Elijah Flees to Horeb
1 Kings 19Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don’t make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time!”
When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough. Now, O YHWH, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”
He looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The Angel of YHWH came again the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain.
YHWH Appears to Elijah
He came to a cave there, and camped there. Suddenly, the word of YHWH came to him, and ʜᴇ said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He said, “I have been zealous-zealous for YHWH, the God of Armies. The children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left. They are seeking to take away my life.”
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before YHWH.”
Just then, YHWH passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before YHWH. But YHWH was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But YHWH was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire passed; but YHWH was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He said, “I have been zealous-zealous for YHWH, the God of Armies. The children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left. They are seeking to take away my life.”
YHWH said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”
The Call of Elisha
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and put his mantle on him. Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”
He said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”
He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, killed them, and boiled their meat with the oxen’s equipment, and gave to the people; and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and served him.