Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there will not be dew or rain these years except by my word.”
After many days, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
Now send word out and gather for me all Israel on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
“The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ “And he said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ “And He said, ‘You will be successful and persuade him. Go forth, and do so.’
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, approximately four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I wait?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”
As they were burying a man, behold, they saw raiders. So they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha. When the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood on his feet.
And he took the robe of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord, God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, it parted from one side to the other, and Elisha crossed over.
He went out to the spring of water and threw the salt into it and said, “Thus says the Lord: I have healed this water. No more death or unfruitfulness will come from it.”
But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” He said, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They will eat and have some left.’ ”
So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh returned like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean.
The officer had answered the man of God, “If the Lord should make windows in heaven, could such a thing happen?” And he had said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
Then an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, “If the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” And he said, “You will see it with your eyes, but you will not eat from it.”
For no one knows his appointed time. Like fish caught in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so people are ensnared in an evil time, when it suddenly falls on them.
But I was like a gentle lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with the fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living so that his name may be remembered no more.”
Yet I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ”
Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not revealed your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.
Hear this, O priests! Pay attention, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment is for you, because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread over Tabor,
The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is insane, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
The best among them is like a brier, the most upright among them a bramble; the day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do this with joy and not complaining, for that would not be profitable to you.