1 Kings 19
1 And Ahab declares to Jezebel all that Elijah did, and all of how he slew all the prophets by the sword,
Ahab gave Jezebel news of all Elijah had done, and how he had put all the prophets to death with the sword.
2 and Jezebel sends a messenger to Elijah, saying, “Thus the gods do, and thus do they add—surely about this time tomorrow, I make your life as the life of one of them.”
Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
3 And he fears, and rises, and goes for his life, and comes to Beer-Sheba, that [is] Judah’s, and leaves his young man there,
And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant;
4 and he himself has gone a day’s journey into the wilderness, and comes and sits under a certain broom tree, and desires his soul to die, and says, “Enough, now, O YHWH, take my soul, for I [am] not better than my fathers.”
While he himself went a day's journey into the waste land, and took a seat under a broom-plant, desiring for himself only death; for he said, It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.
5 And he lies down and sleeps under a certain broom tree, and behold, a messenger is reaching toward him and says to him, “Rise, eat”;
And stretching himself on the earth, he went to sleep under the broom-plant; but an angel, touching him, said to him, Get up and have some food.
6 and he looks attentively, and behold, at his bolster [is] a cake [on] burning stones, and a dish of water, and he eats, and drinks, and turns, and lies down.
And looking up, he saw by his head a cake cooked on the stones and a bottle of water. So he took food and drink and went to sleep again.
7 And the messenger of YHWH turns back a second time, and is reaching toward him, and says, “Rise, eat, for the way is too great for you”;
And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touching him said, Get up and have some food, or the journey will be overmuch for your strength.
8 and he rises, and eats, and drinks, and goes in the power of that food [for] forty days and forty nights, to the mountain of God—Horeb.
So he got up and took food and drink, and in the strength of that food he went on for forty days and nights, to Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 And he comes in there, to the cave, and lodges there, and behold, the word of YHWH [is] to him, and says to him, “What are you [doing] here, Elijah?”
And there he went into a hole in the rock for the night; then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?
10 And he says, “I have been very zealous for YHWH, God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant—they have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets by the sword, and I am left, I, by myself, and they seek my life—to take it.”
And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have made destruction of your altars, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.
11 And He says, “Go out, and you have stood on the mountain before YHWH.” And behold, YHWH is passing by, and a wind—great and strong—is tearing mountains, and shattering rocks before YHWH, [but] YHWH [is] not in the wind; and after the wind [is] a shaking, [but] YHWH [is] not in the shaking;
Then he said, Go out and take your place on the mountain before the Lord. Then the Lord went by, and mountains were parted by the force of a great wind, and rocks were broken before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earth-shock, but the Lord was not in the earth-shock.
12 and after the shaking [is] a fire, [but] YHWH [is] not in the fire; and after the fire [is] a voice [like] a small whisper;
And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath.
13 and it comes to pass, at Elijah’s hearing [it], that he wraps his face in his robe, and goes out, and stands at the opening of the cave, and behold, a voice [speaks] to him, and it says, “What are you [doing] here, Elijah?”
And Elijah, hearing it, went out, covering his face with his robe, and took his place in the opening of the hole. And there a voice came to him saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?
14 And he says, “I have been very zealous for YHWH, God of Hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, they have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets by the sword, and I am left, I, by myself, and they seek my life—to take it.”
And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have had your altars broken down, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.
15 And YHWH says to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you have gone in, and anointed Hazael for king over Aram,
And the Lord said to him, Go back on your way through the waste land to Damascus; and when you come there, put the holy oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram;
16 and you anoint Jehu son of Nimshi for king over Israel, and you anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, for prophet in your stead.
And on Jehu, son of Nimshi, making him king over Israel; and on Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, to be prophet in your place.
17 And it has been, he who has escaped from the sword of Hazael, Jehu puts to death, and he who has escaped from the sword of Jehu, Elisha puts to death;
And it will come about that the man who gets away safe from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will put to death; and whoever gets away safe from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will put to death.
18 and I have left in Israel seven thousand—all the knees that have not bowed to Ba‘al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
But I will keep safe seven thousand in Israel, all those whose knees have not been bent to Baal, and whose mouths have given him no kisses.
19 And he goes there, and finds Elisha son of Shaphat, and he is plowing; twelve yoke [are] before him, and he [is] with the twelfth; and Elijah passes over to him, and casts his robe at him,
So he went away from there and came across Elisha, the son of Shaphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, he himself walking with the twelfth; and Elijah went up to him and put his robe on him.
20 and he forsakes the ox, and runs after Elijah, and says, “Please let me give a kiss to my father and to my mother, and I go after you.” And he says to him, “Go, turn back, for what have I done to you?”
And letting the oxen be where they were, he came running after Elijah, and said, Only let me give a kiss to my father and mother, and then I will come after you. But he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
21 And he turns back from after him, and takes the yoke of the ox, and sacrifices it, and with [the] instruments of the ox he has boiled its flesh, and gives to the people, and they eat, and he rises, and goes after Elijah, and serves him.
And he went back, and took the oxen and put them to death, and cooking their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, he gave the people a feast. Then he got up and went after Elijah and became his servant.
