1 Kings 19
19
Elijah Runs for His Life
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning,#tn Heb “saying.” “May the gods judge me severely#tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.” if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”#tn Heb “I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid,#tc The MT has “and he saw,” but some medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions support the reading “he was afraid.” The consonantal text (וַיַּרְא, vayyar’) is ambiguous and can be vocalized וַיַּרְא (from רָאָה, ra’ah, “to see”) or וַיִּרָא (vayyira’, from יָרֵא, yare’, “to fear”). so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub#tn Or “broom tree” (also in v. 5). and asked the Lord to take his life:#tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life to die.” “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”#tn Heb “fathers.” 5 He stretched out#tn Or “lay down.” and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger#tn Heb “Look, a messenger.” touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.#tn Heb “and again lay down” 7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.”#tn Heb “for the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal#tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance. to the Lord, the sovereign God,#tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.” even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you,#tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.” torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.”#tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.” 11 The Lord#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”
A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides,#tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps, “breaking the stones”). but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.#tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.” 13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden#tn Heb “look.” a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal#tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance. to the Lord, the sovereign God,#tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.” even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you,#tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.” torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.”#tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. 16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. 17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword. 18 I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.”#tn Heb “I have kept in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and all the mouths that have not kissed him.”
19 Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. 20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?” 21 Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke.#tn Heb “and with the equipment of the oxen he cooked them, the flesh.” He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant.
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1 Kings 19
19
Elijah Flees to Horeb
1Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “Thus may the gods do to me, and may they add to it, surely at this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them!” 3Then he became afraid,#According to Greek, Syriac, and Latin manuscripts. Hebrew reads “he saw” got up, and fled for his life.#Literally “he went to his life” He came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there. 4Then he went into the wilderness one day’s journey, and he went and sat under a certain broom tree. Then he asked Yahweh that he might die,#Literally “he asked his life to die” and he said, “It is enough now, Yahweh; take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”#Or “fathers” 5He lay down and fell asleep under a certain broom tree, and suddenly this angel was touching him and said to him, “Get up, eat!” 6He looked, and behold, a bread cake on hot coals was near his head and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he did it again and lay down. 7The angel of Yahweh appeared a second time and touched him and said, “Get up, eat, for the journey is greater than you.” 8So he got up, ate, drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights up to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Elijah Encounters Yahweh at Horeb
9He came to the cave there and spent the night there. Suddenly the word of Yahweh came to him and asked him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”#Literally “What is for you here, Elijah” 10Then he said, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life. 11He#That is, Yahweh said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” Suddenly Yahweh was passing by, with a great and strong wind ripping the mountains and crushing rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake was a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13It happened at the moment Elijah heard, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “Elijah, why are you here?”#Literally “What is for you here, Elijah” 14He said, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of Hosts, for the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” have forsaken your covenant, demolished your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword; I alone am left, and they seek to take my life!” 15Then Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael as king over Aram; 16and Jehu son of Nimshi you shall anoint as king over Israel. You shall also anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-Meholah as prophet in your place. 17It shall be that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18I will leave in Israel seven thousand, all of the knees that have not bowed down to Baal and all of the mouths that have not kissed him.”
19So he went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him. When he and the twelve passed Elijah, he threw his cloak on him. 20Then he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will go after you.” Then he said, “Go, return, for what I have done to you?” 21So he returned from after him, and he took a pair of oxen and slaughtered them, and with the yoke of the oxen he boiled the flesh and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and served him.
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