Elijah

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."

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.

NoteAhab was the king of Israel, the country Elijah lived in. Dew is the tiny wet drops that sit on grass in the morning. In that land, rain fell only in certain months of the year. With no rain, no food could grow, and people went hungry. "Before whom I stand" means I am his servant. A servant stood near his master, ready to do what he asked.

2Then God spoke to Elijah. God said:

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

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

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

NoteA brook is a small stream of water. The Jordan was the big river in that land. Elijah had to hide because the king would be angry at his words.

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

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

NoteRavens are big black birds. They look for scraps to eat. They do not usually carry food to a person.

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

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

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

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

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

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

8Then God spoke to Elijah again. God said:

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

9"Get up and go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon. Live there. I have told a widow there to feed you."

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

NoteZarephath was a town outside Israel, near the sea. A widow is a woman whose husband has died. In those days a widow often had no money and no one to help her.

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."

So 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.

NoteTowns had a wall around them with a gate. People met and talked by the gate. She needed sticks to make a small fire for cooking.

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

And 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.

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 two sticks for a fire. I will cook one last meal for me and my son. Then we will eat it and die."

And 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.

NoteFlour is ground-up grain. You mix it with oil and water to make bread. The jar and the jug were pots made of clay. "The LORD your God is alive" was her way of making a strong promise.

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.

And 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.

NoteTheir bread was a small flat loaf. It cooked fast on hot stones over the fire.

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."

For 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.

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

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

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

And 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.

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

And 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.

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?"

And 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?

Note"Man of God" was a name people used for a prophet. Sin means doing what is wrong. Back then, many people thought sad things happened because of a wrong they had done.

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.

And 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.

NoteHouses had flat roofs. A small room on top was often kept for a guest.

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

And 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?

NoteElijah is saying that the woman took him in and let him live in her house.

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."

And 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.

NoteHe lay stretched out on top of the boy, covering him. Doing something three times was a way of saying it was done fully.

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

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

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."

And 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.

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."

And 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.

1A long time passed. It was now the third year with no rain. God spoke to Elijah, a prophet who told people what God said. God told him, "Go and let King Ahab see you. Then I will send rain on the land."

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

NoteLORD in capital letters stands for God's own name. It was the name the people of Israel used for God. Three years with no rain meant no crops could grow.

2So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. There was very little food in Samaria. People were hungry.

And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

NoteSamaria was the main city where King Ahab lived. When rain stops, the food runs out. That long hungry time is called a famine.

3King Ahab called for a man named Obadiah. Obadiah was in charge of the king's house. Obadiah loved God and obeyed him.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

NoteObadiah ran the king's house. He was the boss of all the king's workers and servants.

4Earlier, Queen Jezebel had killed many prophets of the LORD. Obadiah had saved a hundred of them. He hid them in two caves, fifty men in each cave. He brought them bread and water.

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

NoteJezebel was King Ahab's wife, the queen. She wanted people to pray to a god named Baal. Anyone who spoke for the LORD was in danger from her.

5Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go all over the land. Check every spring and every stream. Maybe we will find grass. Then our horses and mules can live. We will not lose all our animals."

And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

NoteA mule is an animal, part horse and part donkey. People rode mules and used them to carry heavy loads.

6They split the land between them to search it. Ahab went one way alone. Obadiah went another way alone.

So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7While Obadiah was walking, Elijah met him. Obadiah knew who he was. He bowed with his face to the ground. He said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

NoteBowing with your face to the ground showed great respect. Calling someone "my lord" was a polite way to speak to an important person.

8Elijah said, "Yes, it is me. Go tell your master the king that Elijah is here."

And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

9Obadiah said, "What have I done wrong? Why would you hand me over to Ahab? He will kill me."

And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

10"I promise you, before the living LORD your God, the king has looked everywhere for you. He sent men to every nation and kingdom. When they said you were not there, he made them promise it was true."

As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

NoteMaking someone promise before God was very serious. People believed God heard every word they said.

11"And now you tell me to go say to my master, 'Elijah is here!'"

And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

12"But as soon as I leave, God's Spirit may carry you away. I will not know where. Then I will tell Ahab, and he will not find you. He will kill me. Yet I have obeyed the LORD since I was young."

And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

NotePeople said God's Spirit, his own power, could move Elijah from place to place. Obadiah was afraid Elijah would be gone before Ahab arrived.

13"Did no one tell you what I did? When Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, I hid a hundred of them. I put fifty in each of two caves. I brought them bread and water."

Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14"And now you tell me, 'Go say to your master, Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"

And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

15Elijah said, "I promise you, before the living LORD of heaven's armies, whom I serve. I will let Ahab see me today."

And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.

Note"The LORD of hosts" means the LORD who leads heaven's armies. It was a way of saying God is very strong.

16So Obadiah went and told Ahab. Then Ahab went out to meet Elijah.

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Is that you? You are the man who brings trouble to Israel."

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

NoteIsrael was the name of the country and of its people. Ahab was blaming Elijah for the three dry years.

18Elijah answered, "I have not brought trouble to Israel. You have, and your father's family too. You have turned away from God's commands. You have followed the Baals, false gods."

And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

NoteBaal was a god that many people prayed to. They believed he sent the rain that made crops grow.

19"Now send word to all Israel. Have everyone meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring the 450 prophets of Baal. Bring the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.

NoteMount Carmel is a tall hill near the sea. Asherah was a goddess people prayed to. Eating at the queen's table meant she paid for their food.

20So Ahab sent word to all the people of Israel. He gathered the prophets on Mount Carmel.

So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

21Elijah came to all the people and said, "How long will you go back and forth? If the LORD is God, follow him. If Baal is God, follow him." The people said nothing at all.

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

22Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the LORD left here. But Baal has 450 prophets."

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

23"Bring us two bulls. Let them pick one bull for themselves. Let them cut it up and lay it on the wood. But they must not light a fire. I will get the other bull ready the same way. I will not light a fire either."

Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

NoteLong ago people gave God gifts of animals. The animal was laid on wood and burned up. A gift like that was called an offering.

24"Then you call on the name of your god. I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire is the real God." All the people said, "That is a good plan."

And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

25Elijah said to Baal's prophets, "You go first, since there are so many of you. Pick a bull and get it ready. Call on the name of your god. But do not light a fire."

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

26They took the bull and got it ready. They called on Baal's name from morning until noon. They shouted, "Baal, answer us!" But no voice came. No one answered. They danced around the altar they had made.

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

NoteAn altar was a pile of stones built for offerings. People burned their gifts on top of it.

27At noon Elijah made fun of them. He said, "Shout louder! He is a god, after all. Maybe he is talking. Maybe he is busy or away on a trip. Maybe he is asleep and needs waking up."

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

28So they shouted louder. They cut themselves with knives and spears, the way they always did. Blood ran down over them.

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

NoteBaal's prophets believed hurting themselves would make him notice. Cutting their skin was part of the way they prayed to him.

29Noon went by. They kept on speaking as prophets, wild and loud, until the time of the evening offering. But no voice came. No one answered. No one paid attention.

And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

NoteLate each afternoon, priests gave God a gift at his temple. People called that time the evening offering. The old words say they prophesied. That means they spoke and acted the way prophets do, but wild and loud.

30Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come close to me." They all came close. He fixed the LORD's altar, which had been torn down.

And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

NoteAn altar for the LORD had stood here before. Someone had knocked it down, and Elijah put the stones back together.

31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each family group of Jacob's sons. God had spoken to Jacob and said, "Your name will be Israel."

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

NoteJacob had twelve sons. Their families grew into the twelve family groups of Israel. God gave Jacob a new name, Israel.

32He built an altar with those stones to honor the LORD. Then he dug a ditch around the altar. It was big enough to hold two measures of seed.

And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

NoteThe old words say the ditch could hold two measures of seed. That means it was a big ditch, wide and deep. A measure was a set amount of seed, about a big bucketful. Two measures meant the ditch was wide and deep.

33He laid the wood in order. He cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four big jars with water. Pour it on the offering and on the wood."

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

NoteAfter three years with no rain, water was very hard to find. Pouring it on the wood gave away something precious.

34He said, "Do it again." They did it again. He said, "Do it a third time." They did it a third time.

And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

35The water ran down all around the altar. It even filled the ditch.

And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

36At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came close. He prayed, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Show everyone today that you are God in Israel. Show them I am your servant. Show them I did all this because you told me to."

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

NoteAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived long before this. They were the fathers of the whole family of Israel.

37"Answer me, LORD. Answer me. Then these people will know that you are the LORD God. They will know you are turning their hearts back to you."

Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38Then fire from the LORD came down. It burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt. It even dried up the water in the ditch.

Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39When the people saw it, they bowed with their faces to the ground. They said, "The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!"

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

40Elijah said, "Grab the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them get away." So they grabbed them. Elijah took them down to the Kishon brook and killed them there.

And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

NoteThe Kishon is a stream at the bottom of Mount Carmel. Israel's law said that prophets who led people to other gods must die.

41Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up and eat and drink. I hear the sound of heavy rain coming."

And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel. He bent down low to the ground and put his face between his knees.

So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

NoteBending low with his face between his knees was how Elijah prayed. It showed he was small before God.

43He said to his helper, "Go up and look toward the sea." The helper went and looked. He said, "There is nothing there." Elijah said, "Go and look again." He said this seven times.

And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

44The seventh time the helper said, "I see a little cloud coming up from the sea. It is as small as a man's hand." Elijah said, "Go tell Ahab to hitch up his chariot and go down, so the rain cannot stop him."

And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

NoteA chariot was a small cart pulled by horses. Kings rode in them. Heavy rain turned dirt roads into deep mud.

45Soon the sky turned black with clouds and wind. Heavy rain began to fall. Ahab climbed into his chariot and rode to Jezreel.

And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

NoteJezreel was another city where King Ahab had a house. It was many miles from Mount Carmel.

46The LORD's power came on Elijah. He tucked his long robe into his belt. Then he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

NoteMen wore long robes that reached their feet. To run fast, they pulled the robe up and tucked it into their belt.

1King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything Elijah had done. He also told her that Elijah had killed all the prophets of Baal with a sword.

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

NoteA prophet is a person who tells others what God says. Baal was a god that many people in that land prayed to. Jezebel was the queen, and she loved Baal.

2Jezebel sent a message to Elijah. She said, "May the gods punish me if I fail. By this time tomorrow, I will kill you, just like you killed them."

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

Note"May the gods punish me" was a very strong way to promise. Jezebel was saying she really meant it.

3Elijah was afraid, so he ran away to save his life. He came to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and left his servant there.

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

NoteJudah was the southern part of the land, with its own king. Beersheba was a town far away from Jezebel.

4Elijah walked one more day into the empty desert. He sat down under a small bush and asked to die. He said, "I have had enough, LORD. Take my life. I am no better than my family before me."

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

NoteThe desert here is dry, empty land with almost no water. "I am no better than my family before me" means Elijah felt ready to die like they did.

5He lay down under the bush and fell asleep. Then an angel, a messenger from God, touched him. The angel said, "Get up and eat."

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

6Elijah looked around. Near his head was bread baked on hot coals and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and then he lay down again.

And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

NotePeople in the desert had no ovens. They cooked flat bread right on hot stones and coals.

7The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him. The angel said, "Get up and eat. The trip ahead is too long and hard for you."

And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

8So Elijah got up and ate and drank. That food made him strong. He walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Note"Forty days and forty nights" was a way of saying a very long time. Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. That is where God spoke to Moses long before.

9There he went into a cave and stayed the night. Then a message came from the LORD. God asked him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10Elijah said, "I have worked hard for the LORD, the God of armies. But the people of Israel have broken their promise to you. They knocked down your altars. They killed your prophets with swords. I am the only one left, and they want to kill me too."

And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Note"The God of armies" is a name for God. It means God is strong, like a huge army. An altar is a stone table where people gave gifts to God. The promise Elijah means is the deal God made with Israel long ago.

11God said, "Go outside and stand on the mountain in front of me." Then the LORD went past. A strong wind tore the mountains and broke the rocks apart. But the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the LORD was not in the earthquake.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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:

NoteAn earthquake is when the ground shakes hard and rocks crack.

12After the earthquake came a fire. But the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire came a soft, quiet voice.

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

13When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice asked him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

NoteElijah's coat was a big cloak made of cloth or animal hair. People covered their faces near God to show respect.

14Elijah said, "I have worked hard for the LORD, the God of armies. But the people of Israel have broken their promise to you. They knocked down your altars. They killed your prophets with swords. I am the only one left, and they want to kill me too."

And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

15The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came. Go to the desert near Damascus. When you get there, pour oil on Hazael's head to make him king of Syria.

And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

NotePouring oil on someone's head showed that God had picked them for a big job. Damascus was a large city in Syria, a country north of Israel.

16Also pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king of Israel. And pour oil on Elisha son of Shaphat, from the town of Abelmeholah, to be a prophet in your place.

And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

Note"In your place" means Elisha would take over Elijah's job. He would be the next prophet after Elijah.

17Anyone who gets away from Hazael's sword, Jehu will kill. Anyone who gets away from Jehu's sword, Elisha will kill.

And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

18But I have kept seven thousand people in Israel for myself. They have never bowed down to the god Baal. They have never kissed his statue."

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

NoteBowing down low and kissing a statue was how people worshiped Baal. Seven thousand people had never done that.