1 Kings 19:9-13

19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ¹  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ²  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ³  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ⁴  19:11 The Lord ⁵  said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”

A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, ⁶  but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. ⁷  19:13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden ⁸  a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

[19:10]  ¹ tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.

[19:10]  ² tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”

[19:10]  ³ tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”

[19:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”

[19:11]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:11]  ² tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps, “breaking the stones”).

[19:12]  ¹ tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.”

[19:13]  ¹ tn Heb “look.”