The First Book of the Kings

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 17 -

And Eliiah the Tishbite one of the inhabitats of Gilead sayde vnto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liueth, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dewe nor rayne these yeeres, but according to my worde.

And the worde of the Lord came vnto him, saying,

Go hence, and turne thee Eastwarde, and hide thy selfe in the riuer Cherith, that is ouer against Iorden,

And thou shalt drinke of the riuer: and I haue comanded the rauens to feede thee there.

So he went and did according vnto the word of the Lord: for he went, and remained by the riuer Cherith that is ouer against Iorden.

And the rauens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the euening, and he dranke of the riuer.

And after a while the riuer dryed vp, because there fell no rayne vpon the earth.

The Widow of Zarephath

And the worde of the Lord came vnto him, saying,

Vp, and get thee to Zarephath, which is in Zidon, and remaine there: beholde, I haue commanded a widow there to sustaine thee.

So he arose, and went to Zarephath: and when he came to the gate of the citie, beholde, the widowe was there gathering stickes: and he called her, and sayde, Bring me, I pray thee, a litle water in a vessel, that I may drinke.

And as she was going to fet it, he called to her, and sayde, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsell of bread in thine hand.

And shee sayde, As the Lord thy God liueth, I haue not a cake, but euen an handfull of meale in a barrel, and a litle oyle in a cruse: and behold, I am gathering a fewe stickes for to go in, and dresse it for me and my sonne, that we may eate it, and dye.

And Eliiah said vnto her, Feare not, come, do as thou hast sayd, but make me thereof a litle cake first of all, and bring it vnto mee, and afterward make for thee, and thy sonne.

For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The meale in the barrel shall not be wasted, neither shall the oyle in the cruse be diminished, vnto the time that the Lord send rayne vpon the earth.

So she went, and did as Eliiah sayd, and she did eate: so did he and her house for a certaine time.

The barrell of the meale wasted not, nor the oyle was spent out of the cruse, according to the worde of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of Eliiah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

And after these things, the sonne of the wife of the house fell sicke, and his sicknesse was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

And she said vnto Eliiah, What haue I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come vnto me to call my sinne to remembrance, and to slay my sonne?

And he said vnto her, Giue me thy sonne. and he tooke him out of her bosome, and caryed him vp into a chamber, where he abode, and laid him vpon his owne bed.

Then he called vnto the Lord, and sayde, O Lord my God, hast thou punished also this widowe, with whome I soiourne, by killing her sonne?

And he stretched himselfe vpon the childe three times, and called vnto the Lord, and saide, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this childes soule come into him againe.

Then the Lord heard the voyce of Eliiah, and the soule of the child came into him againe, and he reuiued.

And Eliiah tooke the childe, and brought him downe out of the chamber into the house, and deliuered him vnto his mother, and Eliiah sayd, Behold, thy sonne liueth.

And the woman saide vnto Eliiah, Now I knowe that thou art a man of God, and that the worde of the Lord in thy mouth is true.

Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

Then the LORD’s word came to him, saying,

“Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

So he went and did according to the LORD’s word, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan.

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

After a while, the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

The LORD’s word came to him, saying,

“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”

So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”

As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

She said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me a little cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of meal will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.’”

She went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, he, and her household ate many days.

The jar of meal didn’t run out and the jar of oil didn’t fail, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

After these things, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”

He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed.

He cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”

He stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”

The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the room into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said, “Behold, your son lives.”

The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the LORD’s word in your mouth is truth.”