Elijah Runs Away from Ahab and Jezebel
1 Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow.”
3 Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the Lord, “I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.
7 Soon the Lord's angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel.” 8 So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.
The food and water made him strong enough to walk 40 more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, 9 and he spent the night there in a cave.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
11 “Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to be there when I pass by.”
All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
Finally, there was a gentle breeze, 13 and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.
A voice asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
14 Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
15 The Lord said:
Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet.
17 Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.
18 But 7,000 Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.
Elisha Becomes Elijah's Assistant
19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.
20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents goodbye, then I'll go with you,” he said.
“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I've done for you.”
21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.
1 Ombara Ahab wa raera komukazendu we Isebel oviṋa avihe Elia mbya tjita, na indu tja zepa ovaprofete avehe va Baal. 2 Isebel wa hinda ombuze ku Elia na tja: “Oomukuru vovisenginina ngave ndji zepe muhuka moruveze tjingero ndwi, tji mbi ha tjitire otjiṋa tjingetjo kove, ihi tji wa tjita kovaprofete.” 3 Elia wa tira na taurisa omuinyo we; eye wa toora omukarere we na i kOberseba mOjuda.
Eye wa isa omukarere we ngo, 4 na kayenda oure weyuva arihe mokuti onguza. Eye wa haama momuzire womuti, ne rizeri okukoka na kumbu a tja: “Opuwo nambano, Muhona. Yakura omuinyo wandje, ami tjinga ambi he ri omusemba pootate!”
5 Eye wa rangavara kehi yomuti na twaererwa. Mokamanga omuengeri wa ṱuna ku ye na tja: “Penduka, u rye!” 6 Eye wa yevayeva, nu posi yotjiuru tje pa ri omboroto nehoro romeva. Neye wa rya a nu na rangavara rukwao. 7 Nomuengeri wa Muhona wa kotoka ne mu pendura porutjavari na tja: “penduka u rye, tjapo ouyenda mau rire ouzeu kove.” 8 Elia wa penduka na ri na nu, novikurya vye mu pa omasa nga yenene okukayenda oure womayuva omirongo vine kOsinai indji ondundu ya Ndjambi. 9 Nu imbo wa kahita mondimba na karara.
Mokamanga Muhona wa hungire ku ye na tja: “Elia, mo ungura tjike mba?”
10 Eye wa zira a tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe, ami mbe ku karera aruhe, ove erike. Nungwari imba Ovaisrael va isa po omerikutiropamwe na ove, va haṋa ovipunguhiro vyoye nu va zepa ovaprofete voye avehe. Owami erike ngu mba sewa po, novandu mave vanga okundjizepa.”
11 Muhona wa tja nai ku ye: “Twende, kakurame kondomba yondundu komurungu wandje.” Nu Muhona wa kapita na hindi otjivepo tjomasa, tji tja nyinganyingisa ovivanda natji tukutura otuuwa. Nungwari Muhona ka ri motjivepo hi. Notjivepo tji tja isa okuhinga otji pa kara omungunda wehi, nungwari Ndjambi ka ri momungunda mbwi. 12 Kombunda yomungunda wehi pa kara omuriro, nungwari Muhona ka ri momuriro mbwi. Nu kombunda yomuriro kwa hinga orumuinyo orutarazu.
13 Elia tja zuva orumuinyo ndwi wa kutjira omurungu we nongwava na piti na kakurama pomahitiro wondimba. Nu pa zuvaka eraka nda tja nai ku ye: “Elia, mo ungura tjike mba?”
14 Eye wa zira na tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe, ami mbe ku karera aruhe, ove erike. Nungwari imba Ovaisrael va isa po omerikutiropamwe na ove, va haṋa ovipunguhiro vyoye nu va zepa ovaprofete voye avehe. Owami erike ngu ma sewa po, novandu mave vanga okundjizepa.”
15 Muhona wa tja ku ye: “yaruka mokuti onguza kwa Damaskus. Kahite motjihuro nu katwirise Hasael a rire ombara ya Sirie, 16 na Jehu, omuzandu wa Nimsi, a rire ombara ya Israel. Nu wina twirisa Elisa, omuzandu wa Safat, ngwa zire kOabel-Mehola okukupingena a rire omuprofete. 17 Auhe ngwa taura kokuṱa i Hasael ma kaṱa i Jehu, nu auhe ngwa taura ku Jehu ma kaṱa i Elisa. 18 Nungwari ami me hupisa Ovaisrael omayovi hambombari, avehe imba mbe nouṱakame mu ami nu mbe he rikotamene ku Baal poo mbe ha hupite otjiserekarera tje.”
Omaisaneno wa Elisa
19 Elia wa ya na kavaza Elisa, omuzandu wa Safat, ama taura ehi nozonduwombe omirongo vivari na ine; neye omuini wa ri pu inḓa ozosenina. Elia wa hukura ongwava ye ne i yumbu kombanda ya Elisa. 20 Nu Elisa wa isa ozonduwombe ze na utuka kombunda ya Elia na tja: “Ndji esa, mbi kaminike ootate na mama, nu tjazumba otji me i puna ove.”
Elia wa zira na tja: “Osemba, yaruka, ami hi nokukutjaera.”
21 Elisa otja yaruka kozonduwombe ze na kazepa mbari; nu indji onyama we i tereke, noviyoke vyazo ombya rira ozonguṋe. Eye wa yandja onyama kovandu, nowo va rya. Okuzambo otja kongorera Elia ne kemukarera.
