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very many false prophets. Therefore give me one bull, and another to all of them, and having sacrificed the bulls let us place the sacrifices on wood, but let us not apply any fire; and let each one call upon his own god, and He by whom fire flashes up of its own accord and burns up both the wood and the sacrifices, let him be considered the true god." The multitude praised his words, and the priests of shame did so, and having sacrificed the calf and placed it on the wood without fire, they called upon Baal from morning until midday. But the prophet, mocking them, advised them to shout loudly, lest their god be sleeping or he has some business. But since nothing was accomplished for them though they prayed much, the prophet, taking twelve stones for each tribe, built an altar, dug a trench, stacked the pieces of wood on the altar, and having placed the sacrifice on them, he commanded water to be poured on the altar, so that the trench was also filled. And after this he called upon God, and fire from heaven was brought down upon the altar while all were watching, and it consumed the 1.136 sacrifice and the wood and the stones, and the water and the dust. And the people, astonished, fell upon the ground, confessing one God, true and great. And seizing the false prophets, they killed them at the command of the prophet. He told the king that God would send rain after a short time, and according to his prophecy a heavy downpour occurred. But when Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, he was afraid and fled, and being in the desert, despairing, he begged God to die. But having fallen asleep, he was awakened by someone permitting him to rise and eat. And he sees there a loaf of spelt and water. And having eaten he slept again, and again the angel bids him to eat, as a long journey lay before him. And having eaten again and been strengthened by that food, he journeyed for forty days. And having come to mount Horeb he entered a cave, and heard a voice, "Why have you come here?" And he said, "Because being zealous I killed the prophets of Jezebel, and she seeks to kill me." But the one who was speaking an oracle said to him again, "Go out tomorrow and stand in the presence of the Lord." And he did so, and he perceived a wind and an earthquake, and he sees a burning fire. Then when there was a gentle breeze, he hears a voice from there commanding him to return and to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, and Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as prophet in his place, who will destroy the ungodly. And Elijah, having returned as he was commanded, found Elisha plowing, and he cast his mantle upon him. And he, having left everything, followed him, having been deemed worthy to prophesy. 1.137 And Naboth, who possessed a vineyard near the fields of King Ahab, was asked to sell it to the king or to exchange it; but he would not be persuaded. And the king was grieved because of this. But Jezebel, having learned the cause of his grief, wrote a letter as if from Ahab to the leaders of the country where Naboth lived, ordering them to accuse the man of having blasphemed against God and the king, and to prepare some men to bear witness against him, and to stone him. Having sealed this letter with the king's seal, she sent it to the men. And when they had done as they were ordered, Naboth was stoned and died, and Jezebel instructed Ahab to inherit the vineyard of Naboth, since he was dead. And he was grieved because of the murder, but he took possession of the vineyard. And Elijah, at God's command, went to Ahab saying, "Because you murdered Naboth to have his vineyard, for this reason thus says the Lord. 'Where the dogs licked his blood, there they will lick your blood and the blood of your wife, and the prostitutes will wash in your blood, and all your family will be destroyed.'" But Ahab, being pierced to the heart at these words, wept and put on sackcloth and fasted, repenting of what had been done. And God because of

54

ψευδοπροφῆται σφόδρα πολλοί. δότε ουν μοι μόνῳ βοῦν, καὶ αὐτοῖς απασιν ετερον, καὶ θύσαντες τοὺς βόας ἐπιθῶμεν ξύλοις τὰ θύματα, πῦρ δέ γε μὴ ἐπενέγκωμεν· καὶ εκαστος ἐπικαλείσθω τὸν οἰκεῖον θεόν, καὶ ὑφ' ου αν αὐτόματον πῦρ ἐκλάμψῃ καὶ κατακαύσῃ τὰ ξύλα τε καὶ τὰ θύματα, ἐκεῖνος λογιζέσθω θεὸς ἀληθής." ἐπῄνεσε τὸ πλῆθος τοὺς λόγους, καὶ ἐποίησαν ουτως οἱ ἱερεῖς τῆς αἰσχύνης, καὶ θύσαντες τὸν μόσχον καὶ ἐπιθέντες ξύλοις ανευ πυρός, ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν Βάαλ πρωίθεν εἰς μεσημβρίαν. μυκτηρίζων δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ προφήτης μέγα βοᾶν αὐτοῖς συνεβούλευε, μήποτε καθεύδῃ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς η τις ἀσχολία αὐτῷ ἐστιν. ὡς δ' οὐδὲν ἐκείνοις δεομένοις πολλὰ ἐπεραίνετο, ὁ προφήτης δώδεκα λίθους λαβὼν καθ' ἑκάστην φυλὴν ᾠκοδόμησε θυσιαστήριον, ωρυξε δεξαμενήν, ἐστοίβασε τὰς σχίδακας ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ, καὶ αὐταῖς τὰ ἱερεῖα ἐπενεγκὼν υδωρ ἐπιχεθῆναι τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ ἐκέλευσεν, ωστε καὶ τὴν δεξαμενὴν πληρωθῆναι. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπεκαλέσατο τὸν θεόν, καὶ πῦρ οὐρανόθεν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν κατενήνεκτο πάντων ὁρώντων, καὶ τὴν 1.136 θυσίαν καὶ τὰ ξύλα καὶ τοὺς λίθους κατέφαγε, τὸ υδωρ τε καὶ τὸν χοῦν. ὁ λαὸς δ' ἐκπλαγεὶς επεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ενα θεὸν ἀληθῆ τε καὶ μέγαν ὁμολογοῦντες. καὶ συλλαβόντες τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας ἀπέκτειναν τοῦ προφήτου κελεύσαντος. ειπε δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς υσει μετὰ μικρὸν ὁ θεός, καὶ γέγονε κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν αὐτοῦ ῥαγδαῖος ομβρος. ἀπειλησάσης δὲ τῆς ̓Ιεζάβελ ἀνελεῖν τὸν ̓Ηλίαν, φοβηθεὶς ἐκεῖνος εφυγεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ γενόμενος ἀθυμῶν ἀποθανεῖν ἱκέτευε τὸν θεόν. κοιμηθεὶς δὲ διυπνίσθη παρά τινος ἀναστῆναι καὶ φαγεῖν αὐτῷ ἐπιτρέποντος. ὁρᾷ δὲ ὀλυρίτην αρτον ἐκεῖ καὶ υδωρ. καὶ φαγὼν ἐκοιμήθη πάλιν, καὶ αυθις ὁ αγγελος φαγεῖν αὐτῷ ἐγκελεύεται, ὡς πολλῆς αὐτῷ προκειμένης ὁδοῦ. καὶ πάλιν δὲ φαγὼν καὶ ἐνισχύσας ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς ἐκείνης, ἐπορεύθη ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα. καὶ γενόμενος ἐν τῷ ορει Χωρὴβ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς σπήλαιον, καὶ φωνῆς ηκουσε "τί παραγέγονας ἐνταῦθα;" ὁ δὲ εφη "οτι ζηλώσας εκτεινα τοὺς προφήτας τῆς ̓Ιεζάβελ, ἡ δὲ ζητεῖ με κτανεῖν." ὁ δὲ χρηματίζων ειπεν αυθις αὐτῷ "εξελθε αυριον καὶ στῆθι ἐνώπιον κυρίου." καὶ ἐποίησεν ουτως, καὶ αἰσθάνεται πνεύματός τε καὶ συσσεισμοῦ, καὶ ὁρᾷ καιόμενον πῦρ. ειτα λεπτῆς γενομένης αυρας ἀκούει φωνῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστρέψαι κελευούσης αὐτῷ καὶ χρῖσαι βασιλέα τῆς Συρίας τὸν ̓Αζαήλ, καὶ τὸν ̓Ιηοὺ βασιλέα τῷ ̓Ισραήλ, καὶτὸν ̓Ελισσαιὲ εἰς προφήτην ἀνθ' ἑαυτοῦ, οι τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ὀλοθρεύσουσιν. ὑποστρέψας δὲ ̓Ηλίας ὡς ἐκελεύσθη ευρε τὸν ̓Ελισσαῖον ἀροτριοῦντα, καὶ ἐπέρριψεν αὐτῷ τὴν μηλωτὴν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ καταλιπὼν πάντα ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ προφητεύειν ἀξιωθείς. 1.137 ̓Αμπελῶνα δὲ πλησίον τῶν ἀγρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ̓Αχαὰβ κεκτημένος ὁ Ναβουθαὶ ἠξιοῦτο πωλῆσαι αὐτὸν τῷ βασιλεῖ η ἀνταλλάξαι· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείθετο. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοῦτο λελύπητο. μαθοῦσα δὲ ̓Ιεζάβελ τῆς λύπης τὸ αιτιον γραφὴν ἐποιήσατο ὡς ἐξ ̓Αχαὰβ πρὸς τοὺς προέχοντας τῆς χώρας, ἐν ῃ κατῴκει ὁ Ναβουθαί, ἐγκελευομένην αὐτοῖς κατηγορῆσαι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὡς βλασφημήσαντος κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, καί τινας παρασκευάσαι καταμαρτυρῆσαι αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταλιθάσαι αὐτόν. ταύτην τὴν γραφὴν τῇ σφραγῖδι τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπισημηναμένη εστειλε πρὸς τοὺς ανδρας. κἀκείνων ποιησάντων ὡς ἐνετάλθησαν, ὁ μὲν Ναβουθαὶ κατελεύσθη καὶ τέθνηκεν, ἡ δ' ̓Ιεζάβελ κληρονομῆσαι τὸν ἀμπελῶνα τοῦ Ναβουθαὶ τῷ ̓Αχαὰβ ἐνετέλλετο θανόντος ἐκείνου. ὁ δὲ ἐλυπήθη διὰ τὸν φόνον, τὸν ἀμπελῶνα δὲ ᾠκειώσατο. καὶ ̓Ηλίας κελεύσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπῄει πρὸς ̓Αχαὰβ λέγων "οτι ἐφόνευσας τὸν Ναβουθαὶ διὰ τὸ σχεῖν τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος. ενθα οἱ κύνες τὸ ἐκείνου ελειξαν αιμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸ σὸν αιμα καὶ τὸ τῆς γυναικός σου λείξουσι, καὶ αἱ πόρναι λούσονται ἐν τῷ αιματί σου, καὶ απαν τὸ γένος σου ἐξολοθρευθήσεται." ̓Αχαὰβ δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις κατανυγεὶς εκλαυσε καὶ σάκκον περιεβάλετο καὶ ἐνήστευσεν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις μεταμελόμενος. καὶ ὁ θεὸς διὰ