1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had aexecuted all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, a“So let the gods do tome, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a1 broom tree. And he aprayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an1 angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on1 coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.
7 And the1 angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and aforty nights as far as bHoreb, the mountain of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lordcame to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 So he said, a“I have been very bzealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and ckilled Your prophets with the sword. dI alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
God’s Revelation to Elijah
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand aon the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lordbpassed by, and ca great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lordwas not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lordwas not in the fire; and after the fire1 a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he awrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. bSuddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14aAnd he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF KINGS, in the ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible, constitute one book. Various titles have been given them; in the Septuagint and the Vulgate they are called the Third and Fourth Books of Kings. The authorship of these books is unknown; but the prevailing opinion is that they were compiled by Ezra, or one of the later prophets, from the ancient documents that are so frequently referred to in the course of the history as of public and established authority. Their inspired character was acknowledged by the Jewish Church, which ranked them in the sacred canon; and, besides, it is attested by our Lord, who frequently quotes from them (compare I Kings 17:9; II Kings 5:14 with Luke 4:24-27; I Kings 10:1 with Matthew 12:42).
Join 137,180+ readers
A Verse and a Thought, Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.
