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1 Kings 19
New International Version
1 Kings 19
New International Version
Elijah Flees to Horeb
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel(A) everything Elijah had done and how he had killed(B) all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely,(C) if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”(D)
3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran(E) for his life.(F) When he came to Beersheba(G) in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush,(H) sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life;(I) I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.(J)
All at once an angel(K) touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty(L) days and forty nights until he reached Horeb,(M) the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave(N) and spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”(O)
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous(P) for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,(Q) torn down your altars,(R) and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,(S) and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain(T) in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”(U)
Then a great and powerful wind(V) tore the mountains apart and shattered(W) the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire,(X) but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.(Y) 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face(Z) and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,(AA) and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael(AB) king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint(AC) Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha(AD) son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah(AE) to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,(AF) and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.(AG) 18 Yet I reserve(AH) seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed(AI) him.”
The Call of Elisha
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak(AJ) around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,”(AK) he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen(AL) and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.(AM)
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 19:3 Or Elijah saw
1 Kings 19
New King James Version
1 Kings 19
New King James Version
Elijah Escapes from Jezebel
19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had (A)executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, (B)“So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a [a]broom tree. And he (C)prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an [b]angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on [c]coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the [d]angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and (D)forty nights as far as (E)Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 So he said, (F)“I have been very (G)zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and (H)killed Your prophets with the sword. (I)I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
God’s Revelation to Elijah
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand (J)on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord (K)passed by, and (L)a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [e]a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that (M)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. (N)Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 (O)And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; (P)and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint (Q)Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And (R)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 (S)It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will (T)kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, (U)Elisha will kill. 18 (V)Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, (W)and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Elisha Follows Elijah
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his (X)mantle on him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, (Y)“Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”
And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and (Z)boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 19:4 juniper
- 1 Kings 19:5 Or Angel
- 1 Kings 19:6 hot stones
- 1 Kings 19:7 Or Angel
- 1 Kings 19:12 a delicate whispering voice
1 Kings 19
New American Standard Bible
1 Kings 19
New American Standard Bible
Elijah Flees from Jezebel
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and [a](A)how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “(B)So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your [b]life like the [c]life of one of them.” 3 And he [d]was afraid, and got up and ran for his [e]life and came to (C)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and (D)he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my [f]life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was (E)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat; because the journey is too long for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for (F)forty days and forty nights to (G)Horeb, the mountain of God.
Elijah at Horeb
9 Then he came there to a cave and spent the night there; and behold, (H)the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 And he said, “(I)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, (J)torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And (K)I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”
11 So He said, “(L)Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And (M)a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, (N)a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, (O)he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, (P)a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “(Q)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, (R)you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 You shall also anoint (S)Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint (T)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 And it shall come about that the (U)one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu (V)shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 (W)Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not (X)kissed him.”
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah came over to him and threw (Y)his cloak on him. 20 Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please (Z)let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back, for [g]what have I done to you?” 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them, and (AA)cooked their meat with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and served him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 19:1 Lit all that he had
- 1 Kings 19:2 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 19:2 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 19:3 Reading of many mss; MT may read saw
- 1 Kings 19:3 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 19:4 Lit soul
- 1 Kings 19:20 I.e., so as to influence Elisha’s decision
1 Kings 19
New Living Translation
1 Kings 19
New Living Translation
Elijah Flees to Sinai
19 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
The Lord Speaks to Elijah
But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”
The Call of Elisha
19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!”
Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”
21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
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1 Kings 19
The Message
1 Kings 19
The Message
Revenge from Jezebel
19 1-2 Ahab reported to Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, including the massacre of the prophets. Jezebel immediately sent a messenger to Elijah with her threat: “The gods will get you for this and I’ll get even with you! By this time tomorrow you’ll be as dead as any one of those prophets.”
3-5 When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah. He left his young servant there and then went on into the desert another day’s journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: “Enough of this, God! Take my life—I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave!” Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush.
Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, “Get up and eat!”
6 He looked around and, to his surprise, right by his head were a loaf of bread baked on some coals and a jug of water. He ate the meal and went back to sleep.
7 The angel of God came back, shook him awake again, and said, “Get up and eat some more—you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”
8-9 He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.
Then the word of God came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”
10 “I’ve been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”
A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
13-14 When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
15-18 God said, “Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally, anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu; and anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Meanwhile, I’m preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven’t bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven’t kissed his image.”
19 Elijah went straight out and found Elisha son of Shaphat in a field where there were twelve pairs of yoked oxen at work plowing; Elisha was in charge of the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak over him.
20 Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye—then I’ll follow you.”
“Go ahead,” said Elijah, “but, mind you, don’t forget what I’ve just done to you.”
21 So Elisha left; he took his yoke of oxen and butchered them. He made a fire with the plow and tackle and then boiled the meat—a true farewell meal for the family. Then he left and followed Elijah, becoming his right-hand man.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson