Første Kongebog 18
1 Lang Tid efter, i det tredje Aar, kom HERRENS Ord saaledes: »Gaa hen og træd frem for Akab, saa vil jeg sende Regn over Jorden!«
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.
2 Da gav Elias sig paa Vej for at træde frem for Akab. Da Hungersnøden blev trykkende i Samaria,
And Elijah went to shew himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.
3 kaldte Akab Paladsøversten Obadja til sig. Obadja var en Mand, der alvorligt frygtede HERREN,
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was the steward of his house (now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly;
4 og dengang Jesabel lod HERRENS Profeter udrydde, tog han og skjulte hundrede Profeter, halvtredsindstyve i een Hule og halvtredsindstyve i en anden, og sørgede for Brød og Vand til dem.
and it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and maintained them with bread and water);
5 Akab sagde nu til Obadja: »Kom, lad os drage rundt i Landet til alle Vandkilder og Bække, om vi mulig kan finde saa meget Græs, at vi kan holde Liv i Hestene og Muldyrene og slippe for at dræbe noget af Dyrene!«
and Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the fountains of water and to all the torrents, perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and the mules alive, so that we may not have to destroy some of [our] beasts.
6 Saa delte de Landet, som de skulde gennemvandre, mellem sig, saaledes at Akab og Obadja drog hver sin Vej.
And they divided the land between them to pass through it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Medens nu Obadja var undervejs, se, da traadte Elias ham i Møde; Obadja genkendte ham og faldt paa sit Ansigt og sagde: »Er det dig, min Herre Elias?«
And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him; and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it indeed thou, my lord Elijah?
8 Han svarede: »Ja, det er mig! Gaa hen og sig til din Herre, at Elias er her!«
And he said to him, I [am he]: go, say to thy lord, Behold Elijah!
9 Men han sagde: »Hvormed har jeg dog syndet, siden du vil give din Træl i Akabs Haand, for at han kan slaa mig ihjel?
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou givest thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death?
10 Saa sandt HERREN din Gud lever, der er ikke et Folk eller Rige, min Herre ikke har sendt Bud til for at lede efter dig; og blev der sagt, at du ikke var der, tog han Riget og Folket i Ed paa, at de ikke havde fundet dig.
As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom whither my lord has not sent to seek thee; and when they said, He is not [here], he took an oath of the kingdom or nation that they found thee not.
11 Og nu siger du, at jeg skal gaa hen og sige til min Herre, at Elias er her!
And now thou sayest, Go, say to thy lord, Behold Elijah!
12 Hvis nu HERRENS Aand, naar jeg har forladt dig, fører dig bort til et Sted, jeg ikke kender, og jeg kommer og melder det til Akab, og han ikke finder dig, lader han mig dræbe. Og din Træl har dog frygtet HERREN fra Ungdommen af!
And it shall come to pass when I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah shall carry thee whither I know not; and when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will kill me; and I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
13 Er det ikke kommet min Herre for Øre, hvad jeg gjorde, da Jesabel lod HERRENS Profeter dræbe, hvorledes jeg skjulte hundrede af HERRENS Profeter, halvtredsindstyve i een Hule og halvtredsindstyve i en anden, og sørgede for Brød og Vand til dem?
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and maintained them with bread and water?
14 Og nu siger du, at jeg skal gaa hen og sige til din Herre, at Elias er her — han lader mig dræbe!«
And now thou sayest, Go, say to thy lord, Behold Elijah! and he will kill me.
15 Da sagde Elias: »Saa sandt Hærskarers HERRE lever, han, for hvis Aasyn jeg staar, i Dag vil jeg træde frem for ham.«
And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will certainly shew myself to him to-day.
16 Obadja gik da Akab i Møde og meldte ham det, og Akab gik Elias i Møde.
Then Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 Da Akab fik Øje paa Elias, sagde han til ham: »Er det dig, du, som bringer Ulykke over Israel!«
And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is it thou, the troubler of Israel?
18 Men han svarede: »Det er ikke mig, der har bragt Ulykke over Israel, men dig og din Faders Hus, fordi I har forladt HERREN og holder eder til Ba'alerne!
And he said, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baals.
19 Men send nu Bud og kald hele Israel sammen til mig paa Karmels Bjerg og tillige de 450 Ba'alsprofeter og de 400 Asjeraprofeter, som spiser ved Jesabels Bord!«
And now send, gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.
20 Da sendte Akab Bud rundt til alle Israeliterne og samlede Profeterne paa Karmels Bjerg.
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 Elias traadte saa frem for alt Folket og sagde: »Hvor længe vil I blive ved at halte til begge Sider? Er HERREN Gud, saa hold eder til ham, og er Ba'al Gud, saa hold eder til ham!« Men Folket svarede ham ikke et Ord.
Then Elijah drew near to all the people, and said, How long do ye halt between two opinions? if Jehovah be God, follow him; and if Baal, follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Da sagde Elias til Folket: »Jeg er den eneste af HERRENS Profeter, der er tilbage, og Ba'als Profeter er 450 Mand;
And Elijah said to the people, I, only I, remain a prophet of Jehovah; and Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 lad os nu faa to unge Tyre; saa skal de vælge den ene Tyr og hugge den i Stykker og lægge den paa Brændet, men Ild maa de ikke lægge til; den anden vil jeg lave til og lægge paa Brændet, men uden at tænde Ild.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks: and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and put it on the wood, and put no fire; and I will sacrifice the other bullock, and put it on the wood, and put no fire.
24 Saa skal I paakalde eders Guds Navn, og jeg vil paakalde HERRENS Navn; den Gud, der svarer med Ild, han er Gud!« Alt Folket sagde: »Det Forslag er godt!«
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the god that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, The word is good.
25 Derpaa sagde Elias til Ba'als Profeter: »Vælg eder den ene Tyr og lav den til først, thi I er de mange, og paakald saa eders Guds Navn, men I maa ikke tænde Ild!«
And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose one bullock for yourselves, and sacrifice it first; for ye are the many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire.
26 Saa tog de Tyren og lavede den til og paakaldte Ba'als Navn fra Morgen til Middag, idet de raabte: »Hør os, Ba'al!« Men ikke en Lyd hørtes, der var ingen, som svarede; og de dansede haltende omkring det Alter, de havde opført.
And they took the bullock which had been given them, and sacrificed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and none answered. And they leaped about the altar that had been made.
27 Men da det var blevet Middag, haanede Elias dem og sagde: »I maa raabe højt, thi han er jo en Gud! Han er vel faldet i Tanker eller gaaet afsides eller rejst bort, eller han er faldet i Søvn og maa først vaagne!«
And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god; for he is meditating, or gone aside, or he is on a journey; perhaps he sleeps, and will awake.
28 Da raabte de højt, og som de havde for Skik, saarede de deres Legemer med Sværd og Spyd, til Blodet flød ned ad dem.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and spears, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 Og da det var over Middag, begyndte de at rase, og det varede lige til hen imod Afgrødeofferets Tid, men ikke en Lyd hørtes, ingen svarede, og ingen agtede derpaa.
And it came to pass when midday was past, that they prophesied until the [time] of the offering up of the oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any that answered, nor any attention.
30 Da sagde Elias til alt Folket: »Kom hen til mig!« Og da alt Folket var kommet hen til ham, satte han HERRENS nedbrudte Alter i Stand.
Then Elijah said to all the people, Draw near to me. And all the people drew near to him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah which was broken down.
31 Elias tog tolv Sten, svarende til Tallet paa Jakobs Sønners Stammer, han, til hvem HERRENS Ord lød: »Israel skal dit Navn!«
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Jehovah came saying, Israel shall be thy name;
32 Og af disse Sten byggede han et Alter i HERRENS Navn og gravede rundt om Alteret en Rende paa omtrent to Sea Land.
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah, and made a trench round about the altar, of the capacity of two measures of seed;
33 Derpaa lagde han Brændet tilrette, huggede Tyren i Stykker og lagde den paa Brændet.
and he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four pitchers with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
34 Saa sagde han: »Fyld fire Krukker med Vand og hæld det ud over Brændofferet og Brændet!« Og da de havde gjort det, sagde han: »Een Gang til!« Og da de havde gjort det anden Gang, sagde han: »Een Gang til!« Og de gjorde det endnu en Gang.
And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 Det drev af Vand rundt om Alteret, ogsaa Renden fik han fyldt med Vand.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 Men ved Afgrødeofferets Tid traadte Profeten Elias frem og sagde: »HERRE, Abrahams, Isaks og Israels Gud! Lad det kendes i Dag, at du er Gud i Israel og jeg din Tjener, og at jeg har gjort alt dette paa dit Ord!
And it came to pass at [the time of] the offering up of the oblation, that Elijah the prophet drew near, and said, Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things by thy word.
37 Hør mig, HERRE, hør mig, for at dette Folk maa kende, at du HERRE er Gud, og at du atter drager deres Hjerte til dig!«
Answer me, Jehovah, answer me, that this people may know that thou Jehovah art God, and [that] thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Da for HERRENS Ild ned og fortærede Brændofferet og Brændet og Stenene og Jorden; endog Vandet i Renden slikkede den bort.
And the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 Da alt Folket saa det, faldt de paa deres Ansigt og raabte: »HERREN er Gud, HERREN er Gud!«
And all the people saw [it], and they fell on their faces and said, Jehovah, he is God! Jehovah, he is God!
40 Men Elias sagde til dem: »Grib Ba'als Profeter, lad ingen af dem slippe bort!« Og de greb dem, og Elias førte dem ned til Kisjonbækken og dræbte dem der.
And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape! And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the torrent of Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
41 Derpaa sagde Elias til Akab: »Gaa op og spis og drik, thi der høres Susen af Regn.«
And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 Da gik Akab op for at spise og drikke; men Elias gik op paa Karmels Top og bøjede sig til Jorden med Ansigtet mellem Knæene.
And Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed down on the earth, and put his face between his knees.
43 Saa sagde han til sin Tjener: »Gaa op og se ud over Havet!« Og han gik op og saa ud, men sagde: »Der er intet!« Syv Gange sagde han til ham: »Gaa derop igen!« Og syv Gange vendte Tjeneren tilbage.
And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said, [There is] nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 Men syvende Gang sagde han: »Nu stiger der en lille Sky op af Havet, saa stor som en Mands Haand!« Da sagde Elias: »Gaa hen og sig til Akab: Spænd for og kør hjem, at du ikke skal blive opholdt af Regnen!«
And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold there is a cloud, small as a man's hand, arising out of the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Harness and go down, that the pour of rain stop thee not.
45 Et Øjeblik efter var Himmelen sort af Stormskyer, og der faldt en voldsom Regn. Akab steg til Vogns og kørte til Jizre'el;
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heavens became black [with] clouds and wind, and there was a great pour of rain. And Ahab got on the chariot, and went to Jizreel.
46 men HERRENS Haand kom over Elias, saa han omgjordede sine Lænder og løb foran Akab lige til Jizre'el.
And the hand of Jehovah was upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jizreel.
