1 Raja-raja 19:4-15

19:4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub ¹  and asked the Lord to take his life: ²  “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.” ³  19:5 He stretched out ⁴  and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger ⁵  touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. ⁶  19:7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.” ⁷  19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ⁸  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ⁹  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ¹⁰  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ¹¹  19:11 The Lord ¹²  said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”

A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, ¹³  but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. ¹⁴  19:13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden ¹⁵  a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ¹⁶  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ¹⁷  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ¹⁸  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ¹⁹  19:15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria.

[19:4]  ¹ tn Or “broom tree” (also in v. 5).

[19:4]  ² tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life to die.”

[19:4]  ³ tn Heb “fathers.”

[19:5]  ⁴ tn Or “lay down.”

[19:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Look, a messenger.”

[19:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “and again lay down”

[19:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “for the journey is too great for you.”

[19:10]  ⁸ tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.

[19:10]  ⁹ tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”

[19:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”

[19:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”

[19:11]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps, “breaking the stones”).

[19:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.”

[19:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “look.”

[19:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.

[19:14]  ¹⁷ tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”

[19:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”

[19:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”