Elijah Announces Famine

17 Now Elijah^(A) the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers,^[a](B) said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives,^(C) in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” ^(D)

² Then the word of the Lord came to him: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide^(E) at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. ⁴ You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens^(F) to provide for you there.”

⁵ So he proceeded to do what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening,^(G) and he would drink from the wadi. ⁷ After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Elijah and the Widow

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ “Get up, go to Zarephath^(H) that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” ¹⁰ So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”^{(I) 11} As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

¹² But she said, “As the Lord your God lives,^(J) I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil^(K) in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”^(L)

¹³ Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, ¹⁴ for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’”^(M)

¹⁵ So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.^{(N) 16} The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through^[b] Elijah.

The Widow’s Son Raised

¹⁷ After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing.^{(O) 18} She said to Elijah, “Man of God,^(P) what do you have against me?^(Q) Have you come to call attention to my iniquity^(R) so that my son is put to death?”

¹⁹ But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room^(S) where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the Lord^(T) and said, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times.^(U) He cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!”

²² So the Lord listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.^{(V) 23} Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother.^(W) Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”

²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God^(X) and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”^(Y)

Elijah’s Message to Ahab

18 After a long time, the word of the Lord^(Z) came to Elijah in the third year:^(AA) “Go and present yourself to Ahab.^(AB) I will send rain on the surface of the land.” ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

The famine was severe in Samaria.^{(AC) 3} Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace.^(AD) Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the Lord^{(AE) 4} and took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel^(AF) slaughtered the Lord’s prophets.^{(AG) 5} Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.”^{(AH) 6} They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

⁷ While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him.^(AI) When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸ “It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’” ^[c]

⁹ But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed,^(AJ) that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? ¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

¹¹ “Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ ¹² But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off^(AK) to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. ¹³ Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the Lord, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. ¹⁴ Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵ Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of Armies lives,^(AL) in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶ Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?” ^(AM)

¹⁸ He replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands^(AN) and followed the Baals.^{(AO) 19} Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel,^(AP) along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah^(AQ) who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah at Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?^[d](AR) If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.”^(AS) But the people didn’t answer him a word.

²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord,^(AT) but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. ²³ Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.^(AU) The God who answers with fire, he is God.”

All the people answered, “That’s fine.”

²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

²⁶ So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound;^(AV) no one answered. Then they danced^[e] around the altar they had made.

²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away;^[f] or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” ^{(AW) 28} They shouted loudly, and cut themselves^(AX) with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. ²⁹ All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice,^(AY) but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.^(AZ)

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down:^{(BA) 31} Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”^(BB)— ³² and he built an altar^(BC) with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.^{[g][h] 33} Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

³⁶ At the time for offering the evening sacrifice,^(BD) the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,^(BE) today let it be known^(BF) that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God^(BG) and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸ Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell facedown^(BH) and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!” ^(BI)

⁴⁰ Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal!^(BJ) Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon^(BK) and slaughtered them there.^{(BL) 41} Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”^(BM)

⁴² So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel.^(BN) He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees.^{(BO) 43} Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.”

So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.”

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ On the seventh^(BP) time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.”

Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’”

⁴⁵ In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel.^{(BQ) 46} The power of the Lord^(BR) was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt^(BS) and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna^(A) in the wilderness,^(B) and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^{(C) 51} I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^(D) forever.^(E) The bread that I will give for the life^(F) of the world is my flesh.”^(G)

⁵² At that, the Jews argued^(H) among themselves,^(I) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(J) and drink his blood,^(K) you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood^(L) has eternal life, and I will raise^(M) him up on the last day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.^{(N) 57} Just as the living^(O) Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live^(P) because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[a] your ancestors ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”^(Q)

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(R) in Capernaum.^(S)

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept^[b] it?”

⁶¹ Jesus, knowing in himself^(T) that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man^(U) ascending^(V) to where he was before? ⁶³ The Spirit^(W) is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning^(X) those who did not^[c] believe and the one who would betray^(Y) him.) ⁶⁵ He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me^(Z) unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

⁶⁶ From that moment^[d] many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve,^(AA) “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter^(AB) answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”^[e](AC)

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve?^(AD) Yet one of you is a devil.”^{(AE) 71} He was referring to Judas,^(AF) Simon Iscariot’s son,^[f] one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray^(AG) him.

Psalm 68

God’s Majestic Power

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.