1 Kings 17-19 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 17-19

A Widow Sustains Elijah

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of ¹^athe settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “^bAs Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, surely ^cthere shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is ¹east of the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you will drink of the brook, and ^aI have commanded the ravens to sustain you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is ¹east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens were bringing him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 Now it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to ^aZarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and remain there; behold, ^bI have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and ^ahe called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a ¹jar, that I may drink.” 11 So she went to get it, and he called to her and said, “Please get me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “^aAs Yahweh your God lives, ^bI have no ¹bread, only a handful of flour in the ²bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering ³a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and ^cdie.” 13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from ¹it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘The ¹bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil ²be empty, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The ¹bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil ²become empty, according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke by the hand of Elijah.

Yahweh Returns Life to the Widow’s Son

17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “^aWhat do I have to do with you, O ^bman of God? ¹You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am sojourning, by causing her son to die?” 21 ^aThen he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return ¹to him.” 22 And Yahweh heard the voice of Elijah, ^aand the life of the child returned ¹to him and he became alive. 23 Then Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “^aNow I know this: that you are a man of God and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth.”

Obadiah Meets Elijah

Now it happened ^aafter many days that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and ^bI will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah ^awho was over the household. (Now Obadiah ¹^bfeared Yahweh greatly. 4 And it happened that ^awhen Jezebel was cutting down the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and ^bsustained them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to cut down some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now it happened that as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah ¹met him, ^aand he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” 8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 And he said, “What ¹sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10 ^aAs Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and if they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 And it will be that when I leave you, ^athe Spirit of Yahweh will carry you where I do not know; and I will come and tell Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me, although I your servant have ¹feared Yahweh from my youth. 13 ^aHas it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, that I hid ¹one hundred prophets of Yahweh by fifties in a cave, and sustained them with bread and water? 14 So now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” 15 And Elijah said, “^aAs Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 Now it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, that ^aAhab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because ^ayou have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh and ^byou have followed the Baals. 19 So now then send and gather to me all Israel at ^aMount Carmel, ^btogether with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of ^cthe Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Yahweh or Baal on Mount Carmel

20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “^aHow long will you be limping between two opinions? ^bIf Yahweh is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I ^aalone am left a prophet of Yahweh, but Baal’s prophets are ^b450 men. 23 Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but place no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and put it on the wood, and I will not place fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and ^athe God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered and said, “¹That is a good word.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but place no fire under it.” 26 Then they took the ox which ¹was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was ^ano voice and no one answered. And they ²limped about the altar which ³they had made. 27 Now it happened at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or relieving himself, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” 28 So they cried with a loud voice and ^agashed themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 Now it happened when noon had passed, that they prophesied ^auntil the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no ¹one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And ^ahe repaired the altar of Yahweh which had been pulled down. 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yahweh had come, saying, “^aIsrael shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones he built an altar in ^athe name of Yahweh, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two ¹seahs of seed. 33 ^aThen he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 And the water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

Yahweh Answers, He Is God

36 ^aNow it happened at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “^bO Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that ^cYou are God in Israel and that I am Your slave and ^dI have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Yahweh, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” 38 Then the ^afire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And all the people saw it and fell on their faces and said, “^aYahweh, He is God; Yahweh, He is God.” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to ^athe brook Kishon, ^band slaughtered them there.

Yahweh Sends Rain

41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the tumult of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of ^aCarmel; and he ^bstretched himself down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his young man, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 Now it happened at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, ^aa cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘¹Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’” 45 Now it happened that in a little while the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. And Ahab rode and went to ^aJezreel. 46 But ^athe hand of Yahweh was on Elijah, and ^bhe girded up his loins and ¹outran Ahab unto where you enter Jezreel.

Elijah Runs from Jezebel

Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and ¹^ahow he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “^aSo may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your ¹life as the ¹life of one of them by about this time tomorrow.” 3 And he ¹was afraid and arose and ²ran for his ³life and came to ^aBeersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his young man there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and ^ahe asked for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take my ¹life, for I am not better than my fathers.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, there was ^aan angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” 6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of Yahweh came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^aforty days and forty nights to ^bHoreb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

9 Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, ^athe word of Yahweh came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 And he said, “^aI have been very zealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, ^bpulled down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And ^cI alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
11 So He said, “^aGo forth and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” And behold, Yahweh was passing by! And ^ba great and strong wind was tearing up the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire ^aa sound of a thin ¹gentle whisper. 13 Now it happened that when Elijah heard it, ^ahe wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, ^ba voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “^aI have been very zealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, pulled down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
15 And Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you will arrive and ^aanoint Hazael king over Aram; 16 and ^aJehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and ^bElisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 And it will be that the ^aone who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu ^bshall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 ^aYet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not ^bkissed him.”

Elijah Puts the Mantle on Elisha

19 So he went from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw ^ahis mantle on him. 20 So he forsook the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please ^alet me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and ^aboiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.