1 Kings 17 - New Catholic Bible (NCB)

Stories of Elijah and Ahab

Chapter 17

Elijah Predicts a Drought.[a] 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain these years except at my word.”

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, 3 “Go forth from here and go eastward to the Wadi Kerith near the Jordan and hide there. 4 You can drink from the brook there, and I have commanded the ravens there to feed you.” 5 So he went and did what the Lord had said, and he dwelt in the Wadi Kerith near the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.

7 After some time the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise and go to Zarephath[b] which belongs to Sidon and live there. I have commanded a woman there who is a widow to take care of you.”

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the gate to the city, there was a woman there who was a widow. She was gathering sticks, and he called out to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a jar so that I can have something to drink.”

11 As she went to get it for him, he called out to her and said, “Please also bring me a bit of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said to him, “As the Lord, your God, lives, I do not have any bread. I only have a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of oil in a jug. I am gathering two sticks so that I can prepare it for myself and my son so that we can eat it and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do what you have said, but first make a small piece of bread and bring it to me. Afterwards, you can make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up, the jug of oil will not go dry, up until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’ ”

15 She went and did what Elijah had told her to do. She, and he, and her household ate for a long time. 16 The jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not go dry, just as the word of the Lord had foretold through Elijah.

17 Elijah Restores Life to the Widow’s Son.[c] After these things happened, the son of the woman who owned the house fell ill. The illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

18 She said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to make me remember my sins,[d] and to put my son to death?” 19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her lap and carried him to the upper room, and he laid him upon his own bed. 20 He called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, have you brought disaster upon the widow with whom I am living by killing her son?” 21 He stretched himself out upon the boy three times, and he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord, my God, may this child’s life return to him.”

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s voice, and the child’s life returned to him and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and handed him over to his mother saying, “See, your son is alive.” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of God that is in your mouth is true.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 17:1 The name “Elijah” means “The Lord is my God” and really suits him: in the midst of a people who prostrate themselves before idols, the prophet is a champion of the living God. Elijah confronted Ahab by predicting the long drought that would not be remedied by worshiping Baal, but only through the power of the true God.
  2. 1 Kings 17:9 Zarephath: on the coast of Phoenicia, south of Sidon.
  3. 1 Kings 17:17 The first raising from the dead of which the Bible speaks is on behalf of a foreign woman (see Lk 4:25-26).
  4. 1 Kings 17:18 Make me remember my sins: it was not uncommon at the time for a parent to blame themselves for a child’s disabilities. Elijah’s ability to raise the widow’s son from death was a sign to the people of God’s power among them.

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1 Kings 17 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

17 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, saith unto Ahab, `Jehovah, God of Israel, liveth, before whom I have stood, there is not these years dew and rain, except according to my word.' 2 And the word of Jehovah is unto him, saying, 3 `Go from this [place]; and thou hast turned for ...
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1 Kings 17 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

17 And Elijah (the) Tishbite, of the dwellers of Gilead, said to Ahab, (As) The Lord God of Israel liveth, in whose sight I stand, dew and rain shall not be in these years, no but by the words of my mouth. 2 And the word of the Lord was made to him, and said, 3 Go thou away from hence, and go agains...
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1 Kings 17 - World English Bible (WEB)

17 Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” 2 Then Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide you...
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1 Kings 17 - The Voice (VOICE)

17 Elijah the Tishbite, one of the Gilead settlers, spoke to Ahab.Slowly the Israelite kings are drifting further and further away from God’s laws. Hoping to remedy this, the Lord sends a prophet to guide the kings. That prophet, Elijah, certainly lives up to his name, proclaiming his God (Eli) is t...
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1 Kings 17 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Elijah Proclaims Famine17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab: “As Adonai God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain these years, except at my word.”[a] 2 Then the word of Adonai came to him saying: 3 “Leave this place, turn eastward, an...
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1 Kings 17 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Elijah Predicts a Drought17 [a]Now Eli′jah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[b] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him, 3 “Depart from here and turn eastwa...
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1 Kings 17 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Elijah Predicts a Drought17 Now Eli′jah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him, 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward,...
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1 Kings 17 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Elijah Predicts a Drought17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.’ 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 ‘Go from here and turn eastwards,...
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1 Kings 17 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Elijah Predicts a Drought17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”(A)2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go from here and turn eastward, ...
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1 Kings 17 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Elijah Fed by Ravens17 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” 2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook...
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1 Kings 17 - New Life Version (NLV)

Elijah Fed by Ravens17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of the people who were staying in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, for sure there will be no rain or water on the grass in the early morning these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord ca...
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1 Kings 17 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Elijah Proclaims a Drought17 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the (A)inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, (B)“As the Lord God of Israel lives, (C)before whom I stand, (D)there shall not be dew nor rain (E)these years, except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from ...
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1 Kings 17 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Elijah announces a great drought17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ Elijah fed by ravens2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 ‘L...
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1 Kings 17 - New International Version (NIV)

Elijah Announces a Great Drought17 Now Elijah(A) the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead,(B) said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain(C) in the next few years except at my word.” Elijah Fed by Ravens2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elij...
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1 Kings 17 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Elijah Announces No Dew or Rain17 Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab, “I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won’t be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won’t be any during the next few years....
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1 Kings 17 - New English Translation (NET)

Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory17 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve),[a] there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.”[b] 2 The Lord’s message came to him: 3 “Leave here an...
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