1 Kings 17
17
Elijah Announces No Dew or Rain
1Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab, “I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won’t be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won’t be any during the next few years. It won’t come until I say so.”
Elijah Is Fed by Ravens
2Then a message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, 3“Leave this place. Go east and hide in the Kerith Valley. It is east of the Jordan River. 4You will drink water from the brook. I have directed some ravens to supply you with food there.”
5So Elijah did what the Lord had told him to do. He went to the Kerith Valley. It was east of the Jordan River. He stayed there. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning. They also brought him bread and meat in the evening. He drank water from the brook.
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
7Some time later the brook dried up. It hadn’t rained in the land for quite a while. 8A message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, 9“Go right away to Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10So Elijah went to Zarephath. He came to the town gate. A widow was there gathering sticks. He called out to her. He asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar? I need a drink.” 11She went to get the water. Then he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread too.”
12“I don’t have any bread,” she replied. “And that’s just as sure as the Lord your God is alive. All I have is a small amount of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I’m gathering a few sticks to take home. I’ll make one last meal for myself and my son. We’ll eat it. After that, we’ll die.”
13Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home. Do what you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me. Make it out of what you have. Bring it to me. Then make some for yourself and your son. 14The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up. The jug will always have oil in it. You will have flour and oil until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ ”
15She went away and did what Elijah had told her to do. So Elijah had food every day. There was also food for the woman and her family. 16The jar of flour wasn’t used up. The jug always had oil in it. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message through Elijah.
17Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He got worse and worse. Finally he stopped breathing. 18The woman said to Elijah, “You are a man of God. What do you have against me? Did you come to bring my sin out into the open? Did you come to kill my son?”
19“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms. He carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying. He put him down on his bed. 20Then Elijah cried out to the Lord. He said, “Lord my God, I’m staying with this widow. Have you brought pain and sorrow even to her? Have you caused her son to die?” 21Then he lay down on the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord. He said, “Lord my God, give this boy’s life back to him!”
22The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer. He gave the boy’s life back to him. So the boy lived. 23Elijah picked up the boy. He carried him down from the upstairs room into the house. He gave him to his mother. He said, “Look! Your son is alive!”
24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God. I know that the message you have brought from the Lord is true.”
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1 Kings 17
17
Elijah Stops the Rain
1Now Elijah was a prophet from the town of Tishbe in Gilead. Elijah said to King Ahab, “I serve the Lord, the God of Israel. As surely as the Lord lives, I tell you the truth. No rain or dew will fall during the next few years unless I command it.”
2Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: 3“Leave this place. Go east and hide near Kerith Ravine. It is east of the Jordan River. 4You may drink from the brook. And I have commanded ravens to bring you food there.” 5So Elijah did what the Lord told him to do. He went to Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and lived there. 6The birds brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and every evening. And he drank water from the brook.
7After a while the brook dried up because there was no rain. 8Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah, 9“Go to Zarephath in Sidon. Live there. I have commanded a widow there to take care of you.”
10So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he reached the town gate, he saw a widow there. She was gathering wood for a fire. Elijah asked her, “Would you bring me a little water in a cup? I would like to have a drink.” 11As she was going to get his water, Elijah said, “Please bring me a piece of bread, too.”
12The woman answered, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I tell you the truth. I have no bread. I have only a handful of flour in a jar. And I have only a little olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather some wood. I will take it home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”
13Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread from the flour you have. Bring it to me. Then cook something for yourself and your son. 14The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never become empty. The jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”
15So the woman went home. And she did what Elijah told her to do. So Elijah, the woman and her son had enough food every day. 16The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord, through Elijah, said it would.
Elijah Brings a Boy Back to Life
17Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He grew worse and worse. Finally he stopped breathing. 18So the woman said to Elijah, “You are a man of God. What have you done to me? Did you come here to remind me of my sin? Did you come here to kill my son?”
19Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So Elijah took the boy from her and carried him upstairs. Elijah laid the boy on the bed in the room where he was staying. 20Then he prayed to the Lord. He said, “Lord my God, this widow is letting me stay in her house. Why have you done this terrible thing to her? Why have you caused her son to die?” 21Then Elijah lay on top of the boy three times. Elijah prayed to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy live again!”
22The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer. The boy began breathing again, and he was alive. 23Elijah carried the boy downstairs. He gave the boy to his mother and said, “See! Your son is alive!”
24The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you really are a man from God. I know that the Lord truly speaks through you!”
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