< 1 Kings 18 >
1 And it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."
過了許久,到第三年,耶和華的話臨到以利亞說:「你去,使亞哈得見你;我要降雨在地上。」
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.
以利亞就去,要使亞哈得見他。那時,撒馬利亞有大饑荒;
3 And Ahab summoned Obadiah, the steward of the house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.
亞哈將他的家宰俄巴底召了來。(俄巴底甚是敬畏耶和華,
4 And it came about, when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them, fifty by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
耶洗別殺耶和華眾先知的時候,俄巴底將一百個先知藏了,每五十人藏在一個洞裏,拿餅和水供養他們。)
5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals."
亞哈對俄巴底說:「我們走遍這地,到一切水泉旁和一切溪邊,或者找得着青草,可以救活騾馬,免得絕了牲畜。」
6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way alone.
於是二人分地遊行,亞哈獨走一路,俄巴底獨走一路。
7 And as Obadiah was on the way, look, Elijah met him; and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"
俄巴底在路上恰與以利亞相遇,俄巴底認出他來,就俯伏在地,說:「你是我主以利亞不是?」
8 He answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord, 'Look, Elijah is here.'"
回答說:「是。你去告訴你主人說,以利亞在這裏。」
9 And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
俄巴底說:「僕人有甚麼罪,你竟要將我交在亞哈手裏,使他殺我呢?
10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they did not find you.
我指着永生耶和華-你的上帝起誓,無論哪一邦哪一國,我主都打發人去找你。若說你沒有在那裏,就必使那邦那國的人起誓說,實在是找不着你。
11 Now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, "Look, Elijah is here."'
現在你說,要去告訴你主人說,以利亞在這裏;
12 It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I do not know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
恐怕我一離開你,耶和華的靈就提你到我所不知道的地方去。這樣,我去告訴亞哈,他若找不着你,就必殺我;僕人卻是自幼敬畏耶和華的。
13 Wasn't it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets, fifty by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
耶洗別殺耶和華眾先知的時候,我將耶和華的一百個先知藏了,每五十人藏在一個洞裏,拿餅和水供養他們,豈沒有人將這事告訴我主嗎?
14 Now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, "Look, Elijah is here";' and he will kill me."
現在你說,要去告訴你主人說,以利亞在這裏,他必殺我。」
15 Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."
以利亞說:「我指着所事奉永生的萬軍之耶和華起誓,我今日必使亞哈得見我。」
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
於是俄巴底去迎着亞哈,告訴他;亞哈就去迎着以利亞。
17 It happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
亞哈見了以利亞,便說:「使以色列遭災的就是你嗎?」
18 He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and you have followed the Baals.
以利亞說:「使以色列遭災的不是我,乃是你和你父家;因為你們離棄耶和華的誡命,去隨從巴力。
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
現在你當差遣人,招聚以色列眾人和事奉巴力的那四百五十個先知,並耶洗別所供養事奉亞舍拉的那四百個先知,使他們都上迦密山去見我。」
20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
亞哈就差遣人招聚以色列眾人和先知都上迦密山。
21 Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you keep limping between two positions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.
以利亞前來對眾民說:「你們心持兩意要到幾時呢?若耶和華是上帝,就當順從耶和華;若巴力是上帝,就當順從巴力。」眾民一言不答。
22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men, and the prophets of Asherah four hundred.
以利亞對眾民說:「作耶和華先知的只剩下我一個人;巴力的先知卻有四百五十個人。
23 Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it.
當給我們兩隻牛犢,巴力的先知可以挑選一隻,切成塊子,放在柴上,不要點火;我也預備一隻牛犢放在柴上,也不點火。
24 You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the god who answers by fire, he is God." All the people answered, "It is well said."
你們求告你們神的名,我也求告耶和華的名。那降火顯應的神,就是上帝。」眾民回答說:「這話甚好。」
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
以利亞對巴力的先知說:「你們既是人多,當先挑選一隻牛犢,預備好了,就求告你們神的名,卻不要點火。」
26 And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no voice, nor any who answered. And they limped about the altar they had made.
他們將所得的牛犢預備好了,從早晨到午間,求告巴力的名說:「巴力啊,求你應允我們!」卻沒有聲音,沒有應允的。他們在所築的壇四圍踊跳。
27 And it came about, at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Maybe he is thinking about it, or he is busy, or he is on a trip, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."
到了正午,以利亞嬉笑他們,說:「大聲求告吧!因為他是神,他或默想,或走到一邊,或行路,或睡覺,你們當叫醒他。」
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with swords and spears, until the blood gushed out on them.
他們大聲求告,按着他們的規矩,用刀槍自割、自刺,直到身體流血。
29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the offering up of the offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.
從午後直到獻晚祭的時候,他們狂呼亂叫,卻沒有聲音,沒有應允的,也沒有理會的。
30 Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me"; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
以利亞對眾民說:「你們到我這裏來。」眾民就到他那裏。他便重修已經毀壞耶和華的壇。
31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name."
以利亞照雅各子孫支派的數目,取了十二塊石頭(耶和華的話曾臨到雅各說:「你的名要叫以色列」),
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed.
用這些石頭為耶和華的名築一座壇,在壇的四圍挖溝,可容穀種二細亞,
33 And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood.
又在壇上擺好了柴,把牛犢切成塊子放在柴上,對眾人說:「你們用四個桶盛滿水,倒在燔祭和柴上」;
34 And he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood." And they did so. And he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it the second time. And he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it the third time.
又說:「倒第二次。」他們就倒第二次;又說:「倒第三次。」他們就倒第三次。
35 And the water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
水流在壇的四圍,溝裏也滿了水。
36 It happened at the time of the offering up of the offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
到了獻晚祭的時候,先知以利亞近前來,說:「亞伯拉罕、以撒、以色列的上帝,耶和華啊,求你今日使人知道你是以色列的上帝,也知道我是你的僕人,又是奉你的命行這一切事。
37 Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again."
耶和華啊,求你應允我,應允我!使這民知道你-耶和華是上帝,又知道是你叫這民的心回轉。」
38 Then the fire of the LORD 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.
於是,耶和華降下火來,燒盡燔祭、木柴、石頭、塵土,又燒乾溝裏的水。
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "The LORD, he is God. The LORD, he is God."
眾民看見了,就俯伏在地,說:「耶和華是上帝!耶和華是上帝!」
40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.
以利亞對他們說:「拿住巴力的先知,不容一人逃脫!」眾人就拿住他們。以利亞帶他們到基順河邊,在那裏殺了他們。
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of a heavy rain."
以利亞對亞哈說:「你現在可以上去吃喝,因為有多雨的響聲了。」
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down toward the ground, and put his face between his knees.
亞哈就上去吃喝。以利亞上了迦密山頂,屈身在地,將臉伏在兩膝之中;
43 And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up, and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again" seven times. And the servant went again seven times.
對僕人說:「你上去,向海觀看。」僕人就上去觀看,說:「沒有甚麼。」他說:「你再去觀看。」如此七次。
44 It happened at the seventh time, that he said, "Look, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, "Go up, tell Ahab, 'Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn't stop you.'"
第七次僕人說:「我看見有一小片雲從海裏上來,不過如人手那樣大。」以利亞說:「你上去告訴亞哈,當套車下去,免得被雨阻擋。」
45 It happened in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
霎時間,天因風雲黑暗,降下大雨。亞哈就坐車往耶斯列去了。
46 The hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
耶和華的靈降在以利亞身上,他就束上腰,奔在亞哈前頭,直到耶斯列的城門。