World English Bible · The divided kingdom
1 Kings 18
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After many days, word came to , in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to ; and I will send on the earth." went to show himself to . The was severe in . called , who was over the household. (Now feared greatly; for when , took one hundred , and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) said to , "Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals." So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. went one way by himself, and went another way by himself. As was on , behold, met him. He recognized him, and fell on , and said, "Is it you, my ?" He answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your , 'Behold, is here!'" He said, "How have I , that you would into the hand of , to kill me? As your lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my has not sent to seek you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he took an of and nation that they didn't find you. Now you say, 'Go, tell your , "Behold, is here."' It will happen, as soon as I leave you, that will carry you I don't know where; and so when I come and tell , and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I, , have feared from my youth. Wasn't it told my what I did when killed , how I hid one hundred men of with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? Now you say, 'Go, tell your , "Behold, is here".' He will kill me." said, "As of Armies lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today." 16So went to meet , and told him; and went to meet . When saw , said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" He answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your house, in that you have forsaken and you have followed . Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to , and four hundred fifty of of , and four hundred of of the , who eat at table." So sent to all the , and gathered together to . came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you waver between the two sides? If is , follow him; but if , then follow him." The people didn't say a word. Then said to the people, "I, even I only, am left as a of ; but are four hundred fifty men. 23Let 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 under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no under it. You of your , and I will call on name. The who answers by , let him be ." All the people answered, "What you say is good." 25 said to of , "Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many; and of your , but put no under it." They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of from morning even until noon, saying, ", hear us!" But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leaped about the which was made. At noon, mocked them, and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a . Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened." They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances until gushed out on them. When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening ; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention. said to all the people, "Come near to me!"; and all the people came near to him. He repaired that had been thrown down. took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of , to whom word came, saying, "Israel shall be your name." With the stones he built an in name. He made a trench around the large enough to contain two seahs of . He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." He said, "Do it a second time;" and they did it the second time. He said, "Do it a third time;" and they did it the third time. The water ran around the ; and he also filled the trench with water. At the time of the evening , the came near and said, ", the of , of , and of Israel, let it be known today that you are in Israel and that I am , and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, , hear me, that this people may know that you, , are , and that you have turned their back again." Then fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and ; and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, ", he is ! , he is !" said to them, "Seize of ! Don't let one of them escape!" They seized them; and brought them down to the brook , and killed them there. said to , "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of ." So went up to eat and to drink. went up to the top of ; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put between his knees. He said to his servant, "Go up now and look toward the sea." He went up and looked, then said, "There is nothing." He said, "Go again" seven times. On the seventh time, he said, "Behold, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, "Go up, tell , 'Get ready and go down, so that the doesn't stop you.'" In a little while, grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great . rode, and went to . hand was on ; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before to the entrance of .
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The world at this moment · The divided kingdom, 931 BC to 745 BC ›
Israel in the north and Judah in the south, often at odds, with Aram of Damascus as the immediate threat and Assyria growing in the distance.
- Aram of Damascus
- The immediate enemy for most of two centuries, close enough to raid every campaigning season and strong enough to take territory. Most of the wars in Kings that read like national emergencies are border wars with Damascus.
- Assyria
- Growing steadily in the distance. Shalmaneser III fights a coalition at Qarqar in 853 BC and his own inscription lists King Ahab of Israel among his opponents with two thousand chariots, the earliest Assyrian mention of an Israelite king. A later monument shows Jehu bowing and paying tribute. Assyria is not yet the destroyer, but it is already taking notes.
- Egypt
- Divided and unreliable, capable of the occasional raid, such as Shishak stripping the temple in Rehoboam's fifth year, but no longer an empire that governs the Levant.
- Further afield
- The Greeks adopt the alphabet, hold the first Olympiad by tradition in 776 BC, and begin to compose the Homeric poems. Rome is founded by tradition in 753 BC, a village of huts at this point. This is the century in which the classical world begins.