First Book of Kings 19

¹ When Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had put all the prophets to the sword,

² Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods do this to me and more, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the life of one of them!’

³ He was afraid and fled for his life. He came to Beersheba, a town of Judah, where he left his servant.

⁴ He himself went on into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘Yahweh,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’

⁵ Then he lay down and went to sleep. But an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat’.

⁶ He looked round, and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ But the angel of Yahweh came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you’.

⁸ So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

⁹ There he went into the cave[*a] and spent the night in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

¹⁰ He replied, ‘I am filled with jealous zeal for Yahweh Sabaoth, because the sons of Israel have deserted you, broken down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left, and they want to kill me.’

¹¹ Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh’. Then Yahweh himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before Yahweh. But Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake.

¹² After the earthquake came a fire. But Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze.

¹³ And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him, which said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

¹⁴ He replied, ‘I am filled with jealous zeal for Yahweh Sabaoth, because the sons of Israel have deserted you, broken down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left and they want to kill me.’

¹⁵ ‘Go,’ Yahweh said ‘go back by the same way to the wilderness of Damascus. You are to go and anoint Hazael as king of Aram.

¹⁶ You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.

¹⁷ Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael will be put to death by Jehu; and anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu will be put to death by Elisha.

¹⁸ But I shall spare seven thousand in Israel: all the knees that have not bent before Baal, all the mouths that have not kissed him.’

¹⁹ Leaving there, he came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him.

²⁰ Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’

²¹ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.