1 Kings 17

1And 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.footnote a

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.footnote d

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

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.footnote f

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.footnote gfootnote h

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

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.

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.

The Ravens Feed Elijah

1Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead,footnote a said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

2Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: 3“Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.footnote b 4And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

5So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. 6The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

8Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 9“Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

10So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” 11And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”

12But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”

13“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, 14for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’”

15So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. 16The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

17Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him. 18“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”

19But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?” 21Then he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!”

22And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.

24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”