Study Desk

Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"

And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.

Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord ," he said. "Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died."

Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, "Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you."

So Ahab told the messengers from Ben-hadad, "Say this to my lord the king: ‘I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but I cannot accept this last demand of yours.'" So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad with that response.

Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: "May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers."

The king of Israel sent back this answer: "A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won."

"Take them alive," Ben-hadad commanded, "whether they have come for peace or for war."

Afterward the prophet said to King Ahab, "Get ready for another attack. Begin making plans now, for the king of Aram will come back next spring."

Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside!

Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, "This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.' So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord ."

The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day.

The prophet placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself and then waited beside the road for the king.

As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Sir, I was in the thick of battle, and suddenly a man brought me a prisoner. He said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver!'

One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it."

In her letters she commanded: "Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor.

They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people.

"Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth's vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself.

I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.'