إيليا على جبل حوريـب
1 وأخبَرَ أخابُ زَوجَتَهُ إيزابَلَ بِكُلِّ ما فعَلَهُ إيليَّا، وكيفَ قتَلَ جميعَ الأنبـياءِ بِالسَّيفِ، 2 فأرسَلَت إلى إيليَّا تقولُ: «وَيلٌ لي مِنَ الآلِهةِ إنْ لم أجعَلْكَ في مِثلِ هذِهِ السَّاعةِ غدا كواحدٍ مِنهُم». 3 فخافَ وهامَ على وجهِهِ حتّى وصلَ إلى بِئر سبعَ في يَهوذا، وترَكَ خادِمَهُ هُناكَ.
4 ثُمَّ سارَ في البرِّيَّةِ مَسيرةَ يومٍ حتّى بلَغَ شجَرة وزَّالٍ قعَدَ تَحتَها وتمَنَّى الموتَ وقالَ: «كفاني الآنَ يا ربُّ، فخُذْ حياتي. فما أنا خَيرٌ مِنْ آبائي». 5 ثُمَّ نامَ تَحتَ الشَّجَرةِ وبَغتَةً لمَسَهُ ملاكٌ وقالَ لَه: «قُمْ فكُلْ». 6 فالتَفَتَ فرَأى عِندَ رأسِهِ رغيفا وجرَّةَ ماءٍ، فأكلَ وشرِبَ ثُمَّ عادَ ونامَ. 7 فعاوَدَهُ ملاكُ الرّبِّ ثانيةً ولمَسَهُ وقالَ: «قُمْ فكُلْ. فالطَّريقُ بعيدةٌ أمامَكَ». 8 فقامَ وأكَلَ وشرِبَ وسارَ بِفِعْلِ تِلكَ الأكلَةِ أربَعينَ يوما وأربَعينَ ليلةً إلى جبَلِ اللهِ حوريـبَ، 9 ودخَلَ المغارةَ هُناكَ وباتَ فيها. فخاطَبَهُ الرّبُّ: «ما بالُكَ هُنا يا إيليَّا؟» 10 فأجابَ: «بِـحَرارةٍ مِنْ أجلِكَ وقَفْتُ، أيُّها الرّبُّ الإلهُ القديرُ، لأنَّ بَني إِسرائيلَ نبَذوا عَهدَكَ وهدَموا مذابِـحَكَ وقتَلوا أنبـياءَكَ بِالسَّيفِ، وبَقيتُ أنا وحدي معَكَ، وها هُم يَطلُبونَ حياتي». 11 فقالَ: «قِفْ على الجبَلِ أمامي». ثُمَّ عبَرَ الرّبُّ، وهَبَّت ريحٌ عظيمةٌ وشديدةٌ شَقَّتِ الجِبالَ وكَسَّرَتِ الصُخورَ، ولم يكُنِ الرّبُّ في الرِّيحِ، وبَعدَ الرِّيحِ زَلزَالٌ، ولم يكُنِ الرّبُّ في الزَلزالِ. 12 وبَعدَ الزَلزالِ نارٌ، ولم يكُنِ الرّبُّ في النَّارِ. وبَعدَ النَّارِ صَوتٌ هادِئٌ خَفيفٌ. 13 فلمَّا سَمِعَ إيليَّا الصَّوتَ ستَرَ وجهَهُ بِــعَباءَتِهِ وخرَجَ ووقَفَ بِمَدخَلِ المغارةِ. فجاءَهُ صوتٌ يقولُ: «ما بالُكَ هُنا يا إيليَّا؟» 14 فقالَ: «بِـحَرارةٍ مِنْ أجلِكَ وقَفْتُ أيُّها الرّبُّ الإلهُ القديرُ لأنَّ بَني إِسرائيلَ نبَذوا عَهدَكَ وهدَموا مذابِـحَكَ وقتَلوا أنبـياءَكَ بِالسَّيفِ، وبقيتُ أنا وحدي معَكَ، وها هُم يَطلُبونَ حياتي». 15 فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «إرجِـعْ في طريقِكَ إلى دِمَشقَ، فإذا وصَلْتَ إمسَحْ حَزائيلَ مَلِكا علَيها، 16 وامسَحْ ياهو بنَ نَمشي مَلِكا على إِسرائيلَ، وامسَحْ أليشعَ بنَ شافاطَ مِنْ آبلَ مَحولَةَ نَبِيًّا بَدَلا مِنكَ. 17 فمَنْ نَجا مِنْ سَيفِ حَزائيلَ يَقتُلُهُ ياهو، ومَن نَجا مِنْ سَيفِ ياهو يقتُلُهُ أليشعُ. 18 وأمَّا في إِسرائيلَ فأُبقي سبعةَ آلافٍ، كُلُّ مَنْ لم يَركَعْ لِلبَعلِ ولم يُقَبِّلْ صنَمَهُ».
19 فذهبَ إيليَّا مِنْ هُناكَ، فلَقيَ أليشعَ بنَ شافاطَ يَفلَحُ الأرضَ وأمامَهُ اثْنا عشَرَ فَدَّانَ بقَرٍ على كُلِّ فَدانٍ يَفلَحُ واحدٌ مِنْ عَبـيدِهِ الأحدَ عشَرَ أمَّا هوَ فكانَ يَفلَحُ على الثَّاني عشَرَ. فاقتَرَبَ إيليَّا نَحوَهُ وألقى علَيهِ عباءَتَهُ. 20 فتَرَكَ أليشعُ البقَرَ وجرى وراءَ إيليَّا وقالَ: «دَعني أوَدِّعْ أبـي وأمّي ثُمَّ أتبَعُكَ». فقالَ لَه: «إذهَبْ فماذا يَمنَعُكَ؟» 21 فأخَذَ أليشعُ زَوجَينِ مِنَ البقَرِ وذبَحَهُما وطبَخَ لحمَهُما على حطَبِ النِّيرِ، وقدَّمَ لِرِجالِهِ فأكلوا. ثُمَّ قامَ وذهَبَ معَ إيليَّا لِـيَخدُمَهُ.
Elijah Runs Away from Ahab and Jezebel
1 Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow.”
3 Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the Lord, “I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.
7 Soon the Lord's angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel.” 8 So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.
The food and water made him strong enough to walk 40 more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, 9 and he spent the night there in a cave.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
11 “Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to be there when I pass by.”
All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
Finally, there was a gentle breeze, 13 and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.
A voice asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
14 Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
15 The Lord said:
Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet.
17 Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.
18 But 7,000 Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.
Elisha Becomes Elijah's Assistant
19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.
20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents goodbye, then I'll go with you,” he said.
“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I've done for you.”
21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.