Eliya Akimbilia Horebu
119:1 1Fal 16:31; Kut 22:20Ahabu akamwambia Yezebeli kila kitu Eliya alichokuwa amefanya na jinsi alivyowaua manabii wote kwa upanga. 219:2 Rut 1:17; Za 13:4Hivyo Yezebeli akamtuma mjumbe kwa Eliya, kusema, “Hao miungu initendee hivyo na kuzidi, kama kufikia kesho wakati kama huu sitaifanya roho yako kama mmojawapo wa hao manabii.”
319:3 Mwa 31:21; Yos 19:2Eliya aliogopa, na akakimbia kuokoa maisha yake. Alipofika Beer-Sheba katika Yuda, akamwacha mtumishi wake huko, 419:4 Hes 11:15; Yon 4:8lakini yeye mwenyewe akatembea mwendo wa kutwa nzima katika jangwa. Akafika kwenye mti wa mretemu, akakaa chini yake na kuomba ili afe. Akasema, “Yatosha sasa, Bwana, ondoa roho yangu, kwani mimi si bora kuliko baba zangu.” 519:5 Mwa 28:11Kisha akajinyoosha chini ya mti, akalala usingizi.
Mara malaika akamgusa na akamwambia, “Inuka na ule.” 6Akatazama pande zote, napo hapo karibu na kichwa chake palikuwepo mkate uliookwa kwenye makaa ya moto na gudulia la maji. Akala na kunywa, kisha akajinyoosha tena.
7Yule malaika wa Bwana akaja tena mara ya pili, akamgusa akamwambia, “Inuka na ule, kwa kuwa safari ni ndefu kwako.” 819:8 Kut 3:1; Mt 4:2Kwa hiyo akainuka, akala na kunywa. Akiwa ametiwa nguvu na kile chakula, akasafiri siku arobaini usiku na mchana mpaka akafika Horebu, mlima wa Mungu. 9Huko akaingia katika pango, akalala humo usiku ule.
Bwana Amtokea Eliya
Nalo neno la Bwana likamjia, kusema, “Unafanya nini hapa, Eliya?”
1019:10 1Fal 18:30; Rum 11:3Akajibu, “Nimeona wivu mwingi kwa ajili ya Bwana Mungu Mwenye Nguvu Zote. Waisraeli wamelikataa Agano lako, wamevunja madhabahu zako na kuwaua manabii wako kwa upanga. Ni mimi, mimi peke yangu, niliyebaki, nao sasa wananitafuta ili waniangamize.” 1119:11 Kut 34:2; Nah 1:6Bwana akasema, “Toka nje ukasimame juu ya mlima mbele za Bwana, kwa kuwa Bwana yu karibu kupita hapo.”
Kisha upepo mwingi na wenye nguvu ukapasua milima ile na kuvunjavunja miamba mbele za Bwana, lakini Bwana hakuwamo katika ule upepo. Baada ya upepo palikuwa na tetemeko la nchi, lakini Bwana hakuwamo kwenye lile tetemeko. 1219:12 Kut 3:2; 1Sam 14:6; Ay 4:16Baada ya tetemeko la nchi ukaja moto, lakini Bwana hakuwamo katika ule moto. Baada ya moto ikaja sauti ya utulivu ya kunongʼona. 1319:13 Kut 3:6Eliya alipoisikia, akafunika uso kwa vazi lake, akatoka na kusimama kwenye mdomo wa pango.
Kisha ile sauti ikamwambia, “Eliya, unafanya nini hapa?”
14Akajibu, “Nimeona wivu mwingi kwa ajili ya Bwana Mungu Mwenye Nguvu Zote. Waisraeli wamelikataa Agano lako, wamevunja madhabahu zako na kuwaua manabii wako kwa upanga. Ni mimi, mimi peke yangu, niliyebaki, nao sasa wananitafuta ili waniangamize.”
1519:15 2Fal 8:7-15Bwana akamwambia, “Rudi kwa njia uliyoijia, uende kwenye Jangwa la Dameski. Wakati utakapofika huko, mtie Hazaeli mafuta awe mfalme wa Aramu19:15 Yaani Shamu (ambayo leo ni Syria). 16Pia mtie mafuta Yehu mwana wa Nimshi awe mfalme wa Israeli, na umtie Elisha mwana wa Shafati kutoka Abel-Mehola mafuta awe nabii badala yako. 1719:17 2Fal 8:12, 29; Yer 48:44Yehu atamuua yeyote atakayeutoroka upanga wa Hazaeli, naye Elisha atamuua yeyote atakayeutoroka upanga wa Yehu. 1819:18 Rum 11:4; Hos 13:2Hata sasa nimeweka akiba watu elfu saba katika Israeli, wote ambao hawajampigia Baali magoti, na wote ambao midomo yao haijambusu.”
Wito Wa Elisha
19Hivyo Eliya akaondoka kutoka huko na kumkuta Elisha mwana wa Shafati. Alikuwa akilima kwa jozi kumi na mbili za maksai, na yeye mwenyewe aliongoza ile jozi ya kumi na mbili. Eliya akapita karibu naye, akamrushia vazi lake. 2019:20 Lk 9:61Kisha Elisha akawaacha maksai wake, akamkimbilia Eliya, akamwambia, “Niruhusu nikawabusu baba yangu na mama yangu, halafu nitafuatana nawe.”
Eliya akajibu, “Rudi zako, kwani nimekutendea nini?”
21Basi Elisha akamwacha Eliya, naye akarudi. Akachukua ile jozi yake ya maksai na kuwachinja. Akaipika ile nyama kwa kutumia miti ya nira kama kuni na kuwapa watu, nao wakala. Kisha akaondoka, akamfuata Eliya, akamtumikia.
Elijah Flees to Horeb
1Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3Elijah was afraid19:3 Or Elijah saw and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
The Call of Elisha
19So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
