Elijah Predicts Drought

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [a](A)the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “(B)As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, (C)there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is [b]east of the Jordan. And it shall be that you will drink from the brook, and (D)I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there.” So he went and did everything according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is [c]east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. But it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to (E)Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, (F)I have commanded a widow there to provide food for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the entrance of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and (G)he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a [d]cup, so that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “(H)As the Lord your God lives, (I)I have no food, only a handful of flour in the [e]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering [f]a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may [g]eat it and (J)die.” 13 However, Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said. Just make me a little bread loaf from [h]it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘The [i]bowl of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil become empty, until the day that the Lord provides rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did everything in accordance with the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The [j]bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 17:1 Another reading is Tishbe in Gilead
  2. 1 Kings 17:3 Lit facing
  3. 1 Kings 17:5 Lit facing
  4. 1 Kings 17:10 Lit vessel
  5. 1 Kings 17:12 Lit pitcher
  6. 1 Kings 17:12 Lit two
  7. 1 Kings 17:12 I.e., have their last meal
  8. 1 Kings 17:13 Lit there
  9. 1 Kings 17:14 Lit pitcher
  10. 1 Kings 17:16 Lit pitcher

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