Elias anuncia uma seca
1Elias, o tesbita, que morava em Gileade, disse ao rei Acabe: “Tão certo como vive o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, o Deus a quem adoro e sirvo, te garanto que não haverá nem chuva nem orvalho durante vários anos, até eu dizer basta!”
2O Senhor disse a Elias: 3“Vai para o oriente e esconde-te junto do ribeiro de Querite, num lugar a leste do rio Jordão. 4Bebe da água do ribeiro e come o que os corvos te trouxerem, porque mandei que eles te alimentassem.”
5Elias fez como o Senhor lhe ordenara e foi viver para junto do ribeiro. 6Os corvos traziam-lhe pão e carne de manhã e à tarde e bebia a água do rio. 7Passado algum tempo o ribeiro secou, porque deixou de cair chuva sobre a terra.
A viúva de Zarefate
8Então o Senhor disse-lhe: 9“Vai viver para a aldeia de Zarefate, perto da cidade de Sídon. Há lá uma viúva que te alimentará. Já lhe dei as minhas instruções.”
10Então foi para Zarefate e quando ia a entrar na cidade viu uma mulher viúva a apanhar lenha e pediu-lhe de beber. 11Quando ela ia buscar a água, ele pediu-lhe mais: “Traz-me também um pedaço de pão.”
12Mas ela disse: “Tão certo como vive o Senhor, teu Deus, que não tenho um só pedaço de pão em casa. Tenho apenas uma mão-cheia de farinha e uma pequena porção de azeite no fundo duma botija. Estava justamente a juntar alguns pedaços de lenha para cozinhar a minha última refeição e depois deixar-me morrer de fome com o meu filho.”
13“Não tenhas medo! Vai e cozinha aquilo que consideras a tua última refeição, mas faz primeiro para mim um pequeno pão; depois verás que haverá alimento suficiente para ti e para o teu filho. 14Porque o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, diz que haverá sempre farinha na panela e azeite na botija até que o Senhor mande a chuva e as searas tornem a crescer!”
15Ela fez como Elias disse e tanto ela e o filho como o profeta continuaram a poder comer, tanto quanto lhes foi necessário. 16A farinha não se acabou na panela nem o azeite na botija, tal como o Senhor prometera a Elias.
17Um dia, o filho da mulher adoeceu de tal maneira que morreu. 18“Ó homem de Deus”, clamou ela, “que foi que me fizeste? Vieste aqui para me castigar pelos meus pecados e matar-me o meu filho?”
19“Dá-me o teu menino”, respondeu-lhe Elias. Pegou no corpo do rapaz, levou-o para cima, para o quarto onde vivia e deitou-o na sua cama. 20E clamou ao Senhor: “Ó Senhor, meu Deus, porque é que mataste o filho desta viúva em casa de quem estou alojado?”
21E estendeu-se três vezes sobre o corpo do menino, rogando ao Senhor: “Ó Senhor, meu Deus, imploro-te que o espírito deste menino volte para ele!” 22O Senhor ouviu a oração de Elias e o espírito do rapaz voltou e este tornou a viver. 23Elias pegou nele, desceu e entregou-o à mãe. “Olha! Aqui está ele, vivo!”
24“Agora tenho a certeza de que és um homem de Deus”, retorquiu a mulher, “e que tudo o que dizes em nome do Senhor é verdadeiro!”
Elijah Announces No Dew or Rain
1Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab, “I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won’t be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won’t be any during the next few years. It won’t come until I say so.”
Elijah Is Fed by Ravens
2Then a message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, 3“Leave this place. Go east and hide in the Kerith Valley. It is east of the Jordan River. 4You will drink water from the brook. I have directed some ravens to supply you with food there.”
5So Elijah did what the Lord had told him to do. He went to the Kerith Valley. It was east of the Jordan River. He stayed there. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning. They also brought him bread and meat in the evening. He drank water from the brook.
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
7Some time later the brook dried up. It hadn’t rained in the land for quite a while. 8A message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, 9“Go right away to Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10So Elijah went to Zarephath. He came to the town gate. A widow was there gathering sticks. He called out to her. He asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar? I need a drink.” 11She went to get the water. Then he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread too.”
12“I don’t have any bread,” she replied. “And that’s just as sure as the Lord your God is alive. All I have is a small amount of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I’m gathering a few sticks to take home. I’ll make one last meal for myself and my son. We’ll eat it. After that, we’ll die.”
13Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home. Do what you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me. Make it out of what you have. Bring it to me. Then make some for yourself and your son. 14The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up. The jug will always have oil in it. You will have flour and oil until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ ”
15She went away and did what Elijah had told her to do. So Elijah had food every day. There was also food for the woman and her family. 16The jar of flour wasn’t used up. The jug always had oil in it. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message through Elijah.
17Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He got worse and worse. Finally he stopped breathing. 18The woman said to Elijah, “You are a man of God. What do you have against me? Did you come to bring my sin out into the open? Did you come to kill my son?”
19“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms. He carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying. He put him down on his bed. 20Then Elijah cried out to the Lord. He said, “Lord my God, I’m staying with this widow. Have you brought pain and sorrow even to her? Have you caused her son to die?” 21Then he lay down on the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord. He said, “Lord my God, give this boy’s life back to him!”
22The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer. He gave the boy’s life back to him. So the boy lived. 23Elijah picked up the boy. He carried him down from the upstairs room into the house. He gave him to his mother. He said, “Look! Your son is alive!”
24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God. I know that the message you have brought from the Lord is true.”
