1 Kings 19:9-18

Contemporary English Version

⁹and he spent the night there in a cave.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

¹⁰^(A) He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

¹¹“Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to be there when I pass by.”

All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a gentle breeze,^[a] ¹³and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.

A voice asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

¹⁴Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

¹⁵^(B) The Lord said:

Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint^[b] Hazael to be king of Syria. ¹⁶^(C) Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat^[c] to take your place as my prophet.

¹⁷Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.

¹⁸^(D) But 7,000 Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.

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Footnotes

19.12 a gentle breeze: Or “a soft whisper” or “hardly a sound.”
19.15 appoint: This would have included a ceremony in which olive oil would be poured on his head to show that he was now king.
19.16 Shaphat: Hebrew “Shaphat from Abel-Meholah.”