Elijah Stops the Rain
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet from the settlers in Gilead. “I ·serve [L stand before] the Lord, the God of Israel,” Elijah said to Ahab. “As surely as the Lord lives, no dew or rain will fall during the next few years ·unless I command it [except by my word; C the people were worshiping the false god Baal whom they believed brought rain].”
2 Then the ·Lord spoke his word [word of the Lord came] to Elijah: 3 “Leave this place and go east and hide near Kerith ·Ravine [Brook; Wadi] east of the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the stream, and I have ·commanded [ordered] ravens to bring you food there.” 5 So Elijah did ·what the Lord said [L according to the word of the Lord]; he went to Kerith ·Ravine [Brook; Wadi], east of the Jordan, and lived there. 6 The ·birds [ravens] brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and evening, and he drank water from the stream.
7 After a while the stream dried up because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the ·Lord spoke his word to Elijah [L word of the Lord came to him], 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I have commanded a widow there to ·take care of [provide for; feed] you.”
10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he reached the town gate, he saw a widow gathering ·wood for a fire [sticks]. Elijah asked her, “·Would you [Please] bring me a little water in a ·cup [jar; pitcher] so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get his water, Elijah said, “Please bring me a ·piece [scrap] of bread [L in your hand].”
12 The woman answered, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no bread. I have only a handful of flour in a ·jar [bowl] and only a little olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather some wood so I could go home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die [C of hunger].”
13 “Don’t ·worry [be afraid],” Elijah said to her. “Go home and cook your food as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread from the flour you have, and bring it to me. Then cook something for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be ·empty [spent; used up], and the jug will ·always have oil in it [not run dry/fail/be empty], until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”
15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And the woman and her ·son and Elijah [family; L household] had enough food ·every day [L for many days]. 16 The ·jar [bowl] of flour and the jug of oil were never empty, ·just as the Lord, through Elijah, had promised [L according to the word of the Lord, spoken through Elijah].
Elijah Brings a Boy Back to Life
17 ·Some time later [L After these things] the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He grew worse and worse and finally ·stopped breathing [died; L there remained no breath in him]. 18 The woman said to Elijah, “Man of God, what ·have you done to me [do you have against me; L to me and to you]? Did you come here to ·remind me of [reveal; point out] my sin and to kill my son?”
19 Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” Elijah took the boy from ·her [her arms/lap/L bosom], carried him upstairs, and laid him on the bed in the room where he was staying. 20 Then he prayed to the Lord: “Lord my God, this widow is letting me stay in her house. Why have you ·done this terrible thing [brought tragedy/calamity] to her and caused her son to die?” 21 Then Elijah ·lay on top of [stretched himself on] the boy three times. He prayed to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this ·boy live again [boy’s life/breath/soul return to him]!”
22 The Lord ·answered [heard] Elijah’s ·prayer [cry; L voice]; the ·boy began breathing again [boy’s life/breath/soul returned to him] and ·was alive [revived]. 23 Elijah carried the boy downstairs and gave him to his mother and said, “See! Your son is alive!”
24 “Now I know you really are a man from God,” the woman said to Elijah. “I know that the ·Lord truly speaks through you [L word of the Lord in your mouth is true]!”