And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite After he was gone from Ahab, and Ahab had been some time in this humble posture; the Targum calls it the word of prophecy, and so it was, as the next verse shows: saying: as follows.
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He did many disgusting things as a result of worshiping idols as the Amorites had done. (The LORD confiscated their land for Israel.)
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When Ahab heard these things, he tore his clothes [in distress] and dressed in sackcloth. He fasted, lay in sackcloth, and walked around depressed.
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Then the LORD spoke his word to Elijah from Tishbe:
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"Do you see how Ahab is humbling himself in my presence? Because he's humbling himself in my presence, I will not let any evil happen to his family while he is alive. I will bring evil on it during his son's lifetime."