Elijah Flees from Jezebel

1And Ahab declared to Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and also all that he had killed—all the prophets—with the sword. 2And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “Thus may do the gods, and thus may they add, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life as the life of one of them.”

3And he feared, and he arose, and ran for his life, and he came to Beersheba, which is unto Judah, and he left his servant there. 4And he went into the wilderness a journey of a day, and he came and sat down under a certain broom tree, and he prayed for himself that he might die, and he said, “Enough now, YHWH, take my life; for I am no better than my fathers.”

5And he lay down and slept under a certain broom tree.

And behold this, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.”

6And he looked, and behold, by his head was a cake of glowing coals, and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and returned and lay down.

7And the angel of YHWH came back the second time, and he touched him and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

8And he arose and ate and drank, and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, as far as the mountain of God—Horeb.†

Yahweh Speaks to Elijah at Horeb

9And he went there into a cave and spent the night in that place. And behold, the word of YHWH came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10And he said, “I have been extremely zealous for YHWH, God of Hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant; they have torn down Your altars and have killed Your prophets with the sword, and I am left alone, and they are seeking my life, to take it.†”

11And He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the face of YHWH, and behold, YHWH is about to pass by.”

And a wind great and mighty tore into the mountains, and broke in pieces the cliffs before the face of YHWH—YHWH was not in the wind.

And after the wind an earthquake—YHWH was not in the earthquake.

12And after the earthquake a fire—YHWH was not in the fire.

And after the fire a still small voice. 13And it came to pass when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, to him was a voice, and it said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14And he said, “I have been extremely zealous for YHWH, God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant. They have torn down Your altars and have killed Your prophets with the sword. And I am left alone, and they are seeking my life to take it.”

15And YHWH said to him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus. And When you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16And Jehu son† of Nimshi you shall anoint as king over Israel. And Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

17And it shall come to pass that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu will be killed by Elisha.

18And I have reserved in Israel seven thousand—all the knees that have not bowed to the Baal,† and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

The Call of Elisha

19And he departed from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, and he was plowing with twelve yoke before his face, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak on him.

20And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and he said, “Let me kiss, please, my father and my mother, and I will follow you.”

And he said to him, “Go, turn back, for what have I done to you?”

21And he turned back from him and took the yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. And with the instruments of oxen he cooked their flesh and gave it to the people, and they ate. And he arose and followed after Elijah and became his servant.