1 Kings 19:1-21
19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and all about his putting all the prophets to the sword;
2 and Jezebel sent Elijah the message “If you are Elijah and I am Jezebel, the gods do so and more but right off tomorrow I will make your life like the life of one of them.”
3 And he was afraid, and went off for his life; and he came to Beer-Shebaʽ, which belongs to Judah, and left his man there, while he went into the wilderness a day’s journey.
4 * And he came and sat down under a broom-bush and begged to die, and said “It is too much: now, Jehovah, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
5 And he lay down and went to sleep under a broom-bush, and found someone touching him and saying “Get up and eat.”
6 And he looked, and there at his head were an ash-cake and a jug of water; and he ate and drank and lay down.
7 And the Angel of Jehovah touched him again for the second time, and said “Get up and eat, because the journey is too long for you”;
8 * and he got up and ate and drank, and went, by the strength from that meal, forty days and forty nights, to Mount Horeb, and went into the cave there and spent the night there.
9 * And he found Jehovah’s word coming to him, “What are you here for, Elijah?”
10 And he said “I am jealous on behalf of Jehovah the God of Armies because the sons of Israel have left you: they have demolished your altars and put your prophets to the sword; I am the only one left, and they are hunting for my life and meaning to get it.”
11 And he said “Go out and stand on the mountainside before Jehovah”; and he found Jehovah passing by, and a great hard wind tearing up mountains and breaking cliffs in pieces before Jehovah, Jehovah not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, Jehovah not in the earthquake,
12 and after the earthquake a fire, Jehovah not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of soft whispering.
13 And when Elijah heard it he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave, and found a voice addressing him, “What are you here for, Elijah?”
14 and he said “I am jealous on behalf of Jehovah the God of Armies because the sons of Israel have left you: they have demolished your altars and put your prophets to the sword; I am the only one left, and they are hunting for my life and meaning to get it.”
15 And Jehovah said to him “Go take the road again, to the wilderness of Damascus, and go in and anoint Hazael for king over Syria.
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint for king over Israel, and Elishaʽ the son of Shaphat from Abel-Meholah you shall anoint for your own successor;
17 and him who escapes Hazael’s sword Jehu shall bring to his death, and him who escapes Jehu’s sword Elishaʽ shall bring to his death;
18 and I will leave in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have never bent to the Baal and all the mouths that have never kissed him.”
19 ** And he went from there and found Elishaʽ the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke in front of him, himself with the twelfth; and Elijah went over to him and threw his mantle to him.
20 * And he left the cattle and ran after Elijah and said “Let me kiss my father and mother and follow you”; and he said “Go on back: what have I done to you?”
21 And he went back from following him, and took the yoke of cattle and slaughtered them and boiled them with the woodwork of the team and gave the meat to the company, and they ate it; and he went off following Elijah and waiting on him.
Footnotes
^ 19:4 Lit. begged his life to die
^ 19:8 Var. to God’s mountain Horeb Conj. to God’s mountain, and went,
^ 19:9 Or a cave
^ 19:19 Conj. Elijah went past him
^ 19:19 Conj. threw his mantle over him
^ 19:20 Or I will kiss
