New Revised Standard NRS
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 The word of the Lord came to him, saying,
2
God then told Elijah,
3 "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
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"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 wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
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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 Wadi Cherith, which 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 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi.
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And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.
7 But after a while the wadi 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, saying,
8
Then God spoke to him:
9 "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for 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 set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink."
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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 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
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As she went to get it, he called out, "And while you're at it, would you bring me something to eat?"
12 But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home 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 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.
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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 meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."
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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 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days.
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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 meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
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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; 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 She then 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 But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed.
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Elijah said, "Hand me your son."
20 He cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, 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 out 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 The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
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God listened to Elijah's prayer and put breath back into his body - he was alive!
23 Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive."
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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 So 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!"
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.