1 Kings 18
1 Kings chapter 18 from the John Wycliffe Bible (c.1395)
1 Therfor thei departiden the cuntreis to hem silf, that thei schulden cumpasse tho; Achab yede bi o weye, and Abdie yede bi another weie, bi hym silf.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="2"><sup>2</sup> And whanne Abdie was in the weie, Elie mette hym; and whanne he hadde knowe Elie, he felde on his face, and seide, Whethir thou art my lord Elie?</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="3"><sup>3</sup> To whom he answeride, Y am. And Elie seide, Go thou, and seie to thi lord, Elie is present.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="4"><sup>4</sup> And Abdie seide, What synnede Y, for thou bitakist me in the hond of Achab, that he sle me?
5 Thi Lord God lyueth, for no folk ethir rewme is, whidur my lord, sekynge thee, sente not; and whanne alle men answeriden, He is not here, he chargide greetli alle rewmes and folkis, for thou were not foundun; and now thou seist to me,
6 Go, and seie to thi lord, Elie is present.
7 And whanne Y schal departe fro thee, the Spirit of the Lord schal bere thee awey in to a place which Y knowe not; and Y schal entre, and Y schal telle to Achab, and he schal not fynde thee, and he schal sle me; forsothe thi seruaunt dredith the Lord fro his yong childhod.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="8"><sup>8</sup> Whether it is not schewid to thee, my lord, what Y dide, whanne Jesabel killide the prophetis of the Lord, that Y hidde of the prophetis of the Lord an hundrid men, bi fifty and bi fifti, in dennes, and Y fedde hem with breed and watir?</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="9"><sup>9</sup> And now thou seist, Go, and seie to thi lord, Elie is present, that he sle me.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="10"><sup>10</sup> And Elie seide, The Lord of oostis lyueth, bifor whos siyt Y stonde, for to dai Y schal appere to hym.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="11"><sup>11</sup> Therfor Abdie yede in to the metyng of Achab, and schewide to hym; and Achab cam in to the meetyng of Elie.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="12"><sup>12</sup> And whanne he hadde seyn Elie, he seide, Whether thou art he, that disturblist Israel?</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="13"><sup>13</sup> And he seide, Not Y disturble Israel, but thou, and the hows of thi fadir, whiche han forsake the comaundementis of the Lord, and sueden Baalym, disturbliden Israel.
14 Netheles now sende thou, and gadere to me al Israel, in the hil of Carmele, and foure hundrid and fifti prophetis of Baal, and foure hundrid prophetis of woodis, that eten of the table of Jezabel.
15 Achab sente to alle the sones of Israel, and gaderide prophetis in the hil of Carmele.
16 Forsothe Elie neiyede to al the puple of Israel, and seide, Hou long halten ye in to twey partis? If the Lord is God, sue ye hym; forsothe if Baal is God, sue ye hym. And the puple answeride not o word to hym.
17 And Elie seide eft to the puple, Y dwellide aloone a prophete of the Lord; sotheli the prophetis of Baal ben foure hundrid and fifti, and the prophetis of woodis ben foure hundrid men.
18 Tweyne oxis be youun to us; and chese thei oon oxe, and thei schulen kitte in to gobetis, and schulen putte on trees, but putte thei not fier vndur; and Y schal make the tother oxe in to sacrifice, and Y schal putte on the trees, and Y schal not putte fier vnder.
19 Clepe ye the name of youre goddis, and Y schal clepe the name of my God; and the God that herith bi fier, be he God. And al the puple answeride, and seide, The resoun is best, which resoun Elie spak.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="20"><sup>20</sup> Therfor Elie seide to the prophetis of Baal, Chese ye oon oxe to you, and make ye first, for ye ben the mo; and clepe ye the names of youre goddis, and putte ye not fier vnder.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="21"><sup>21</sup> And whanne thei hadden take the oxe, whom Elie yaf to hem, thei maden sacrifice, and clepiden the name of Baal, fro the morewtid til to myddai, and seiden, Baal, here vs! And no vois was, nether ony that answerd; and thei skippiden ouer the auter, which thei hadden maad.
22 And whanne it was thanne myddai, Elie scornede hem, and seide, Crie ye with gretter vois, for Baal is youre god, and in hap he spekith with an other, ethir he is in a herborgerie, ether in weie, ether certis he slepith, that he be reisid.
23 Therfor thei crieden with greet vois, and thei kerueden hem silf with knyues and launcetis, bi her custom, til thei weren bisched with blood.
24 Sotheli after that mydday passide, and while thei prophesieden, the tyme cam, in which the sacrifice is wont to be offrid, nether vois was herd of her goddis, nether ony answeride, nether perceyuede hem preiynge.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="25"><sup>25</sup> Elie seide to al the puple, Come ye to me. And whanne the puple cam to him, he arrayede the auter of the Lord, that was distried.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="26"><sup>26</sup> And he took twelue stonys, bi the noumbre of lynagis of sones of Jacob, to which Jacob the word of the Lord was maad, and seide, Israel schal be thi name.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="27"><sup>27</sup> And he bildide an auter of stonys, in the name of the Lord, and he made a ledyng to of watir, ether a dich, as bi twei litle dichis in the cumpas of the auter.
28 And he dresside trees, and he departide the oxe bi membris, and puttide on the trees,
29 and seide, Fille ye foure pottis with watir, and schede ye on the brent sacrifice, and on the trees. And eft he seide, Also the secounde tyme do ye this. And thei diden the secounde tyme. And he seide, Do ye the same thing the thridde tyme; and thei diden the thridde tyme.</span> <span class="verse" data-verse="30"><sup>30</sup> And the watris runnen aboute the auter, and the dich of ledyng to of watir was fillid.
31 And whanne the tyme was thanne, that the brent sacrifice schulde be offrid, Elye the prophete neiyede, and seide, Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, schewe thou to dai that thou art God of Israel, and that Y am thi seruaunt, and haue do alle these wordis bi thi comaundement.
32 Lord, here thou me; Lord, here thou me; that this puple lerne, that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast conuertid eft the herte of hem.
33 Sotheli fier of the Lord felde doun, and deuouride brent sacrifice, and trees, and stonus, and lickide vp also the poudre, and the water that was in the `leding of water.
34 And whanne al the puple hadde seyn this, it felde in to his face, and seide, The Lord he is God; the Lord he is God.
35 And Elie seide to hem, Take ye the prophetis of Baal; not oon sotheli ascape of hem. And whanne thei hadden take hem, Elie ledde hem to the stronde of Cison, and killide hem there.
36 And Elie seide to Achab, Stie thou, ete, and drynke, for the sown of myche reyn is.
37 Achab stiede to ete and drynke; forsothe Elie stiede in to the hil of Carmele, and he settide lowli his face to the erthe, bitwixe hise knees;
38 and seide to his child, Stie thou, and biholde ayens the see. And whanne he hadde stied, and hadde biholde, he seide, No thing is. And eft Elie seide to hym, Turne thou ayen bi seuene tymes.
39 Sotheli in the seuenthe tyme, lo! a litil cloude as the step of a man stiede fro the see. And Elie seide, Stie thou, and seie to Achab, Ioyne thi chare, and go doun, lest the reyn byfor ocupie thee.
40 And whanne thei turneden hem hidur and thidur, lo! heuenes weren maad derk, and cloud, and wynd, and greet reyn was maad. Therfor Achab stiede, and yede in to Jezrael;
41 and the hond of the Lord was maad on Elie, and whanne the leendis weren gird, he ran bifor Achab, til he cam in to Jezrael.
43 Forsothe Achab telde to Jezabel alle thingis whiche Elie hadde do, and how he hadde slayn by swerd alle the prophetis of Baal.
44 And Jezabel sente a messanger to Elie, and seide, Goddis do these thingis to me, and adde these thingis, no but to morewe in this our Y schal putte thi lijf as the lijf of oon of hem.
45 Therfor Elie dredde, and roos, and yede whidur euer wille bar hym; and he cam in to Bersabe of Juda, and he lefte there his child;
46 and yede in to deseert, the weie of o dai. And whanne he cam, and sat vndir o iunypere tre, he axide to his soule, that he schulde die; and he seide, Lord, it suffisith to me, take my soule; for Y am not betere than my fadris.