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1 Kings · Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 19 Bible in Basic English

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About BBE
  • Scholarly edition
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew (not verified)
  • NT: Critical text (not verified)
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Simplified language
  • 1965
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

BBE Bible in Basic English
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Ahab gave Jezebel news of all Elijah had done, and how he had put all the prophets to death with the sword.
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
2 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!”
3 And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant;
3 When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 While he himself went a day's journey into the waste land, and took a seat under a broom-plant, desiring for himself only death; for he said, It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.
4 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 Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
5 And stretching himself on the earth, he went to sleep under the broom-plant; but an angel, touching him, said to him, Get up and have some food.
5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”
6 And looking up, he saw by his head a cake cooked on the stones and a bottle of water. So he took food and drink and went to sleep again.
6 He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touching him said, Get up and have some food, or the journey will be overmuch for your strength.
7 Yahweh’s angel came again the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
8 So he got up and took food and drink, and in the strength of that food he went on for forty days and nights, to Horeb, the mountain of God.
8 He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain.
9 And there he went into a hole in the rock for the night; then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?
9 He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have made destruction of your altars, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.
10 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
11 Then he said, Go out and take your place on the mountain before the Lord. Then the Lord went by, and mountains were parted by the force of a great wind, and rocks were broken before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earth-shock, but the Lord was not in the earth-shock.
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.
12 And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath.
12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice.
13 And Elijah, hearing it, went out, covering his face with his robe, and took his place in the opening of the hole. And there a voice came to him saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have had your altars broken down, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.
14 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
15 And the Lord said to him, Go back on your way through the waste land to Damascus; and when you come there, put the holy oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram;
15 Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
16 And on Jehu, son of Nimshi, making him king over Israel; and on Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, to be prophet in your place.
16 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.
17 And it will come about that the man who gets away safe from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will put to death; and whoever gets away safe from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will put to death.
17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
18 But I will keep safe seven thousand in Israel, all those whose knees have not been bent to Baal, and whose mouths have given him no kisses.
18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
19 So he went away from there and came across Elisha, the son of Shaphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, he himself walking with the twelfth; and Elijah went up to him and put his robe on him.
19 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.
20 And letting the oxen be where they were, he came running after Elijah, and said, Only let me give a kiss to my father and mother, and then I will come after you. But he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
20 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?”
21 And he went back, and took the oxen and put them to death, and cooking their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, he gave the people a feast. Then he got up and went after Elijah and became his servant.
21 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.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Elijah the Tishbite

    Prophet taken up in a whirlwind

    A prophet among the settlers of Gilead who announced a drought to Ahab, was fed by ravens, revived the widow's son at Zarephath, defeated Baal's prophets on Mount Carmel, heard…

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Kings 19:9

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  • Elisha

    Prophet, successor of Elijah

    Son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah, found plowing with twelve teams of oxen when Elijah threw his cloak around him, who inherited a double portion of Elijah's spirit, worked many…

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 19:16; 1 Kings 19:19; 2 Kings 2:9

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  • Hazael

    King of Aram who oppressed Israel

    An Aramean sent by Ben-hadad to Elisha, whom Elisha foretold would be king over Aram; he smothered Ben-hadad, reigned in his place, and defeated Israel throughout its territory.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 19:15; 2 Kings 8:9; 2 Kings 8:15

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  • Jehu

    King who destroyed Ahab's house

    An army commander anointed king by a young prophet sent by Elisha, who killed Joram, Ahaziah of Judah and Jezebel, wiped out Ahab's house and Baal's worshipers, but did not turn…

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 19:16; 2 Kings 9:2; 2 Kings 9:6

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  • Jezebel

    Queen of Israel, wife of Ahab

    Daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and wife of Ahab, who slaughtered the LORD's prophets, threatened Elijah, had Naboth stoned on false testimony, and was thrown down from…

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 16:31; 1 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 19:2

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  • Nimshi

    Ancestor of Jehu

    Named as the father of Jehoshaphat and so the forefather of Jehu, who is often called 'son of Nimshi'.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 19:16; 2 Kings 9:2; 2 Kings 9:14

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  • Shaphat

    Father of Elisha

    Named as the father of the prophet Elisha, from Abel-meholah.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 19:16; 1 Kings 19:19; 2 Kings 3:11

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Cross references (21)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 1 Kings 18:40; 1 Kings 21:25; 1 Kings 21:5–7; 1 Kings 16:31
  2. 2 Ruth 1:17; 1 Kings 20:10; 2 Kings 6:31; Proverbs 27:1; Exodus 10:28
  3. 3 Genesis 21:31; Matthew 26:70–74; Matthew 26:56; 2 Corinthians 12:7; Isaiah 51:12–13
  4. 4 Jonah 4:3; Numbers 11:15; Jonah 4:8; Jeremiah 20:14–18; Philippians 1:21–24
  5. 5 Psalm 34:7; Acts 12:7; Hebrews 13:5; Genesis 28:11–15; Daniel 10:9–10
  6. 6 Matthew 4:11; 1 Kings 17:6; John 21:9; Mark 8:2–3; Matthew 6:32
  7. 7 Psalm 103:13–14; Deuteronomy 33:25
  8. 8 Deuteronomy 9:18; Exodus 34:28; Exodus 24:18; Exodus 3:1; Matthew 4:2
  9. 9 Genesis 3:9; 1 Kings 19:13; Jeremiah 2:18; Genesis 16:8; Exodus 33:21–22
  10. 10 1 Kings 18:4; Exodus 34:14; 1 Kings 18:22; Romans 11:2–4; 1 Kings 18:30
  11. 11 Ezekiel 1:4; Psalm 50:3; Isaiah 30:30; Job 38:1; Hebrews 12:26
  12. 12 Job 4:16; Zechariah 4:6; Deuteronomy 4:33; Deuteronomy 4:11–12; Job 33:7
  13. 13 1 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 6:2; John 21:15–17; Genesis 16:8
  14. 14 Daniel 11:30; Hosea 6:7; 1 Kings 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 31:20; Isaiah 1:4
  15. 15 Jeremiah 1:10; Isaiah 45:1; 2 Kings 8:7–15; Genesis 14:15; Amos 1:4
  16. 16 2 Kings 9:1–14; 2 Kings 2:9; 1 Kings 19:19–21; 2 Kings 2:15; Judges 7:22
  17. 17 2 Kings 13:22; 2 Kings 13:3; 2 Kings 8:12; Hosea 6:5; 2 Kings 10:32
  18. 18 Romans 11:4–5; Isaiah 1:9; Isaiah 10:20–22; Hosea 13:2; Psalm 2:12
  19. 19 2 Kings 2:8; 2 Kings 2:13–14; Psalm 78:70–72; 1 Samuel 28:14; 1 Kings 19:13
  20. 20 Matthew 8:21–22; Luke 9:61–62; Acts 20:37; Matthew 4:20; Matthew 19:27
  21. 21 2 Samuel 24:22; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 13; Exodus 24:13; Luke 5:28–29

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

Articles and answers on this site that cite 1 Kings 19.

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 19:11 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XVIII)

    … Lord [was] not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord [was] not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a scarcely audible voice" (vox auræ tenuis). For by such means was the prophet--very indignant, because of the transgression of the people …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 19:10 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVII, Chapters 21–24)

    Even there, when Elijah said, "O Lord, they have slain Thy prophets, they have digged down Thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life," it was answered that seven thousand men were there who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Chapter 23.--Of the Varying Condition of Both the Hebrew Kingdoms, Until the People of Both …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  3. Quotes verse 19:18 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XXI)

    And if thou knowest not of them, it is nothing marvellous, since Elias too supposed he was alone, but was told, "I have left unto myself seven thousand men." Whence it is manifest that even now there are many who show forth the apostolical life; like as the "three thousand" then, and the "five thousand." And if we believe not, …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  4. Quotes verse 19:10 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture XII)

    The wounds of man's nature pass our healing. They slew Thy Prophets, and cast down Thine altars.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)

  5. Quotes verse 19:11 Gregory of Nazianzus, Theological Orations (The Second Theological Oration)

    To Elias neither the strong wind, nor the fire, nor the earthquake, as you learn from the story, but a light breeze adumbrated the Presence of God, and not even this His Nature.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)