Elijah Flees from Jezebel 1 UST When Ahab got home, he told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done on Mount Carmel. He told her specifically that Elijah had commanded the people to execute all the prophets of Baal. BSB BSB: Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 UST Then Jezebel sent a messenger to tell Elijah on her behalf,“I am going to have someone kill you by this time tomorrow, just as you killed all those prophets of Baal! If I do not do that, I hope the gods will kill me and do other terrible things to me.” BSB BSB: So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!”
3 UST When Elijah received her message, he realized he could not stay safely within the kingdom of Israel. So{ he took his servant with him} and fled{ far to the south} to Beersheba in the kingdom of Judah. He left his servant there. BSB BSB: And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 UST Then he walked for a whole day into the desolate area{ south of Beersheba}. He came to a juniper tree and sat down{ in its shade}. Then he prayed that Yahweh would allow him to die. He said,“Yahweh, I cannot endure anymore. So please allow me to die, just as my ancestors died.” BSB BSB: while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
5 UST Then Elijah lay down under that juniper tree and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, an angel tapped him{ and woke him up} and said to him,“{ You need to} get up and eat some food.” BSB BSB: Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
6 UST Elijah looked around and saw some bread nearby that someone had baked on hot stones. He also saw a jar of water. So he ate the bread and drank some water, then he lay down to sleep again. BSB BSB: And he looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 UST Then the angel representing Yahweh came back and tapped him again{ to wake him up}. The angel said,“You need more strength to go on a long journey, so get up and eat some more food.” BSB BSB: A second time the angel of the LORD returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”
8 UST So Elijah got up and ate more food and drank more water. That made him strong enough to travel for 40 days and nights all the way to Mount Horeb, where God had appeared to the Israelites. BSB BSB: So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
The LORD Speaks to Elijah at Horeb 9 UST He went into a cave there and slept in it. During that night, Yahweh spoke to him and asked,“Elijah, why are you here?” BSB BSB: There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 UST Elijah replied,“Yahweh, commander of the heavenly armies, I have desperately wanted the Israelites to worship only you. But they have rejected the agreement that they made with you. They have torn down your altars, and they have killed your prophets. I am the only prophet whom they have not killed yet, and they are trying to kill me, too.” BSB BSB: “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
11 UST Yahweh told him,“Go out and stand on this mountain where I can meet with you. I will be coming very soon!” As Yahweh approached, a strong windstorm struck the mountain, and it loosened rocks{ so that they fell down the mountainside}. But Yahweh was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 UST Then there was a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. Then Elijah heard what sounded like someone whispering quietly. BSB BSB: After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.
13 UST When Elijah heard that, he covered his face with his cloak. Then he went and stood at the entrance of the cave.{ Yahweh,} the person who had been whispering, asked him,“Elijah, why are you here?” BSB BSB: When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 UST He replied again,“Yahweh, commander of the heavenly armies, I have desperately wanted the Israelites to worship only you. But they have rejected the agreement that they made with you. They have torn down your altars, and they have killed your prophets. I am the only prophet whom they have not killed yet, and they are trying to kill me, too.” BSB BSB: “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
15 UST Then Yahweh told him,“Go back the way you came to the wilderness near Damascus. When you arrive there, pour olive oil on the head of{ the royal official} Hazael to appoint him to be the next king of Aram. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
16 UST I also want you to pour olive oil on the head of Jehu son of Nimshi to appoint him as the next king of Israel. And I want you to pour olive oil on the head of Elisha son of Shaphat from city of Abel Meholah to appoint him as a prophet who will succeed you. BSB BSB: You are also to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 UST Hazael’ s soldiers will kill many people. Some people will escape from them, but Jehu’ s soldiers will kill many of those. Some people will even escape from them, but Elisha will kill them. BSB BSB: Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.
18 UST But no one will kill the 7, 000 people in Israel who have never bowed down to worship Baal or reverently kissed his idol.” BSB BSB: Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
The Call of Elisha 19 UST So Elijah went{ to Abel Meholah} and found Elisha. He was plowing a field with a pair of oxen. He was also supervising the work of eleven other men who were plowing with pairs of oxen in the same field. Elijah went over to Elisha. He took off his own coat and put it on Elisha{ to show that he wanted Elisha to take his place as a prophet, and then he started to walk away}. BSB BSB: So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.
20 UST Elisha left the oxen standing there and ran after Elijah. He told him,“I will go with you, but I would like to say goodbye to my parents first.” Elijah replied,“Very well, go home and say goodbye to them. I have not asked you to leave without doing that.” BSB BSB: So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” Elijah replied, “for what have I done to you?”
21 UST So Elisha left Elijah and went back home. He killed his oxen and cut them in pieces and used the wood from the plow to build a fire to boil the meat. He distributed the meat to his family and friends, and they had a farewell feast. Then he left and went with Elijah and became his helper. BSB BSB: So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. Using the oxen’s equipment for fuel, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.
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