1 Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: »By the living Jehovah, the God of Israel, whose servant I am, there will be no dew or rain in these years, but only at my word.«
2 Then the word of Jehovah came to him, saying:
3 »Go east from here and hide by the Cherith Brook, east of Jordan.
4 »You will drink from the brook. I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.«
5 So he did as Jehovah said, living by the Cherith Brook, east of Jordan.
6 The ravens took him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. And he drank water from the brook.
7 Now after a time the brook became dry, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of Jehovah came to him, saying:
9 »Go now to Zarephath, in Zidon, and live there. I have given orders to a widow woman there to see that you have food.«
10 He went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, he saw a widow woman gathering sticks. He said to her: »Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink?«
11 As she was going to get it, he said: »And get me some bread.«
12 Then she said: »By the life of Jehovah your God, I have nothing but a little meal, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death.«
13 Elijah said to her: »Have no fear. Go and do as you said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me. Then make something for yourself and your son.
14 »For this is the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel: Your supply of meal will not come to an end. The bottle will never be without oil, till the day when Jehovah sends rain on the earth.«
15 She did as Elijah told her and they all had food for a long time.
16 The store of meal did not come to an end. The bottle was never without oil. This was just as Jehovah said through the mouth of Elijah.
17 After this the son of the woman of the house became ill. He was so ill that there was no breath in him.
18 She said to Elijah: »What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to put God in mind of my sin, and to put my son to death?«
19 He said: »Give your son to me.« And lifting him out of her arms, he took him up to his room and put him down on his bed.
20 Crying to Jehovah he said: »O Jehovah my God, have you sent evil even on the widow I now visit, by causing her son's death?«
21 Stretching himself out on the child three times, he made his prayer to Jehovah. He said: »O Jehovah my God, be pleased to let this child's life come back to him again.«
22 Jehovah listened to the voice of Elijah. The child began to breath and came back to life.
23 Elijah took the child down from his room into the house and gave him to his mother. »See, your son is alive.« He said.
24 Then the woman said to Elijah: »Now I am certain that you are a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in your mouth is truth.«