The worst of all kings in Israel was Ahab. He married the wicked
Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, and built a temple for the idol
Baal. The prophet Elijah foretold as a punishment a drought which lasted
for three years, and the land thirsted for rain. Meanwhile Elijah dwelt
with a poor widow in the city of Zarephath, and the meal in her jar was
not consumed, and the cruse of oil failed not, and when her son died,
Elijah prayed to the Lord, and the soul of the child came into him
again.
When the three years were ended, Elijah went at the Lord’s command unto
Ahab and bade him call the priests of Baal together on Mount Carmel.
Then said Elijah unto the people: I, even I only, am left a prophet of
Jehovah; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them
therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for
themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no
fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood,
and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, and I will
call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him
be God. And all the people answered and said: It is well spoken. The
priests of Baal sacrificed an ox and called upon their god the whole
day; but he answered not. Elijah said: Cry a little louder! Your god may
be musing, or perhaps he sleeps! At evening Elijah sacrificed an ox and
prayed: O Lord, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel,
and that I am Thy servant! Then there came fire from heaven and consumed
his sacrifice. The people took the priests of Baal and slew them, and
the heavens grew black, and there was a great rain. Jezebel sought the
life of Elijah, but he fled to the wilderness and wished that he might
die, because Israel had broken their covenant with the Lord. But the
Lord said: Return, there are yet left 7000 who have not bowed the knee
unto Baal.
Naboth had a vineyard that Ahab wished to buy, because it lay close up
to his palace. When Naboth would not sell his inheritance, because that
was against the law of Moses, Ahab was sad, went to bed and would not
eat. Jezebel said: Arise, eat and be merry! I will give thee the
vineyard. She bade the judges procure witnesses to testify that Naboth
had blasphemed God and the king. Naboth was stoned, and Ahab went to
take possession of the vineyard. The Lord sent Elijah to him in the
vineyard to say: Where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall they
also lick thy blood, and dogs shall eat Jezebel. Ahab fell in battle,
and his blood flowed into the war-chariot, and when it was washed in
Samaria, dogs came and licked the blood. Jezebel was thrown out from a
window, and her body was eaten by dogs. (1 Kings 16-22; 2 Kings
9:30-37.)
Elijah was taken up alive into heaven in a whirlwind, in a chariot of
fire with horses of fire, and Elisha, who became prophet after him,
stood and saw it. (2 Kings 2.)