Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to (A)Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, (B)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 (C)he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a [a]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, “(D)As the Lord your God lives, (E)I have no food, only a handful of flour in the [b]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering [c]a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may [d]eat it and (F)die.” 13 However, Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said. Just make me a little bread loaf from [e]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 [f]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 [g]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 17:10 Lit vessel
  2. 1 Kings 17:12 Lit pitcher
  3. 1 Kings 17:12 Lit two
  4. 1 Kings 17:12 I.e., have their last meal
  5. 1 Kings 17:13 Lit there
  6. 1 Kings 17:14 Lit pitcher
  7. 1 Kings 17:16 Lit pitcher

Elijah Visits the Widowed Mother of Zarephath

Then this message came to him from the Lord: “Get up, move to Zarephath in Sidon, and stay there. Look! I’ve commanded a widow to sustain you there.”

10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance to the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he asked her, “Please, may I have some water in a cup so I can have a drink.” 11 While she was on her way to get the water, he called out to her, “Would you please also bring me a piece of bread while you’re at it?”[a]

12 “As the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have so much as a muffin, just a handful of flour in a bowl and some oil left in a bottle. Now I’m going to find some sticks so I can cook a last meal for my son and for me. Then we’re going to eat it and die.”

13 But Elijah told her, “You can stop being afraid. Go and do what you said, but first make me a muffin and bring it to me. Then make a meal for yourself and for your son, 14 because this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘That jar of flour will not run out, nor will that bottle of oil become empty until the very day that the Lord sends rain on the surface of the ground.’”

15 So she went out and did precisely what Elijah told her to do. As a result, Elijah,[b] the widow,[c] and her son[d] were fed for days. 16 The jar of flour never ran out and the bottle of oil never became empty, just as the Lord had promised[e] through[f] Elijah.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 17:11 Lit. bread in your hand
  2. 1 Kings 17:15 Lit. he
  3. 1 Kings 17:15 Lit. she
  4. 1 Kings 17:15 Lit. household
  5. 1 Kings 17:16 Lit. spoken
  6. 1 Kings 17:16 Lit. through the hand of