Elijah

19So Elijah left. He found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. Twelve pairs of oxen worked ahead, and Elisha drove the twelfth pair. Elijah walked past him and threw his coat over him.

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

NoteOxen are big, strong cattle. A plow is a tool they pull to cut the dirt for planting. Twelve pairs of oxen meant Elisha's family owned a lot. Throwing a coat over someone meant "you will take my place."

20Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah. He said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye. Then I will come with you." Elijah said, "Go on back. What have I done to you?"

And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?

NoteElijah's answer is short and puzzling, even in the old words. He may mean, "Think about what just happened to you."

21So Elisha went back. He took his pair of oxen and killed them. He used the wooden plow tools as firewood to cook the meat. He gave the food to the people, and they ate it. Then he got up and went with Elijah as his helper.

And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

NoteElisha killed his oxen and burned his plow. That meant he would never go back to farming. First he cooked the meat and shared a goodbye meal with his neighbors.

17Then the LORD spoke to Elijah, a prophet from Tishbe.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

NoteA prophet is someone who tells people what God says.

18God said, "Get up and go meet Ahab, the king of Israel. He lives in Samaria. Right now he is in Naboth's vineyard. He went there to take it."

Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

NoteSamaria was the capital city. The king's main palace was there.

19"Tell him this is what the LORD says. 'You killed a man and took his land.' Then tell him this too. 'Dogs licked up Naboth's blood in that place. In that same place, dogs will lick up your blood.'"

And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

NoteThese dogs were not pets. They ran wild in the streets and ate scraps.

20Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy." Elijah answered, "I have found you. You have given yourself over to doing evil in the LORD's sight."

And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21"The LORD says, 'I will bring trouble on you. I will end your family line. Every male in Ahab's family will be cut off from Israel, rich or poor.'"

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

NoteThe King James says God will cut off "him that pisseth against the wall." That rough old phrase simply means every man and boy. "Shut up and left" meant every kind of person, slave or free.

22"'I will do to your family what I did to two other families. I did this to the family of Jeroboam and the family of Baasha. You made me angry, and you led Israel to sin.'"

And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

NoteJeroboam and Baasha were kings of Israel before Ahab. Their whole families were killed, and their family lines ended. People hearing this knew those old stories.

23The LORD also spoke about Jezebel. He said, "Dogs will eat Jezebel beside the wall of Jezreel."

And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

NoteBack then, people wanted to be buried in a family grave. Having animals eat a body was the worst end they could imagine.

24"Anyone in Ahab's family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. Anyone who dies out in the fields will be eaten by birds."

Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25No king was ever like Ahab. He gave himself over to doing evil in the LORD's sight. His wife Jezebel pushed him to do it.

But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26He did very shameful things. He worshiped idols, which are statues people pray to. He acted just like the Amorites. The LORD had driven them out before the people of Israel.

And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

NoteThe Amorites were people who lived in this land before Israel came.

27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes to show his sorrow. He put on rough cloth called sackcloth. He went without food. He slept in the sackcloth. He walked around quietly and sadly.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

NoteTearing your clothes showed everyone you were very sad or sorry. Sackcloth was rough, scratchy cloth made from goat hair. People made sacks from it, and wore it when they grieved.

28Then the LORD spoke to Elijah the Tishbite again.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29God said, "Do you see how Ahab has made himself low before me? Because he has done that, I will wait. I will not send the trouble while he is alive. I will send it on his family when his son is king."

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Note"Made himself low" means he stopped acting proud. He showed he was sorry.

2King Ahaziah fell through a screen in an upstairs room in the city of Samaria. He was badly hurt. He sent men with this message: "Go ask Baal-zebub, the god of the city of Ekron, if I will get well."

And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

NoteBaal-zebub was a god that people in the city of Ekron prayed to. He was not the God of Israel. The King James calls the screen a "lattice." That was a wooden window cover with small holes in it. Samaria was the city where Israel's kings lived.

3But the angel of the LORD spoke to Elijah, a prophet from a town called Tishbe. The angel said, "Go meet the messengers of the king of Samaria. Ask them, 'Is there no God in Israel? Is that why you go ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?'"

But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

NoteAn angel is a messenger God sends. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. Calling him "the king of Samaria" just means the king of Israel. Samaria was his home city.

4"So the LORD says this: You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. You will die." Then Elijah went away.

Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

NoteThe King James says "Thus saith the LORD." That means "This is what the LORD says." Prophets began God's messages with those words.

5The messengers went back to the king. He asked them, "Why did you come back so soon?"

And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?

6They said, "A man came to meet us. He told us, 'Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him the LORD says this: Is there no God in Israel? Is that why you send men to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? So you will not get up from the bed you are lying on. You will die.'"

And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

7The king asked them, "What did this man look like? What kind of man said these words to you?"

And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?

8They said, "He was a hairy man. He wore a leather belt around his waist." The king said, "That is Elijah from Tishbe."

And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

NoteThe King James says he was "girt with a girdle of leather." A girdle was a belt. People knew Elijah by his clothes. Prophets wore rough hairy coats and plain leather belts.

9Then the king sent an army officer and fifty soldiers to Elijah. Elijah was sitting on top of a hill. The officer went up and said, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!'"

Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

Note"Man of God" was another way to say prophet. The officer led fifty soldiers. That was a normal size for a small group in the army.

10Elijah answered him, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the sky. Let it burn up you and your fifty men." Then fire came down from the sky. It burned up the officer and his fifty men.

And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

NoteIn the King James, "heaven" often just means the sky above us.

11The king sent another officer with fifty more soldiers. That officer said, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down at once!'"

Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

12Elijah answered, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the sky. Let it burn up you and your fifty men." Then God's fire came down from the sky. It burned up the officer and his fifty men.

And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

13The king sent a third officer with fifty more soldiers. This officer went up and knelt down in front of Elijah. He begged him, "Man of God, please spare my life. Please spare the lives of these fifty men who serve you."

And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.

NoteKneeling down showed he was asking for help. He was not there to fight.

14"Fire came down from the sky and burned up the first two officers and their men. So please let my life matter to you."

Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

15The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

16Elijah said to the king, "The LORD says this: You sent men to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Is there no God in Israel to ask? So you will not get up from the bed you are lying on. You will die."

And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

17So Ahaziah died, just as the LORD had said through Elijah. Ahaziah had no son. So Jehoram became king in his place. This happened in the second year that Jehoram, son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, was king.

So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.

NoteThere are two men named Jehoram in this verse. One became king of Israel. The other was already king of Judah. Israel and Judah were two separate lands back then. Each one had its own king. Usually a king's son became king next. Ahaziah had no son, so his brother took his place.

1God was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha were walking away from the town of Gilgal.

And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

NoteA whirlwind is a strong wind that spins around very fast, like a tornado. A prophet was someone who told people what God said. Elisha was Elijah's helper and learned from him. Gilgal was a town in Israel.

2Elijah said, "Please stay here. God has sent me on to Bethel." Elisha said, "As surely as God lives, and as surely as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel together.

And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

Note"As surely as God lives" was a strong way of promising. It was like saying, "I really, really mean this." Bethel was another town, a walk away.

3A group of prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha. They asked, "Do you know God is taking your teacher away today?" Elisha said, "Yes, I know. Please stop talking about it."

And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

NoteThe old words call them "the sons of the prophets." They were not really anyone's sons. They were younger men learning to be prophets. The old words "hold ye your peace" just mean "be quiet."

4Then Elijah said, "Elisha, please stay here. God has sent me on to Jericho." Elisha said, "As surely as God lives, and as surely as you live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

5The group of prophets at Jericho came to Elisha. They asked, "Do you know God is taking your teacher away today?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Please stop talking about it."

And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

6Elijah said, "Please stay here. God has sent me on to the Jordan River." Elisha said again, "As surely as God lives, and as surely as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on.

And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

NoteThe Jordan was the main river in that land. It was too deep and wide to simply walk through.

7Fifty men from the group of prophets followed them. They stood far away and watched. Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan River.

And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

8Elijah took off his coat and rolled it up. He hit the water with it. The water split open, one side to the right and one to the left. The two men walked across on dry ground.

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

NoteElijah's coat was a big cloak worn over his shoulders. People knew he was a prophet when they saw it.

9After they crossed, Elijah said, "Ask me for something before I am taken away." Elisha said, "Please let me have a double share of your spirit."

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

NoteLong ago, when a father died, his oldest son got twice as much as the other sons. Elisha was asking to be treated like Elijah's oldest son. He wanted to carry on Elijah's work.

10Elijah said, "You have asked for a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken away, you will get it. If you do not see me, you will not."

And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11They kept walking and talking together. Suddenly a chariot of fire came, pulled by horses of fire. It came between the two men. Then Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

NoteA chariot is a small cart on wheels, pulled by horses. Soldiers rode in chariots when they went to fight. These ones were made of fire.

12Elisha saw it happen. He cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Then he could not see Elijah anymore. He grabbed his own clothes and tore them in two, to show his sadness.

And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

NoteCalling someone "my father" was a warm way to say "my dear teacher." Chariots and horsemen were a country's strongest fighters. Elisha meant Elijah had kept Israel safe like a whole army. Tearing your clothes was how people showed they were very sad.

13Elisha picked up the coat that had fallen off Elijah. He carried it back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River.

He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14He took Elijah's coat and hit the water with it. He said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When he hit the water, it split to the right and to the left. Then Elisha walked across.

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

NoteWhen you see LORD in big letters, it stands for God's own special name.

15The group of prophets from Jericho were watching from far away. They said, "Elijah's spirit is resting on Elisha now." They came to meet him and bowed low to the ground.

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

NoteBowing low to the ground was how people showed great respect to someone.

16They said, "We have fifty strong men here. Please let them go look for your teacher. Maybe God's Spirit set him down on a mountain or in a valley." Elisha said, "Do not send them."

And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.

NoteThey thought God's wind might have picked Elijah up and set him down somewhere far away. They wanted to go look for him.

17But they kept asking until he felt embarrassed. So he said, "Send them." They sent fifty men, who looked for three days. They did not find Elijah.

And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

18Elisha had stayed in Jericho. When the men came back to him, he said, "Did I not tell you not to go?"

And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

12Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, a man who told people God's messages. It said: This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says. You have not lived the way your father Jehoshaphat lived. You have not lived the way Asa, king of Judah, lived.

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

NoteElijah was a famous prophet who lived in the north, in Israel. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. Letters then were written on rolled-up paper called a scroll.

13Instead you have lived like the kings of Israel. You led Judah and the people of Jerusalem away from God. You did what Ahab's family did. You also killed your own brothers, your father's sons, who were better men than you.

But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself:

14So now the LORD will strike your people with a heavy blow. Your children, your wives, and everything you own will be struck too.

Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:

15You yourself will become very sick. It will be a disease inside your body. It will get worse day after day, until your insides come out.

And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

NoteThe old word "bowels" means the parts deep inside your tummy.

5Look! I will send you the prophet Elijah. He will come before the great and frightening day of the LORD.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

NoteA prophet was someone who told people what God said. Elijah was a famous prophet who lived long before this. In the King James, "dreadful" does not mean awful. It means so big that it fills people with wonder and fear.

6He will turn the hearts of fathers back to their children. He will turn the hearts of children back to their fathers. If not, I will come and strike the land with a curse.

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

NoteA curse was the opposite of a blessing. It meant losing good things like rain and food. Hearts turning back means families loving each other again.