17 1 Elijah forewarneth of the famine to come. 4 He is fed of Ravens. 9 He is sent to Zarephath, where he restoreth his hostess’s son to life.

And Elijah the Tishbite one of the inhabitants of Gilead said unto Ahab, (A)As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I [a]stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, but [b]according to my word.

¶ And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

Go hence, and turn thee Eastward, and hide thyself in the [c]river Cherith, that is over against Jordan,

And thou shalt drink of the river: and I have commanded the [d]ravens to feed thee there.

So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went, and remained by the river Cherith that is over against Jordan

And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the river.

And after a while the river dried up, because there fell no rain upon the earth.

¶ And the [e]word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

(B)Up, and get thee to Zarephath, which is in Sidon, and remain there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath: and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow was there [f]gathering sticks: and he called her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but even an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and behold, I am gathering [g]a few sticks for to go in, and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and [h]die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not, come do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first of all, and bring it unto me, and afterward make for thee and thy son.

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, [i]The meal in the barrel shall not be wasted, neither shall the oil in the cruse be diminished, unto the time that the Lord send rain upon the earth.

15 So she went, and did as Elijah said, and she did eat: so did he and her house [j]for a certain time.

16 The barrel of the meal wasted not, nor the oil was spent out of the cruse, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of Elijah.

17 ¶ And after these things, the son of the wife of the house fell sick, and his sickness was so sore, [k]that there was no [l]breath left in him.

18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son: and he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

20 Then he called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou [m]punished also this widow, with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?

21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother, and Elijah said, Behold, thy son liveth.

24 And the woman said unto Elijah, Now [n]I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 17:1 That is, whom I serve.
  2. 1 Kings 17:1 But as I shall declare it by God’s revelation.
  3. 1 Kings 17:3 Or, brook.
  4. 1 Kings 17:4 To strengthen his faith against persecution, God promiseth to feed him miraculously.
  5. 1 Kings 17:8 As the troubles of the Saints of God are many, so his mercy is ever at hand to deliver them.
  6. 1 Kings 17:10 All this was to strengthen the faith of Elijah, to the intent that he should look upon nothing worldly, but only trust on God’s providence.
  7. 1 Kings 17:12 Hebrew, two.
  8. 1 Kings 17:12 For there is no hope of any more sustenance.
  9. 1 Kings 17:14 God receiveth no benefit for the use of his, but he promiseth a most ample recompense for the same.
  10. 1 Kings 17:15 That is, till he had rain and food on the earth.
  11. 1 Kings 17:17 Or, that he died.
  12. 1 Kings 17:17 God would try whether she had learned by his merciful providence to make him her only stay and comfort.
  13. 1 Kings 17:20 He was afraid lest God’s name should have been blasphemed and his ministers contemned, except he should have continued his mercies as he had begun them, specially while he there remained.
  14. 1 Kings 17:24 So hard a thing it is to depend on God, except we be confirmed by miracles.

Elijah Announces a Great Drought

17 Now Elijah(A) the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead,(B) said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain(C) in the next few years except at my word.”

Elijah Fed by Ravens

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide(D) in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens(E) to supply you with food there.”

So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning(F) and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath(G) in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow(H) there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”(I) 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil(J) in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain(K) on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin(L) and kill my son?”

19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried(M) out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched(N) himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother(O) and said, “Look, your son is alive!”

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know(P) that you are a man of God(Q) and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”(R)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 17:1 Or Tishbite, of the settlers