Elisha and Jonah 241
iniquitous King Ahab and his still more iniquitous spouse Jezebel without yielding to the baneful influence they exer- cised.8 This same Obadiah not only used his own fortune, but went to the length of borrowing money on interest from the future king, in order to have the wherewithal to support the prophets who were in hiding. On his death, the king sought to hold the children responsible for the debt of the father. In her despair the pious wife of Obadiah T went to the graveyard, and there she cried out : " O thou God-fearing man ! " At once a heavenly voice was heard questioning her : " There are four God-fearing men, Abraham, Joseph, Job, and Obadiah. To which of them dost thou desire to speak ? " " To him of whom it is said, " He feared the Lord greatly. ' "
She was led to the grave of the prophet Obadiah, where she poured out the tale of her sorrow. Obadiah told her to take the small remnant of oil she still had to the prophet Elisha and request him to intercede for him with God, " for God," he said, " is my debtor, seeing that I provided a hun- dred prophets, not only with bread and water, but also with oil to illuminate their hiding-place, for do not the Scriptures say : ' He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord ' ? " Forthwith the woman carried out his behest. She went to Elisha, and he helped her by making her little cruse of oil fill vessels upon vessels without number, and when the vessels gave out, she fetched potsherds, saying, " May the will that made empty vessels full, make broken vessels perfect." So it was. The oil ceased to flow only when the supply of potsherds as well as vessels gave out. In her piety the woman wanted to pay her tithe-offering, but Elisha 16
