1 Kings 19:1–18

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

¹Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and ^1ahow he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

²Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “^aSo may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your ¹life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

³And he ¹was afraid and arose and ran for his ²life and came to ^aBeersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

⁴But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a ¹juniper tree; and ^ahe requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my ²life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

⁵He lay down and slept under a ¹juniper tree; and behold, there was ^aan angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”

⁶Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.

⁷The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

⁸So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^aforty days and forty nights to ^bHoreb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

⁹Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, ^athe word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰He said, “^aI have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, ^btorn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And ^cI alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹¹So He said, “^aGo forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And ^ba great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

¹²After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire ^aa sound of a gentle blowing.

¹³When Elijah heard it, ^ahe wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, ^ba voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴Then he said, “^aI have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹⁵The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, ^ayou shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;

¹⁶and ^aJehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and ^bElisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

¹⁷“It shall come about, the ^aone who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu ^bshall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.

¹⁸“^aYet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not ^bkissed him.”