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!«
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 Da gav Elias sig paa Vej for at træde frem for Akab. Da Hungersnøden blev trykkende i Samaria,
So Elijah went to talk to Ahab. In Samaria there was almost no food for anyone to eat.
3 kaldte Akab Paladsøversten Obadja til sig. Obadja var en Mand, der alvorligt frygtede HERREN,
There was a man there named Obadiah. He was in charge of the king’s palace. He greatly revered Yahweh.
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.
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 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!«
[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 Saa delte de Landet, som de skulde gennemvandre, mellem sig, saaledes at Akab og Obadja drog hver sin 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 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?«
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 svarede: »Ja, det er mig! Gaa hen og sig til din Herre, at Elias er her!«
Elijah replied, “Yes. Now go and tell [Ahab, ] your master, that I am here.”
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?
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 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.
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 nu siger du, at jeg skal gaa hen og sige til min Herre, at Elias er her!
Now you say to me, ‘Go and tell your master that Elijah is here!’
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!
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 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?
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 nu siger du, at jeg skal gaa hen og sige til din Herre, at Elias er her — han lader mig dræbe!«
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 Da sagde Elias: »Saa sandt Hærskarers HERRE lever, han, for hvis Aasyn jeg staar, i Dag vil jeg træde frem 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 Obadja gik da Akab i Møde og meldte ham det, og Akab gik Elias i Møde.
So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come. Ahab went to meet with him.
17 Da Akab fik Øje paa Elias, sagde han til ham: »Er det dig, du, som bringer Ulykke over Israel!«
When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, the one who causes trouble for [the people 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!
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 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!«
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 Da sendte Akab Bud rundt til alle Israeliterne og samlede Profeterne paa 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 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 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 den eneste af HERRENS Profeter, der er tilbage, og Ba'als Profeter er 450 Mand;
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only true prophet of Yahweh who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.
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.
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 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!«
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 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!«
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 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.
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 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!«
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 Da raabte de højt, og som de havde for Skik, saarede de deres Legemer med Sværd og Spyd, til Blodet flød ned ad 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 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.
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: »Kom hen til mig!« Og da alt Folket var kommet hen til ham, satte han HERRENS nedbrudte Alter i Stand.
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 Elias tog tolv Sten, svarende til Tallet paa Jakobs Sønners Stammer, han, til hvem HERRENS Ord lød: »Israel skal dit Navn!«
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 af disse Sten byggede han et Alter i HERRENS Navn og gravede rundt om Alteret en Rende paa omtrent to Sea Land.
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 Derpaa lagde han Brændet tilrette, huggede Tyren i Stykker og lagde den paa Brændet.
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 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.
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 Det drev af Vand rundt om Alteret, ogsaa Renden fik han fyldt med Vand.
As a result, the water flowed down below the altar and filled the ditches.
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!
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 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!«
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 for HERRENS Ild ned og fortærede Brændofferet og Brændet og Stenene og Jorden; endog Vandet i Renden slikkede den bort.
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 Da alt Folket saa det, faldt de paa deres Ansigt og raabte: »HERREN er Gud, HERREN er Gud!«
When the people saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground and shouted, “Yahweh is God! Yahweh 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.
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 Derpaa sagde Elias til Akab: »Gaa op og spis og drik, thi der høres Susen af 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 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.
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 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.
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 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!«
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 Et Øjeblik efter var Himmelen sort af Stormskyer, og der faldt en voldsom Regn. Akab steg til Vogns og kørte til Jizre'el;
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 men HERRENS Haand kom over Elias, saa han omgjordede sine Lænder og løb foran Akab lige til Jizre'el.
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.
