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Wisdom of Ben Sira 48:1-4
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 48:1-4
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 48
In the Northern Kingdom: Elijah and Elisha[a]
1 Then arose like a fire the prophet Elijah,
whose words were like a flaming torch.
2 He brought a famine on the people,
and by his zeal he decimated their number.
3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens
and three times he called down fire from the skies.
4 How glorious you were, Elijah, in your miracles!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 48:1 In accord with a belief widely held in Israel, Elijah was to come at the time of the Messiah; verse 11 seems to refer to it (see Mal 3:23; Mt 17:10-13). The word of the Prophets was not enough to maintain the fidelity of the northern kingdom, which will fall in 721 B.C. Only the little kingdom of Judah will subsist while waiting to experience exile.
