3 Kings 19

¹And Achab told Jezabel all things that Elias had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

²And Jezabel sent a message to Elias, saying: These things do the gods to me, and these add they, if this hour tomorrow I make not thy soul as the soul of one of them.

³Elias therefore was afraid, and rising he went whither soever his will carried him: and he came into Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there,

⁴and went forward into the desert, one day's journey. And when he was come, and sat under a juniper tree, he desired for his soul to die, and said: It sufficeth me Lord, take my soul: for I am not better than my fathers.

⁵And he cast himself down, & slept in the shadow of the juniper tree: & behold an Angel of our Lord touched him, and said to him: Arise, and eat.

⁶He looked, and behold at his head hearth-baked bread, and a vessel of water: he therefore did eat, & drink, & he slept again.

⁷And the Angel of our lord returned the second time, & touched him, & said to him: Arise, eat: for thou hast yet a great way to go.

⁸Who when he was risen, did eat & drink, and walked in the strength of that meat forty days, & forty nights, unto the mount of God, Horeb.

⁹And when he was come thither, he tarried in a cave, and behold the word of our Lord unto him, and he said to him: What doest thou here Elias?

¹⁰But he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for our Lord the God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: thy altars have they destroyed, and thy Prophets they have slain with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away.

¹¹And he said to him: Come forth, and stand in the mount before our Lord: and behold our Lord passeth, and a great wind and strong, overthrowing mountains and breaking rocks before our Lord: not in the wind is our Lord, and after the wind an earth quake: not in the earth quake is our Lord,

¹²and after the earth quake fire: not in the fire is our Lord, & after the fire a whistling of a gentle wind.

¹³Which when Elias had heard, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the door of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What doest thou here Elias?

¹⁴And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for our Lord the God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: thine altars they have destroyed, and thy Prophets they have slain with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away.

¹⁵And our Lord said to him: Go, and return into thy way by the desert of Damascus: and when thou art come thither thou shalt anoint Hazael king over Syria,

¹⁶and Jehu the son of Namsi thou shalt anoint king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, which is of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint prophet for thee.

¹⁷And it shall be, whosoever shall escape the sword of Hazael, him Jehu shall kill: and whosoever shall escape the sword of Jehu, him shall Eliseus kill.

¹⁸And I will leave me in Israel seven thousand men, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal, and every mouth, that hath not adored him kissing his hands.

¹⁹Elias therefore departing thence, found Eliseus the son of Saphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he was one of them that ploughed with twelve yoke of oxen: and when Elias came to him, he cast his mantle upon him.

²⁰Who forthwith leaving the oxen ran after Elias, and said: Let me kiss, I pray thee, my father, and my mother, and so I will follow thee. And he said to him: Go, and return: for that which was my part, I have done to thee.

²¹And returning from him, he took a yoke of oxen, and killed them, and sod the flesh with the plough of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they did eat: and rising up he departed, and followed Elias, and ministered to him.