Første Kongebog 18
1 Og det skete mange Dage derefter, at Herrens Ord skete til Elias i det tredje Aar og sagde: Gak, lad dig se for Akab, saa vil jeg give Regn paa Jorderige.
For almost three years there was no rain in Samaria. Then Yahweh said this to Elijah: “Go and meet with King Ahab and [tell him that] I will soon send rain.”
2 Elias gik for at lade sig se for Akab. Og Hungeren var svar i Samaria.
So Elijah went to talk to Ahab. In Samaria there was almost no food for anyone to eat.
3 Og Akab havde kaldet ad Obadias, som var Hovmester; (men Obadias frygtede Herren saare;
There was a man there named Obadiah. He was in charge of the king’s palace. He greatly revered Yahweh.
4 thi det skete, der Jesabel udryddede Herrens Profeter, at Obadias tog hundrede Profeter og skjulte dem, halvtredsindstyve Mænd i hver Hule, og forsørgede dem med Brød og Vand);
One time when [Queen] Jezebel had [tried to] kill all Yahweh’s prophets, Obadiah hid 100 of them in two caves. He put 50 prophets in each cave, and he brought food and water to them.
5 og Akab havde sagt til Obadias: Drag igennem Landet til alle Vandkilder og til alle Bække, maaske vi kunne finde Græs og beholde Hestene og Mulerne i Live, at ikke Kvæget omkommer for os.
[By this time, the (famine/lack of food and water) had become very severe in Samaria]. So Ahab summoned Obadiah and said to him, “We must check/look near every spring and in every valley to see if we can find enough grass to give to some of my horses and mules, so that they will not all die.”
6 Og de delte Landet imellem sig for at drage igennem det; Akab drog alene paa en Vej, og Obadias drog alene paa en anden Vej.
So they both started walking throughout the land. Obadiah went in one direction by himself, and Ahab went in another direction by himself.
7 Men det skete, der Obadias var paa Vejen, se, da mødte Elias ham, og han kendte ham og faldt paa sit Ansigt og sagde: Er det dig, min Herre Elias?
While Obadiah was walking along, he saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized Elijah and bowed down in front of him and said, “Is it really you, Elijah, my master?”
8 Han sagde til ham: Det er mig; gak, sig til din Herre: Se, Elias er her!
Elijah replied, “Yes. Now go and tell [Ahab, ] your master, that I am here.”
9 Og han sagde: Hvad har jeg syndet, at du vil give din Tjener i Akabs Hænder, at han skal dræbe mig?
Obadiah objected. He said, “Sir, I have not [RHQ] harmed you at all. So why are you sending me back to Ahab? He will kill me!
10 Saa vist som Herren din Gud lever, der er intet Folk eller Rige, til hvilket min Herre jo har sendt hen, for der at lede efter dig, og de sagde: Han er ikke her; og han tog en Ed af det Rige og det Folk, at man ikke havde fundet dig.
Yahweh your God [knows that I am telling the truth when] I solemnly declare that King Ahab has searched in every kingdom all over the world [HYP] to find you. Each time that some king said to him, ‘Elijah is not here,’ Ahab demanded that the king of that country solemnly swear/declare that the king was telling the truth.
11 Og du siger nu: Gak, sig din Herre: Se, Elias er her!
Now you say to me, ‘Go and tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12 Og det maatte ske, naar jeg gik fra dig, at Herrens Aand tog dig bort, jeg ved ikke hvorhen, og jeg kom at give Akab det til Kende, og han fandt dig ikke, da slog han mig ihjel; men din Tjener frygter dog Herren fra sin Ungdom af.
But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you away, and I will not know where he will take you. So when [I tell] Ahab [that you are here and he] comes to me and he does not find you here, he will kill me! But [I do not deserve to die because] I have revered Yahweh since I was a boy.
13 Er det ikke givet min Herre til Kende, hvad jeg gjorde, der Jesabel slog Herrens Profeter ihjel, at jeg skjulte hundrede Mænd af Herrens Profeter, her halvtredsindstyve og der halvtredsindstyve Mænd i en Hule, og forsørgede dem med Brød og Vand?
My master, have you not heard about what I did when Jezebel wanted to kill all of Yahweh’s prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and took food and water to them.
14 Og du siger nu: Gak, sig din Herre: Se, Elias er her! og han vil slaa mig ihjel.
Now, sir, you say, ‘Go and tell your master that Elijah is here.’ But if I do that, [and he comes and you are not here, ] he will kill me!”
15 Og Elias sagde: Saa vist som Herren Zebaoth lever, for hvis Ansigt jeg staar, i Dag vil jeg lade mig se for ham.
But Elijah replied, “Yahweh, the Almighty One whom I serve [IDM], knows that [I am telling the truth as] I solemnly declare that I will go to meet with Ahab today.”
16 Da gik Obadias Akab i Møde og gav ham det til Kende, og Akab gik Elias i Møde.
So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come. Ahab went to meet with him.
17 Og det skete, der Akab saa Elias, da sagde Akab til ham: Er det dig, som forstyrrer Israel?
When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, the one who causes trouble for [the people of] Israel?”
18 Da sagde han: Ikke jeg har forstyrret Israel, men du og din Faders Hus, idet I forlode Herrens Bud, og du vandrede efter Baalerne.
Elijah replied, “It is not I who have caused trouble for the people of Israel! You and your family are the ones who have caused trouble! You have refused to obey Yahweh’s commands, and you have worshiped the idols of Baal instead.
19 Men nu sende du Bud og samle al Israel til mig til Karmels Bjerg, samt de fire Hundrede og halvtredsindstyve Baals Profeter og de fire Hundrede Astartes Profeter, som æde af Jesabels Bord.
So now, command all the Israeli people to come to Carmel Mountain, and [be sure to] bring all the 450 prophets who worship Baal and the 400 prophets who worship [the goddess] Asherah, the ones to whom [your wife] Jezebel brings food and water.”
20 Saa sendte Akab hen iblandt alle Israels Børn og samlede Profeterne til Karmels Bjerg.
So Ahab summoned all his prophets and all the other [Israeli] people to the top of Carmel Mountain, [and Elijah went up there too.]
21 Da gik Elias frem til alt Folket og sagde: Hvor længe ville I halte til begge Sider? dersom Herren er Gud, da vandrer efter ham, men dersom Baal er det, saa vandrer efter ham! Men Folket svarede ham ikke et Ord.
Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How long [RHQ] are you going to be undecided [about who is truly God]? If Yahweh is [truly] God, then worship/serve him. If Baal is truly God, then worship/serve him!” But the people said nothing [in reply, because they were afraid of what Jezebel would do to them if they admitted that they worshiped Yahweh].
22 Da sagde Elias til Folket: Jeg er ene tilbage som Herrens Profet; men Baals Profeter ere fire Hundrede og halvtredsindstyve Mænd.
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only true prophet of Yahweh who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.
23 Saa lader dem give os to Okser, og de maa udvælge sig den ene Okse og hugge den i Stykker og lægge den paa Veddet, men ikke lægge Ud dertil, saa vil jeg lave den anden Okse til og lægge den paa Veddet, men ikke lægge Ild dertil.
Bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose the one that they want. They must [kill it and] cut it into pieces and lay the pieces on the wood that is on the altar that they have made. But they must not light a fire [under the wood]. [I will kill the other bull and cut it in pieces and lay the pieces on the altar that I make].
24 Saa kalder paa eders Guds Navn, og jeg vil kalde paa Herrens Navn, og det skal ske: Den Gud, som svarer ved Ilden, han er Gud; og alt Folket svarede og sagde: Det Ord er godt.
Then they must call to their god [MTY], and I will call to Yahweh. The god who answers by lighting a fire [to the wood that is on that altar] is [the true] God!” Then all the people thought that Elijah’s suggestion was good.
25 Og Elias sagde til Baals Profeter: Udvælger eder den ene Okse og laver den først til, thi I ere de mange, og kalder paa eders Guds Navn, men lægger ikke Ild dertil.
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You call to Baal first, because there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls and prepare it, and then call to your god. But do not light a fire under the wood!”
26 Og de toge Oksen, som han gav dem, og lavede den til og kaldte paa Baals Navn, fra Morgenen og indtil Middagen, og sagde: O Baal! bønhør os! Men der var ingen Røst og ej heller nogen, som svarede; og de gik haltende om Alteret, som man havde opført.
So they killed one of the bulls and cut it up and placed the pieces on the altar. Then they called out to Baal all morning. They shouted, “Baal, answer us!” But no one answered. There was no reply at all [DOU]. Then they danced wildly around the altar that they had made.
27 Og det skete om Middagen, da spottede Elias dem og sagde: Raaber med høj Røst, thi han er jo en Gud; thi han er vel falden i Tanker, eller er gaaet til Side eller er paa Rejse — maaske sover han — at han kan opvaagne.
About noontime, Elijah started to make fun of them. He said, “[Surely] Baal is a god, so it seems that you must shout louder! Perhaps he is thinking about something, or perhaps he has gone to the toilet. Or perhaps he is traveling somewhere, or perhaps he is asleep and you need to wake him up!”
28 Og de raabte med høj Røst og saarede sig efter deres Vis med Knive og med Syle, indtil Blodet flød ned over dem.
So they shouted louder. Then, doing one of the things that they frequently did [when they worshiped Baal], they slashed/cut themselves with knives and swords until a lot of blood flowed.
29 Og det skete, der Middagen var gaaet forbi, at de profeterede, indtil man skulde ofre Madofferet; og der var ingen Røst og ingen, som svarede, og ingen, som agtede derpaa.
They continued calling out to Baal all afternoon. But there was no reply, no answer, no god who paid attention.
30 Da sagde Elias til alt Folket: Kommer hid til mig! og alt Folket kom frem til ham, og han helede Herrens Alter, som var nedbrudt.
Then Elijah called to the people saying, “Come closer!” So they all crowded around him. Then Elijah repaired the altar of Yahweh that had previously been (ruined/torn down) [by the prophets of Baal].
31 Og Elias tog tolv Stene, efter Jakobs Børns Stammers Tal, hans, til hvem Herrens Ord var sket, sigende: Dit Navn skal være Israel.
Then he took twelve [large] stones, each one to represent one of the Israeli tribes. The names of those tribes were given to them by their ancestor Jacob.
32 Og han byggede af de Stene et Alter i Herrens Navn, og han gjorde en Grav, saa rummelig som til to Maaders Udsæd, omkring Alteret.
With these stones he rebuilt Yahweh’s altar. Then around the altar he dug a little ditch that was large enough to hold about (three gallons/12 liters) of water.
33 Og han lagde Veddet til Rette og huggede Oksen i Stykker og lagde den paa Veddet.
He piled wood on top of the stones. He killed the bull and cut it in pieces. Then he laid the pieces on top of the wood. Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water on top of the pieces of meat and the wood.” So they did that.
34 Og han sagde: Fylder fire Krukker med Vand og øser det paa Brændofferet og paa Veddet; og han sagde: Gører det anden Gang, og de gjorde det anden Gang; og han sagde: Gører det tredje Gang, og de gjorde det tredje Gang.
Then he said, “Do the same thing again!” So they did it again. Then he said “Do it a third time!” So they did it again.
35 Og Vandet løb trindt omkring Alteret, og han fyldte ogsaa Graven med Vand,
As a result, the water flowed down below the altar and filled the ditches.
36 Og det skete, ved den Tid man ofrer Madofferet, da traadte Profeten Elias frem og sagde: Herre, Abrahams, Isaks og Israels Gud! lad det kendes i Dag, at du er Gud i Israel, og at jeg er din Tjener, og at jeg har gjort alle disse Gerninger efter dit Ord.
When it was time to offer the evening sacrifices, Elijah walked close [to the altar] and prayed. He said, “Yahweh, you who are the God that [our ancestors] Abraham and Isaac and Jacob [worshiped], prove today that you are the God whom the Israeli people [should worship], and prove that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all these things because you told me to do them.
37 Bønhør mig, Herre! bønhør mig, at dette Folk maa vide, at du, Herre, du er Gud, og at du har vendt deres Hjerter tilbage.
Yahweh, answer me! Answer me in order that these people will know that you, Yahweh God, [have the power to do what you say that you will do], and that you have caused them to trust in [IDM] you again!”
38 Da faldt Herrens Ild ned og fortærede Brændofferet og Veddet og Stenene og Støvet og slikkede Vandet op, som var i Graven.
Immediately a fire from Yahweh flashed down from the sky. The fire burned up the pieces of meat, the wood, the stones, and the dirt [that was around the altar]. It even dried up all the water in the ditch!
39 Og alt Folket saa det og faldt ned paa deres Ansigt og sagde: Herren, han er Gud! Herren, han er Gud!
When the people saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground and shouted, “Yahweh is God! Yahweh is God!”
40 Da sagde Elias til dem: Griber Baals Profeter, at ingen Mand undkommer af dem; og de grebe dem, og Elias førte dem ned til Kisons Bæk og nedhuggede dem der.
Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize all the prophets of Baal! Do not allow any of them to escape!” So the people seized all the prophets of Baal, and took them down the mountain to the Kishon Valley, and Elijah killed them all there.
41 Og Elias sagde til Akab: Drag op, æd og drik; thi der høres en Susen af megen Regn.
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go and get something to eat and drink. [But do it quickly, because] it is soon going to rain very hard!”
42 Og Akab drog op for at æde og at drikke; og Elias gik op paa Karmels Top og bøjede sig imod Jorden og satte sit Ansigt ned imellem sine Knæ.
So Ahab [and his men] left to prepare a big meal. But Elijah went back up to the top of Carmel Mountain and prayed.
43 Og han sagde til sin Dreng: Kære, gak op, se ud ad Vejen til Havet; og han gik op og saa til og sagde: Der er ikke noget; og han sagde: Gak igen derhen, syv Gange.
Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea, [to see if there are any rain clouds.]” So his servant went and looked, [and came back] and said, “I do not see anything.” This happened six times.
44 Og det skete den syvende Gang, at han sagde: Se, en liden Sky stiger op fra Havet, som en Mands Haand; og han sagde: Gak op, sig til Akab: Spænd for og far ned, at Regnen ikke skal opholde dig.
But when the servant went the seventh time, he came back and said, “I saw a very small cloud above the sea. [As I extend my arm, ] the cloud is about the size of my hand/fist.” Then Elijah shouted to him, “Go and tell King Ahab to get his chariot ready and go home immediately! If he does not do that, the rain will stop him!”
45 Og det skete i en Haandevending, da blev Himmelen sort af Skyer og Vejr, og der kom en stor Regn; men Akab for af Sted og drog til Jisreel.
Very soon the sky was full of black clouds. There was a strong wind, and then it began to rain very hard. Ahab got into his chariot and started to return to Jezreel [city].
46 Og Herrens Haand var over Elias, og han ombandt sig om sine Lænder og løb frem foran Akab, lige til Jisreel.
Yahweh gave extra strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt [in order to run fast], and he ran ahead of Ahab’s [chariot] all the way [17 miles/26 km.] to Jezreel.
