ion of the kingdom, there came out of
Gilead Elijah, a prophet of the Lord. Two of the kings of Judah, and
all of the kings of Israel had been wicked men, and the Lord sent
Elijah to Ahab, king of Israel, to tell him that there should be no
rain for years in the land of Israel, and then only as Elijah should
ask for it. Ahab was more wicked than the kings that reigned before
him, and had built a temple for the god Baal in Samaria.

Because he would seek to destroy Elijah, the Lord told His prophet to
go to the brook Cherith that ran into the Jordan, and there He would
take care of him. "Thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded
the ravens to feed thee there," said the Lord.

And so it was. Morning and evening the ravens came bringing bread and
meat, and the brook brought him water out of the rock, but as there was
no rain, the brook at last dried up, and there was a great famine.

[Illustration: Ravens bringing food to Elijah]

Then Elijah was told to go to Zarephath, for a woman there had been
told to feed him, and he went at once. As he came near the city gate
he saw a woman gathering sticks, and he asked her to bring him a cup of
water and a little bread. She told him that she had but a handful of
meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and she was going to
bake it for herself and son, that they might eat it and die.

Then Elijah said, "Fear not; go and do as thou hast said, but make me
thereof a little cake first, and after that make for thee and thy son,
for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail until the day that the Lord
sendeth rain upon the earth.'"

She believed Elijah, and did as he commanded, and they ate for a whole
year, and the meal and the oil lasted all that time.

After this the woman's son grew very sick, so very sick that he
appeared to be dead, and the woman cried to the prophet in her distress,

"O thou man of God, art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance
and to slay my son?"

Then he said, "Give me thy son," and he took him up to his own room and
laid him upon his bed and prayed over him. Then he stretched himself
upon the child three times and cried,

"O Lord my God, I pray Thee let this child's soul come unto him again!"

And God heard Elijah, and the soul of the child came to him again, and
he revived.

Then he gave the boy to his happy and grateful mother, saying, "See,
thy so