Elijah on Mount Sinai
1 King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah.
Leaving the servant there, 4 Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. “It's too much, Lord,” he prayed. “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!”
5 He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Wake up and eat.” 6 He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The Lord's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, “Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.” 8 Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. 9 There he went into a cave to spend the night.
Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!”
11 “Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.
13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
14 He answered, “Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me.”
15 The Lord said, “Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; 16 anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel—all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol.”
The Call of Elisha
19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha. 20 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you.”
Elijah answered, “All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!”
21 Then Elisha went to his team of oxen, killed them, and cooked the meat, using the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he went and followed Elijah as his helper.
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.
