102
when Abiron laid its foundation and his younger son Segub when he set up its gates at the completion of the building, according to the divine curse brought forth through Joshua. Then also Elijah the Tishbite came and dwelt secretly in the east by the brook Cherith, having foretold to Ahab the three-year drought, being served by bread-bearing and flesh-eating ravens; and when the water in the brook failed him, he went away to Zarephath of Sidon by God's command, and being received as a guest by the widow, he ate her one-day's food, and he blessed the jar of meal with the cruse of oil, and raised her dead son. And returning to Ahab after 3 years and meeting him as he was threatening death, he acted against the false prophets and the priests of the idols, who were 850 in number and were supported by Jezebel, who was slaying the divine prophets, whom Obadiah saved, and for this reason he came forth into prophecy while still a boy, although he alone among the prophets was not descended from prophetic ancestors. And when the zealot Elijah had slain the priests of shame, he deluged the earth with rain through prayer, and again fled to Beersheba and from there into the wilderness, fearing Jezebel who was threatening him with death; where, as he was asking for death, an angel stood by him as he slept and commanded him to partake of God-given food and drink, by the strength of which alone he journeyed for 40 days and nights on Mount Horeb, that is, Sinai, and he rested in the cave of Moses. And being asked by the Lord for what reason he had come there, he boasted of his zeal 224 for God and that, being the only godly one, he was persecuted and sought to be slain. And being commanded to stand on the next day in the presence of the Lord as He passed by, he first saw a great and strong wind, breaking mountains and shattering rocks, going before the Lord, and second, an earthquake, and third, a fire; in which, it says, the Lord of these was not. After these things he heard the sound of a still, small voice, and covering his face, he stood before the cave. And again he is asked for what reason he has come there, and again he answers the same things again. And he hears a divine voice commanding him to go to the wilderness of Damascus and to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, and Elisha as prophet in his place, and not to be ignorant that there were also another seven thousand God-loving men from Israel reserved for me, God. In these things being taught to be humbled by God, he again reproaches Ahab for the death of Naboth, unjustly exacted on account of the vineyard. Ahab, deceived by the false prophets, joined battle with the Syrians and was slain, as Micaiah the prophet had foretold the outcome. The 7th king of Israel was Ahaziah, son of Ahab, for 2 years. And the year of the world was 4567. Ahaziah son of Ahab was the most lawless of all those before him. Having allied with him, Jehoshaphat was condemned by God. To Ahaziah, who was sick and had sent to receive an oracle from the idol of the fly of Ekron, Elijah the Tishbite, meeting him, reproached his idolatry. And being summoned, he destroyed the two captains of fifty along with their soldiers. But being entreated by the third, he came to Ahaziah and announced his death to him. The 8th king of Israel was Joram, brother of Ahaziah, for 12 years, also a son of Ahab. And the year of the world was 4568. When Moab rebelled after the death of Ahab, Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, went up to fight the Moabites, taking with him also Ahaziah king of Judah and the king of Edom. And being about to perish from lack of water for seven days, they ran to the prophet Elisha, who prophesied to them both that they would receive water in abundance from the brook, and the cities of Moab on that very day, and that they would stop all the springs, and tear down every building of the Moabites. 225 When the son of Ader, king of Syria, was sick, the prophet Elisha foretold to Hazael concerning the kingdom and the future evils for Israel through him. In the fifth year of Joram, Hazael of Syria, son of Ader king of Syria, became king. And he sent a force to seize Elisha at Bethel, whom, being struck blind and turned back against their enemies, into
102
ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν αὐτὴν Ἀβειρὼν καὶ τοῦ νεωτέρου Σεγοὺβ ἐν τῷ ἐφιστᾶν τὰς πύλας ἐπὶ συμπληρώσει τῆς οἰκοδομῆς, κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ενεχθεῖσαν διὰ Ἰησοῦ θείαν ἀράν. Τότε καὶ Ἠλίας ὁ Θεσβίτης ἐλθὼν ᾤκησε κατὰ ἀνατολὰς λάθρα παρὰ τὸν χείμαρρον Χαρεσθά, προκαταγγείλας τῷ Ἀχαὰβ τὴν τριετῆ ἀνομβρίαν, κόραξιν ἀρτοφόροις καὶ σαρκοβόροις ὑπηρετούμενος· ἐκλείποντος δὲ αὐ τῷ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν χείμαρρον ὕδατος εἰς Σεραφθὰ τῆς Σιδωνίας ἄπεισι θεοῦ προστάξει, ξενισθείς τε παρὰ τῆς χήρας ἐσθίει τὴν μονοήμερον αὐτῆς βρῶσιν, τόν τε καμψάκην εὐλογεῖ σὺν τῇ ὑδρίᾳ τοῦ ἐλαίου καὶ τὸν παῖδα θανόντα ἀνίστησιν. ἐπανελθὼν δὲ πρὸς τὸν Ἀχαὰβ μετὰ γʹ ἔτη καὶ συν αντήσας αὐτῷ θάνατον ἀπειλοῦντι πράττει τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῶν εἰδώλων ωνʹ ὄντας καὶ ὑπὸ Ἰεζάβελ διατρεφομένους τῆς τοὺς θείους προφήτας ἀναιρούσης, οὓς Ἀβδιοὺ διέσῳζεν, εἰς προφη τείαν τε πρόεισιν ἔτι παῖς ὢν διὰ τοῦτο καίπερ μόνος ἐν προφήταις ἐκ προγόνων προφητῶν μὴ γενεαλογούμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνεῖλε τοὺς ἱερεῖς ὁ ζη λωτὴς Ἠλίας τοὺς τῆς αἰσχύνης, ὄμβρῳ τὴν γῆν δι' εὐχῆς ἐπικλύζει καὶ πάλιν φεύγει εἰς Βηρσαβεὲ κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, φοβηθεὶς ἀπειλοῦσαν αὐτῷ θάνατον τὴν Ἰεζάβελ· ἔνθα θάνατον αἰτοῦντι παραστὰς ἄγγελος ὑπνώσαντι μεταλαβεῖν θεοσδότου τροφῆς κελεύει καὶ ποτοῦ, ᾗ καὶ ἐν ισχύσας μόνῃ μʹ νυχθημέρων ὁδὸν ἐπορεύετο ἐν Χωρὴβ τῷ ὄρει ἤτοι Σι ναίῳ, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ Μωυσέως. Ἐρωτώμενος δὲ παρὰ κυρίου δι' ἣν ἐκεῖ ἦλθεν αἰτίαν, τὰ τοῦ ζήλου τοῦ 224 κατὰ θεὸν ἐκαυχᾶτο καὶ ὅτι μόνος θεοσεβὴς ὢν διώκεται ζητούμενος ἀναι ρεθῆναι. κελευσθεὶς δὲ παραστῆναι τῇ ἑξῆς ἐνώπιον κυρίου παριόντος πρῶ τον θεωρεῖ πνεῦμα μέγα κραταιὸν διαλῦον ὄρη καὶ συντρῖβον πέτρας προ πορευόμενον κυρίου, καὶ δεύτερον συσσεισμόν, καὶ τρίτον πῦρ· ἐν οἷς, φη σίν, οὐκ ἦν ὁ τούτων κύριος. μεθ' ἃ αὔρας λεπτῆς φωνῆς ἀκούει, ἐπικα λύψας τε τὸ πρόσωπον πρὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου ἵσταται. καὶ αὖθις ἐπερωτᾶται τίνος χάριν αὐτόθι παραγέγονε, καὶ πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν ἀποκρίνεται. καὶ ἀκούει προστάττουσαν θείαν φωνὴν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ χρῖσαι βασιλέα μὲν Συρίας τὸν Ἀζαήλ, προφήτην δὲ ἀνθ' αὑτοῦ τὸν Ἑλισσαιέ, μὴ ἀγνοεῖν δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἄλλοι εἴησαν ἑπτακισχίλιοι θεοφιλεῖς ἐξ Ἰσραήλ μοι θεῷ πεφυλαγμένοι. Ἐν οἷς παιδευθεὶς ταπεινοῦσθαι θεῷ ἐλέγχει πάλιν τὸν Ναβουθαὶ θά νατον τῷ Ἀχαὰβ ἀδίκως εἰσπραχθέντα διὰ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα. ὁ Ἀχαὰβ ἀπατηθεὶς τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις συμβαλὼν Σύροις ἀναιρεῖται Μιχαίου προ ειρηκότος τοῦ προφήτου τὸ ἐκβάν. Τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ζʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ὀχοζίας υἱὸς Ἀχαὰβ ἔτη βʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμουἦν ἔτος δφζζʹ. Ὀχοζίας υἱὸς Ἀχαὰβ παρανομώτατος ἦν πάντων τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ. τούτῳ συμμαχήσας Ἰωσαφὰτ κατεγνώσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. τῷ Ὀχοζίᾳ νοσοῦντι καὶ χρησμὸν ἀποστείλαντι λαβεῖν ἐν εἰδωλίᾳ μυίας Ἀκκαρὼν συν τυχὼν Ἠλίας ὁ Θεσβίτης ὀνειδίζει τὴν εἰδωλολατρίαν. προσκληθεὶς δὲ διαφθείρει τοὺς δύο πεντηκοντάρχους ἅμα τοῖς στρατιώταις. ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ τρίτῳ δυσωπηθεὶς ἦλθε πρὸς Ὀχοζίαν καὶ τὸν θάνατον αὐτῷ κατήγγειλε. Τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ηʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωρὰμ ἀδελφὸς Ὀχοζίου ἔτη ιβʹ, καὶ αὐτὸςυἱὸς Ἀχαάβ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δφζηʹ. Μωὰβ ἀθετήσαντι μετὰ θάνατον Ἀχαὰβ ὁ Ἰωρὰμ υἱὸς Ἀχαὰβ βασιλεύων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνέβη πολεμεῖν Μωαβίταις, παραλαβὼν καὶ Ὀχοζίαν βασιλέα Ἰούδα καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Ἐδώμ. ἑπτὰ δὲ ἡμέραις ἀνυδρίᾳ μέλλοντες διαφθείρεσθαι προσέδραμον τῷ προφήτῃ Ἑλισσαίῳ, ὃς προεφήτευσεν αὐ τοῖς ὕδατά τε λαβεῖν εἰς πλησμονὴν ἐκ τοῦ χειμάρρου καὶ τὰς πόλεις Μωὰβ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ πάσας τὰς πηγὰς ἐμφράξαι, καὶ πᾶσαν οἰκο δομὴν Μωαβιτῶν καθελεῖν. 225 Νοσοῦντος τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἄδερ βασιλέως Συρίας ὁ προφήτης Ἑλισσαῖος προθεσπίζει τῷ Ἀζαὴλ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τῶν μελλόντων κακῶν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δι' αὐτοῦ. Πέμπτῳ ἔτει Ἰωρὰμ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀζαὴλ Συρίας υἱὸς Ἄδερ βασιλέως Συρίας. ἀπέστειλε δὲ δύναμιν συλλαβεῖν τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον εἰς Βαιθήλ, οὓς τυφλώττοντας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀντιστρεφομένους εἰς