إيليا ينبـئ بالقحط
1 قالَ إيليَّا التِّشْبـيُّ مِنْ سُكَّانِ جلعادَ لأخآبَ: «حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ الّذي أعبُدُهُ لن يكونَ في هذِهِ السِّنينَ المُقبِلَةِ نَدىً ولا مطَرٌ إلاَّ حينَ أُعلِنُ ذلِكَ».
2 وقالَ الرّبُّ لإيليَّا: 3 «إِذهَبْ مِنْ هُنا نحوَ الشَّرقِ واختَبِـئْ عِندَ نهرِ كريتَ شَرقيَّ نهرِ الأُردُنِّ، 4 فتَشربَ مِنَ النَّهرِ، وأنا أمَرتُ بَعضَ الغِربانِ أن يُطعِموكَ هُناكَ». 5 فذهَبَ وفعَلَ كما قالَ لَه الرّبُّ. فأقامَ عِندَ نَهرِ كريتَ شَرقيَّ الأُردُنِّ. 6 وكانَتِ الغِربانُ تأتيهِ بِـخُبزٍ ولَحمٍ في الصَّباحِ وفي المساءِ، وكانَ يشربُ مِنَ النَّهرِ. 7 وجَفَّ النَّهرُ بَعدَ أيّامٍ لأنَّ المطَرَ لم يَنزِلْ على الأرضِ.
إيليّا في صرفة صيدا
8 فقالَ الرّبُّ لإيليَّا: 9 «إِذْهَبْ إلى صِرْفة صيدا وأقِم هُناكَ، فأنا أمَرتُ أرملَةً أنْ تُطعِمَكَ. 10 فذهَبَ إيليَّا إلى صِرْفةَ. ولمَّا وصَلَ إلى مدخَلِ المدينةِ رَأى هُناكَ أرملَةً تجمَعُ حطَبا. فناداها وقالَ لها: «هاتي شُربَةَ ماءٍ». 11 وفيما هيَ ذاهِبةٌ لِتأتيَ بِها، ناداها وقالَ: «هاتي كِسرَةَ خُبزٍ». 12 فقالَت لَه: «حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ إلهُكَ لا خُبزَ عِندي، ولكِنْ عِندي قَبضةٌ مِنَ الدَّقيقِ في القصعَةِ وقليلٌ مِنَ الزَّيتِ في الخابـيةِ، وها أنا أجمَعُ عُودَينِ مِنَ الحطَبِ لأُعِدَّ طَعاما لي ولابني، فنأكُلُه ثُمَّ نموتُ مِنَ الجُوعِ». 13 فقالَ لها إيليَّا: «لا تخافي. إذهَبـي كما قُلتُ، لكِنِ إخبِزي أوَّلا قِرصا صغيرا وهاتيهِ لي، وما تبَقَّى مِنَ العجينِ اخْبِزيهِ لَكِ ولابنِكِ. 14 فالرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ قالَ: قَصعَةُ الدَّقيقِ عِندَكِ لا تفرَغُ، وخابـيَةُ الزَّيتِ لا تَنقُصُ إلى أنْ يُرسِلَ الرّبَّ مطَرا». 15 فذهبَت وعمِلَت كما قالَ إيليَّا، وأكلَت هيَ وهوَ وأهلُ بَيتِها أيّاما، 16 وقَصعَةُ الدَّقيقِ ما فرِغَت، وخابـيةُ الزَّيتِ ما نقَصَت، كما قالَ الرّبُّ على لِسانِ إيليَّا.
17 وبَعدَ ذلِكَ مَرِضَ ابنُ الأرملَةِ صاحبةِ البَيتِ مرَضا شديدا حتّى ماتَ 18 فقالَت لإيليَّا: «ما لي ولكَ يا رَجُلَ اللهِ، جِئتَني لِتُذَكِّرَني بِذُنوبـي وتُميتَ ابني». 19 فقالَ لها: «أعطيني ابنَكِ». وأخذَهُ مِنْ حِضنِها إلى العُليَّةِ الّتي يُقيمُ فيها ومدَّدَهُ على سريرِهِ 20 وصرَخَ إلى الرّبِّ وقالَ: «أيُّها الرّبُّ إلهي، لِماذا أسَأْتَ إلى الأرملَةِ الّتي أضافَتني فأمَتَّ ابنَها؟» 21 وتمَدَّدَ على الصَّبـيِّ ثَلاثَ مرَّاتٍ وصرَخَ إلى الرّبِّ وقالَ: «أيُّها الرّبُّ إلهي، لِتَعُدْ رُوحُ الصَّبـيِّ إليهِ». 22 فاستَجابَ الرّبُّ لَه، فعادَت روحُ الصَّبـيِّ إليهِ وعاشَ. 23 فأخذَ إيليَّا الصَّبـيَّ وأنزَلَهُ مِنَ العُليَّةِ إلى البَيتِ، وسَلَّمَهُ إلى أمِّهِ وقالَ لها: «أُنظُري عاشَ ابنُكِ». 24 فقالَت لَه الأرملَةُ: «الآنَ عَلِمْتُ أنَّكَ رَجُلُ اللهِ، وأنَّ كلامَ الرّبِّ في فَمِكَ صادِقٌ حَقًّا».
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. 2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee 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. 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. 7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 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.
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. 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? 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. 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? 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. 22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 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.
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.