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1 Kings

Starts with King Solomon's reign, his wisdom, and building the temple, then the kingdom dividing into Israel and Judah.

Chapter 17

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1 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.

*Elijah, a man from Gilead, told King Ahab that because he truly serves the Lord God of Israel, there will be no rain or dew for several years unless he says so.

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

*And God spoke to him through a message.

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

*Go away and head east. Hide near the Cherith Brook, which is by the Jordan River.

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

*You will drink from the stream, and I have told the crows to feed you there.

5 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.

*So he followed the Lord's instructions; he moved to live near the Cherith Brook, which is located upstream from the Jordan River.

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

*The crows gave him food, both in the morning and night, plus he drank from the stream.

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

*After some time, the stream ran out of water since there was no rain in the area.

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

*And God spoke to him through a message.

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

*Get up and go to Zarephath, a place belonging to Zidon. Stay there; I have told a widow lady to take care of you.

10 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.

*So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he reached the city's entrance, he saw a widow woman collecting sticks. He asked her to bring him some water in a container so he could drink it.

11 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.

*As she went to get some bread, he asked her to bring him a small piece of bread in her hand, please.

12 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.

*She said, "I swear by God, I don't have any cake, just some flour in a container and a bit of oil in a small bottle. I am now collecting two sticks to make a fire so we can cook it and eat, and then we will pass away.

13 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.

*Elijah told her, "Don't be afraid. Go ahead with your plan, but first, use some of it to make a small cake for me, then bring it to me. After that, make some more for you and your son."

14 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.

*So says the Lord God of Israel, the jar of grain won't run out and the jug of oil won't empty, until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.

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

*She followed Elijah's advice, and she, her family, and her household had plenty to eat for a long time.

16 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.

*The grain barrel didn't run out, and the oil didn't stop, just as the Lord said through Elijah.

17 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.

*Then, after these events, the house owner's son got very ill. His illness was extremely severe, and he couldn't breathe anymore.

18 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?

*She asked Elijah, "Why are you here, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sins and kill my son?"

19 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.

*He asked her for her son and took him from her chest. He then went upstairs to a room, where he stayed with the child on his own bed.

20 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?

*He called out to God and asked, "God, my Lord, have you also brought trouble upon the widow I am staying with by taking away her child?"

21 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.

*He lay on the child three times, called out to God, and said, "God, please bring the child's soul back inside them."

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

*And God heard Elijah's voice; the child's soul returned to him, and he lived again.

23 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.

*Elijah took the child from the room and brought him to his mom. He then told her, "Your son is alive."

24 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.

*The woman told Elijah, "Now I am sure you are a genuine person of God, and what you say comes from God and is true."

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