English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
1
And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: "As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought - not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise."
2 And the word of the LORD came to him:
2
God then told Elijah,
3 "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
3
"Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River.
4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
4
You can drink fresh water from the brook; I've ordered the ravens to feed you."
5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.
5
Elijah obeyed God's orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
6
And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.
7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
7
Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought.
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him,
8
Then God spoke to him:
9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
9
"Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I've instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you."
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
10
So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, "Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink."
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
11
As she went to get it, he called out, "And while you're at it, would you bring me something to eat?"
12 And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."
12
She said, "I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die."
13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
13
Elijah said to her, "Don't worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you've said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what's left for you and your son.
14 For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
14
This is the word of the God of Israel: 'The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.'"
15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
15
And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said - daily food for her and her family.
16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
16
The jar of meal didn't run out and the bottle of oil didn't become empty: God's promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!
17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
17
Later on the woman's son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse - and then he stopped breathing.
18 And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"
18
The woman said to Elijah, "Why did you ever show up here in the first place - a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?"
19 And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.
19
Elijah said, "Hand me your son."
20 And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"
20
Then he prayed, "O God, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?"
21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again."
21
Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, "God, my God, put breath back into this boy's body!"
22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
22
God listened to Elijah's prayer and put breath back into his body - he was alive!
23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."
23
Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. "Here's your son," said Elijah, "alive!"
24 And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."
24
The woman said to Elijah, "I see it all now - you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks - a true word!"
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.