Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/403

 to come  all  together  to  have  speech  with  Elijah.

Then said  Elijah  to  all  that  multitude,

'How long  will  ye  halt  on  two  sides  thus?

If our  Lord  is  God,  then  follow  Him,

If Baal  is  god,  follow  his  service.'

Then the  people  were  silent,  and  Elijah  resumed,

'I only  am  left  of  all  God's  prophets,

and Baal  has  four-hundred  and  fifty  prophets.

Let them  take  an  ox,  and  offer  to  their  god,

and I  will  offer  another  ox  to  my  God,

and let  them  both  be  surrounded  with  wood  beneath.

Let us  afterward  severally  entreat  of  God,

I of  my  God,  that  He  will  burn  up  my  sacrifice

with fire  from  heaven,  and  do  ye  also  likewise;

then let  Him  be  the  true  God  that  sendeth  fire  from  above.'

Then said  all  the  people  that  he  had  spoken  excellently.

Then the  idolaters  took  the  dun  ox,

surrounded it  with  wood,  as  was  their  wont  with  sacrifices,

and cried  to  Baal  that  he  would  hear  their  prayer.

They stood  there  from  early  morning,  lamentably  crying,

until over  midday,  exceeding  troubled,

but no  answer  came  to  them,  nor  was  the  sacrifice  consumed.

Then said  Elijah  to  the  false  prophets,

'Cry ye  yet  louder,  peradventure  he  sleepeth,

that he  may  at  least  awaken  and  answer  unto  you.'

They cried  then  the  more,  and  afflicted  themselves;

but the  false  Baal  could  not  gladden  them.

Then Elijah  took  the  other  ox,

and surrounded  it  with  wood  in  the  old  manner.

Then he  bade  men  water  all  the  wood,

and cried  with  single  mind  to  the  Almighty  God,

' Thou  Almighty  God,  in  whom  Abraham  believed,