1 Ndị Eze 17
1 Ugbu a, Ịlaịja onye Tishbe, onye si obodo Tishbe, nke dị nʼala Gilead, sịrị Ehab, “Eji m aha Onyenwe anyị Chineke Izrel dị ndụ, onye m na-efe na onye m na-ejere ozi na-agwa gị na igirigi agaghị ada, mmiri agaghị ezo ọzọ nʼafọ ndị a na-abịa karịa ma ọ bụghị naanị site nʼokwu ọnụ m!”
Elijah the Tishbite, (from Tishbe in Gilead), told Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, the one I serve, in the years to come there will be not be any dew or rain unless I say so!”
2 Okwu Onyenwe anyị rutere Ịlaịja ntị, sị ya,
Then the Lord told Elijah,
3 “Si nʼebe a pụọ. Soro ụzọ ọwụwa anyanwụ, gaa zoo onwe gị nʼakụkụ iyi Kerit, nʼakụkụ ọwụwa anyanwụ ya, nke bụ nʼihu Jọdan.
“Leave here and go east. Hide in the valley of the Cherith brook where it meets the Jordan.
4 Nọdụ nʼebe ahụ ṅụọ mmiri si nʼiyi ahụ, riekwa nri ọbụla ụmụ ugolọma ga-ebutere gị, nʼihi na enyela m ha iwu ka ha nye gị nri.”
You can drink from the brook, and I have ordered ravens to bring you food you there.”
5 O mere ihe Onyenwe anyị gwara ya ka o mee. Ọ gara nʼakụkụ iyi nta Kerit nʼakụkụ ọwụwa anyanwụ Jọdan nọrọ nʼebe ahụ.
So Elijah did what the Lord told him. He went to the valley of the Cherith brook, where it meets the Jordan, and stayed there.
6 Ugolọma na-ebutere ya achịcha na anụ, ụtụtụ na anyasị niile. Ọ na-aṅụkwa mmiri site nʼiyi ahụ.
Ravens brought him bread and meat both in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
7 Ma mgbe ụbọchị ụfọdụ gasịrị, mmiri ahụ tara, nʼihi na mmiri adịghị ezokwa nʼala ahụ.
A while later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
8 Okwu Onyenwe anyị bịakwutere ya,
Then the Lord told Elijah,
9 “Bilie, jee Zarefat, obodo dị Saịdọn nso, biri nʼebe ahụ. O nwere otu nwanyị di ya nwụrụ, onye m nyere iwu ka o nye gị nri.”
“Leave here and go to Zarephath near Sidon and stay there. I have given instructions to a widow there to provide you with food.”
10 Ịlaịja biliri jee Zarefat. Mgbe o ruru ọnụ ụzọ ama e si abanye obodo ahụ, ọ hụrụ otu nwanyị di ya nwụrụ ka ọ nọ na-achịkọta nkụ. Ịlaịja kpọrọ ya oku sị ya, “Biko, kutere m ntakịrị mmiri nʼiko ka m ṅụọ.”
So he left for Zarephath. When he arrived at the entrance to the town, he saw a woman, a widow, gathering sticks. He called her over and asked her, “Could you bring me a little water in a cup so I can have a drink?”
11 Mgbe nwanyị ahụ na-aga ikute mmiri ahụ, Ịlaịja kpọrọ ya oku ọzọ sị ya, “Biko, wetara m otu iberibe achịcha ka m taa.”
As she was going to get it, he called after her and said, “Oh, and please bring me a piece of bread.”
12 Ma nwanyị ahụ zara sị ya, “Dịka Onyenwe anyị Chineke na-adị ndụ, enweghị m achịcha ọbụla nʼụlọ m. Naanị ihe m nwere bụ otu njuaka ụtụ ọka dị nʼite, na mmanụ ntakịrị dị na karama. Ugbu a, ana m achịkọta nkụ ka m baa ga siere onwe m siekwara nwa m nri, ka anyị rie, chere ọnwụ ga-abịa egburu anyị.”
She replied, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour is left in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a few of sticks so I can go and cook what's left for myself and my son so we can eat it, and then we'll die.”
13 Ịlaịja sịrị ya, “Atụla egwu! Gaa mee dịka i kwuru. Ma naanị buru ụzọ meere m ogbe achịcha ntakịrị site nʼihe i nwere, wetara m ya. Emesịa, mee nke gị na nwa gị ga-eri.
Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid. Go home and do what you said. But first make me a small loaf of bread from what you have and bring it to me. Then make something for yourself and your son.
14 Nʼihi na nke a bụ ihe Onyenwe anyị, Chineke Izrel kwuru, ‘Ụtụ ọka dị nʼite ahụ agaghị agwụ, mmanụ ahụ dị nʼite ahụ agakwaghị akọ tutu ruo ụbọchị ahụ Onyenwe anyị ga-ezite mmiri ozuzo nʼala a.’”
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not become empty and the jug of olive oil will not run out until the day the Lord sends rain to water the ground.”
15 Nwanyị ahụ mere dịka Ịlaịja kwuru. Sitekwa nʼụbọchị ahụ gaa nʼihu, ihe oriri akọkwaghị Ịlaịja na nwanyị ahụ, na ezinaụlọ ya.
She went and did as Elijah had told her, and Elijah, the widow, and her household were able to eat for many days.
16 Nʼihi na ụtụ ọka ahụ agwụghị, mmanụ akọkwaghị nwanyị ahụ, dịka okwu Onyenwe anyị kwuru site nʼọnụ Ịlaịja, onye amụma.
The jar of flour was did not become empty and the jug of olive oil did not run out, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.
17 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, nwa nwanyị ahụ nwe ụlọ rịara ọrịa. Ọrịa a bịara sie ike nke ukwuu na ume afọdụghị nʼime ya.
Later on the woman's son fell sick. (She was the one who owned the house.) He went from bad to worse, and finally he died.
18 Mgbe ahụ, nwanyị ahụ kwaara akwa bịakwute Ịlaịja sị ya, “Ewoo, onye nke Chineke, gịnị ka i nwere megide m? Ị bịara ka i chetara m mmehie m, na igbu nwa m nwoke?”
“What are you doing to me, man of God?” the woman asked Elijah. “Have you come to remind me about my sins and cause my son to die?”
19 Ịlaịja zara sị ya, “Kunye m nwa gị nwoke.” Ịlaịja kuuru ya site nʼaka nne ya rigoo nʼụlọ elu ebe ya onwe ya na-edina, nibe ya nʼelu ihe ndina ya.
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He picked him up from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
20 Ọ kpọkuru Onyenwe anyị sị ya, “Onyenwe anyị Chineke m, gịnị mere i ji wetara nwanyị a m bi nʼụlọ ya ihe mgbu site nʼikwe ka nwa nwoke ya nwụọ?”
Then he cried out to the Lord, saying, “Lord my God, why have you allowed this to happen to this widow who has opened her home to me, this terrible tragedy of causing her son to die?”
21 Ịlaịja gbatịrị onwe ya nʼahụ nwantakịrị ahụ ugboro atọ, kpọkuo Onyenwe anyị, sị, “Biko, Onyenwe anyị Chineke m, kwere ka mkpụrụobi nwantakịrị a laghachikwute ya.”
He stretched himself out on the boy three times, and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please let this boy's life return to him!”
22 Onyenwe anyị nụrụ ekpere Ịlaịja, ndụ nwantakịrị ahụ laghachikwutere ya, ọ dịkwara ndụ ọzọ.
The Lord responded to Elijah's cry. The boy's life returned to him, and he lived!
23 Mgbe ahụ, Ịlaịja kuuru ya si nʼụlọ elu ahụ rịdata, kunye ya nne ya, gwa ya okwu sị, “Lee, nwa gị dị ndụ!”
Elijah took the boy and brought him down from the room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “See, your son is alive,” Elijah told her.
24 Nwanyị ahụ sịrị Ịlaịja, “Ugbu a, amatala m na ị bụ onye nke chineke, na okwu Onyenwe anyị si nʼọnụ gị apụta bụ eziokwu.”
“Now I'm convinced that you are a man of God, and that what the Lord speaks through you is the truth,” the woman replied.
