Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ELIJAH AND THE PRIESTS OF BAAL: IN A TIME OF FAMINE, by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ELIJAH AND THE PRIESTS OF BAAL: IN A TIME OF FAMINE, by                    
First Line: Ayehi many days the words of yahveh to elijah in the 3rd year (saying) go let ahab see you I will tr
Subject(s): Famine; Mysticism - Judaism


vayehi
many days
the words of YaHVeH to Elijah
in the 3rd year (saying)
GO
let Ahab see you
I will truly bring down rain upon
Earth's face

. . . . . . . . .

vayehi
the moment Ahab saw Elijah
Ahab said
are YOU the troublemaker
here in Israel

he said
I made no trouble here
in Israel
it's YOU your kinsmen
YOU left the rule of YaHVeH
YOU pursued the Baals

now send now gather all of Israel
at the mountain called GOD's VINEYARD
450 of Baal's prophets
400 of Ashera's
those who eat with Jezebel

. . . . . . . . .

vayehi
Elijah told the people
I remain
I stand as YaHVeH's prophet
I alone
Baal's prophets are 450 men

(he said) that they will give us
two young bulls
that they can choose the one bull for themselves
& cut it slice it in pieces put it on the branches
BUT SET NO FIRE TO IT
& I will do one bull will put it on the branches but SET NO FIRE TO IT

& you will call in the name of your elohim
& I will call in the name of YaHVeH
& the elohim that answers with fire is THE ELOHIM

(then everyone answered & said
that it was good)

& Elijah to Baal's prophets
CHOOSE ONE BULL & GO FIRST FOR YOU ARE MANY
& shout in the name of your elohim
BUT SET NO FIRE TO IT

& they did they took the bull he gave them they did it up they shouted in Baal's
name
from morning until noon they shouted saying
ANSWER US O BAAL
(no voice no answerer they leaped over the slaughter-place he made for them)

vayehi
at noon Elijah minced beside them
(said)
SHOUT LOUDER LOUDER maybe your elohim is speaking maybe traveling's on a journey
maybe sleeping MAYBE WAKE HIM UP
& they shouted LOUDER LOUDER
they slashed themselves the way they do it with swords & spears
letting the blood flow over them

vayehi
when noon was passing
they still prophesied
until the offering of the seed
but got no voice
no answer
no one listening

then Elijah spoke to all the people
COME AROUND ME
all the people came around him
(he was healing YaHVeH's broken altar)

took 12 stones
(the number of the tribes
of Jacob's sons
YaHVeH's words had come to
told him
ISRAEL WILL BE YOUR NAME)

Elijah built an altar
out of stones
in YaHVeH's name & dug
a trench (2 troughs of seed
in width) around it

he spread out the branches
cut the bull in pieces
put it on the branches (saying)
FILL UP 4 JUGS WITH WATER
POUR WATER ON THE FIRE OFFERING
& ON THE BRANCHES

he said it twice
they twice
then thrice
they said it thrice

(water was then
around the altar
also he filled the trench
with water)

vayehi
the time of minha
of the offering of the seed
Elijah PROPHET came up close
& said

YAH ELOHIM
(of Abraham Isaac Israel)
today
let them find out that you
are ELOHIM are GOD in Israel
& I your slave
whose words
only were YOUR words

YAHVeH answer
answer me
this people then will know
YOU YAHVEH ARE THE ELOHIM
YOU WHO HAVE TURNED THEM UPSIDE DOWN

& Fire-of-YaHVeH fell
it fell devoured
the burnt offering
the branches
the stones & dust
licked up the water in the trench

the people saw it
fell down on their faces
saying
YAHVEH IS THE EL
YAHVEH IS THE ELOHIM

Elijah said to them
NOW GRAB HOLD OF BAAL'S PROPHETS
(let none of them escape)
& they grabbed hold of them
Elijah brought them down to Kishon Brook
& slaughtered them

he said to Ahab
GET UP & EAT & DRINK
THERE IS A SOUND OF HEAVY RAIN
(so Ahab went to eat & drink)

Elijah climbed up to the top of Carmel
crouched down on the earth
he put his face between his knees
& told his boy GO UP NOW
look out towards the sea

(went up & looked
he said) not even a small trace
he told him
do it 7 times

vayehi
the 7th time
he said
a little cloud there
like a man's hand
on the sea

he said
move on now say to Ahab
HITCH IT UP
COME DOWN
THE RAIN WON'T STOP YOU

vayehi
the sky had darkened up
with clouds & wind

vayehi
a big rain
Ahab riding in the rain
towards Jezreel
the place they call
"god's seeding"


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org




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