1 Kings 17

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

1Elijah came from Gilead. He was a prophet, someone who tells people what God says. He said to King Ahab, "The LORD, the God of Israel, is alive. I serve him. No rain or dew will fall for years, until I say so."

2And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

2Then God spoke to Elijah. God said:

3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

3"Leave this place. Go east. Hide by the little stream called Cherith. It is east of the Jordan River.

4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

4You can drink water from the stream. I have told the ravens to bring you food there."

5So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

5So Elijah did what God told him to do. He went and lived by the stream called Cherith.

6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

6Every morning the ravens brought him bread and meat. Every evening they brought bread and meat again. He drank water from the stream.

7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

7After some time, the stream dried up. No rain had fallen in the land.

8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

8Then God spoke to Elijah again. God said:

9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

9"Get up and go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon. Live there. I have told a widow there to feed you." A widow is a woman whose husband has died.

10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

10So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. At the town gate he saw the widow picking up sticks. He called to her, "Please bring me a little water in a cup to drink."

11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

11She started to go get the water. Then he called again, "Please bring me a piece of bread too."

12And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

12She said, "The LORD your God is alive, and I promise you this. I have no bread. I only have a handful of flour in a jar. I have a little oil in a jug. I am picking up a few sticks for a fire. I will cook one last meal for me and my son. Then we will eat it and die."

Note"Meal" in the old wording means flour for baking. A "cruse" is a small jug.

13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

13Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and cook, just as you said. But first make a small loaf for me and bring it out. Then make some for you and your son.

14For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

14The LORD, the God of Israel, says this. The jar of flour will not run out. The jug of oil will not run dry. This will last until the day the LORD sends rain on the land."

15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

15So she went and did what Elijah said. There was food every day for her, for Elijah, and for her family.

16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

16The flour did not run out. The oil did not run dry. It happened just as God had said through Elijah.

17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

17Some time later, the woman's son got sick. He got worse and worse. At last he stopped breathing.

18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

18She said to Elijah, "Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come to remind God of my sin? Did you come to make my son die?"

19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

19Elijah said, "Give me your son." He took the boy from her arms. He carried him upstairs to the room where he slept. He laid the boy on his own bed.

NoteThe old wording says "loft." It means an upstairs room, like a guest room on the roof.

20And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

20Then he called out to God. "LORD my God, this widow gave me a home. Have you now brought her this trouble? Have you let her son die?"

21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

21Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He called out to God, "LORD my God, please give this boy his life back."

22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

22God listened to Elijah. The boy's life came back into him, and he was alive again.

23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

23Elijah picked up the boy. He carried him downstairs into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive."

24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

24The woman said to Elijah, "Now I know you are a man of God. I know the words you speak from the LORD are true."