὸς ἑκατὸν προφήτας κρύπτειν καὶ τρέφειν 1.135 καὶ σώζειν ουτω, τοὺς αλλους πάντας τῆς ̓Ιεζάβελ ἀνῃρηκυίας. ὁ δὲ ωμοσε κατ' ἐκείνην ὀφθήσεσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν τῷ ̓Αχαάβ. ἀπῆλθεν ουν ̓Αβδιοὺ καὶ ἀπήγγειλε περὶ τοῦ ̓Ηλία τῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν προφήτην ἐκεῖνος, εἰ αὐτός ἐστιν ηρετο ὁ διαστρέφων τὸν ̓Ισραήλ. ̓Ηλίας δέ "σὺ μᾶλλον" ειπε "καὶ ὁ οικος τοῦ πατρός σου διαστρέφετε τὸν λαόν, καταλιπόντες τὸν κύριον καὶ ψευδεῖς τιμῶντες θεούς. ἀλλ' αθροισον εἰς τὸ Καρμήλιον τὸν λαὸν καὶ τοὺς σοὺς προφήτας καὶ τοὺς τῆς γυναικός." πάντων δὲ συνελθόντων ειπεν ̓Ηλίας ὡς "ἐγὼ μόνος ὑπολέλειμμαι τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτης, οἱ δὲ