1 Then came the prophet Elijah like a fire, his words a burning torch.
2 He brought a famine on the people and in his zealous love had them reduced in number.
3 Speaking in the name of the Lord he closed the heavens, and on three occasions called down fire.
4 How marvelous you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Who could ever boast of being your equal?
5 By the word of the Most High you brought a dead man back to life;
6 you brought kings to destruction and thrust famous men from their beds.
7 You heard a rebuke at Sinai and sentences of punishment at Horeb;
8 you anointed kings to be avengers and prophets to succeed you.
9 You were taken up by a whirlwind of flames in a chariot drawn by fiery horses.
10 It was written that you should be the one to calm God's anger in the future before it broke out in fury, to turn the hearts of fathers to their sons and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11 Happy are those who will see you and those who die in love, for we too shall live.
12 Such was Elijah, taken up in a whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit. During his life no leader could shake him, no one dominated him.
13 Nothing was too difficult for him and even in death his body prophesied.
14 In life he worked wonders, in death his deeds were amazing.
15 Despite all this, the people were not converted and did not turn away from sin; not until they were deported far from their country and scattered over the earth.
16 The people were greatly reduced in number but they still had a ruler from the line of David. Some of them were upright people, others became sinful.
17 Hezekiah fortified his city and brought water within its walls, tunneling the rock with iron tools to construct cisterns.
18 During his reign Sennacherib began his campaigns and sent off Rabshakeh, and insolent and arrogant as he was, he raised his arm against Zion.
19 Then their courage was shaken, their hands trembled, they felt anguish like women in labor.
20 They stretched out their hands and called on the merciful Lord. From heaven the Holy One quickly heard them and saved them by the hand of Isaiah.
21 The Lord struck the Assyrian camp and his angel wiped them out.
22 For Hezekiah did what was pleasing to the Lord and was firm in following the ways of David, his father, as the great and faithful prophet Isaiah ordered, a man of trustworthy vision.
23 In his time the sun went back and he lengthened the life of the king.
24 In the power of the spirit he foresaw the last things and consoled the afflicted people of Zion.
25 He revealed what would happen until the end of time and made hidden events known before they occurred.
Versículos relacionados com Ecclesiasticus, 48:
Ecclesiastical 48 contains a compliment to the great prophets of the history of Israel, especially Elijah and Elisha. They are described as God's instruments to accomplish great works and restore the faith of the people. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in ecclesiastical 48:
1 Kings 17:1 - "The Prophet Elijah, from Tisbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'I swear by the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, whom I serve, who will not fall into dew or rain in the coming years, unless I will fall Order it '". This verse introduces Elijah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, which is praised in ecclesiastical 48 for its achievements.
2 Kings 2:11 - "While they were walking and talking, behold, a car of fire, pulled by horses of fire, separated the two, and Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind." This verse describes Elijah's rise to heaven, an impressive event that demonstrates the greatness and power of the prophet.
2 Kings 5:14 - "Then came down, plunged into the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had commanded him, and his flesh was as a child, and he was healed." This verse describes the healing of the Naaman Syrian General at the hands of Elisha, another great prophet who is praised in ecclesiastical 48.
2 Kings 13:21 - "While they were buried a man, they saw a gang of thieves and threw the man into Elisha's tomb. When man's body touched Elisha's bones, he returned to life and rose." This verse describes another miracle performed by Elisha, in which a dead man is raised to touch the prophet's bones.
Malachi 4:5 - "Behold, I will send you the Prophet Elijah, before the great and fearsome day of the Lord comes." This verse prophesies Elijah's return in the future to announce the arrival of the Messiah. This prophecy is mentioned in Ecclesiastical 48:10 as a promise that Elijah would still play an important role in the history of Israel.
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