1 Kings 17:1-12

Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory

17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), ¹  there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” ²  17:2 The Lord told him: ³  17:3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:4 Drink from the stream; I have already told ⁴  the ravens to bring you food ⁵  there.” 17:5 So he did ⁶  as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.

17:7 After a while, ⁷  the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 The Lord told him, ⁸  17:9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told ⁹  a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 17:10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a cup ¹⁰  of water, so I can take a drink.” 17:11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” ¹¹  17:12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” ¹² 

[17:1]  ¹ tn Heb “before whom I stand.”

[17:1]  ² tn Heb “except at the command of my word.”

[17:2]  ³ tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came to him, saying.”

[17:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “commanded.”

[17:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “to provide for you.”

[17:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “So he went and did.”

[17:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “And it came about at the end of days.”

[17:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “And the word of the Lord came to him, saying.”

[17:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”

[17:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a little.”

[17:11]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “in your hand.”

[17:12]  ¹² tn Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”