1 Kings 19:1-8
New English Translation
Elijah Runs for His Life
19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning,[a] “May the gods judge me severely[b] if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”[c]
3 Elijah was afraid,[d] so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 while he went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He went and sat down under a shrub[e] and asked the Lord to take his life:[f] “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”[g] 5 He stretched out[h] and fell asleep under the shrub. Suddenly an angelic messenger[i] touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.[j] 7 The angel of the Lord came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.”[k] 8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
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- 1 Kings 19:2 tn Heb “saying.”
- 1 Kings 19:2 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
- 1 Kings 19:2 tn Heb “I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
- 1 Kings 19:3 tc The MT has “and he saw,” but some medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions support the reading “he was afraid.” The consonantal text (וַיַּרְא, vayyarʾ) is ambiguous and can be vocalized וַיַּרְא (from רָאָה, raʾah, “to see”) or וַיִּרָא (vayyiraʾ, from יָרֵא, yareʾ, “to fear”).
- 1 Kings 19:4 tn Or “broom tree” (also in v. 5).
- 1 Kings 19:4 tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life to die.”
- 1 Kings 19:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
- 1 Kings 19:5 tn Or “lay down.”
- 1 Kings 19:5 tn Heb “Look, this messenger.”
- 1 Kings 19:6 tn Heb “and again lay down.”
- 1 Kings 19:7 tn Heb “for the journey is too great for you.”
1 Kings 19:1-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Elijah Flees from Jezebel
19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.(A) 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”(B) 3 Then he was afraid;[a] he got up and fled for his life and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”(C) 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.(D)
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- 19.3 Gk: Heb he saw
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