1 Kings 17:1-24 GNT

[1] A prophet named Elijah, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to King Ahab, "In the name of the LORD, the living God of Israel, whom I serve, I tell you that there will be no dew or rain for the next two or three years until I say so." [2] Then the LORD said to Elijah, [3] "Leave this place and go east and hide yourself near Cherith Brook, east of the Jordan. [4] The brook will supply you with water to drink, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there." [5] Elijah obeyed the LORD's command, and went and stayed by Cherith Brook. [6] He drank water from the brook, and ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening. [7] After a while the brook dried up because of the lack of rain. [8] Then the LORD said to Elijah, [9] "Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you." [10] So Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the town gate, he saw a widow gathering firewood. "Please bring me a drink of water," he said to her. [11] And as she was going to get it, he called out, "And please bring me some bread, too." [12] She answered, "By the living LORD your God I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death." [13] "Don't worry," Elijah said to her. "Go on and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son. [14] For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that I, the LORD, send rain.'" [15] The widow went and did as Elijah had told her, and all of them had enough food for many days. [16] As the LORD had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil. [17] Some time later the widow's son got sick; he got worse and worse, and finally he died. [18] She said to Elijah, "Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son's death?" [19] "Give the boy to me," Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed. [20] Then he prayed aloud, "O LORD my God, why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow? She has been kind enough to take care of me, and now you kill her son!" [21] Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and prayed, "O LORD my God, restore this child to life!" [22] The LORD answered Elijah's prayer; the child started breathing again and revived. [23] Elijah took the boy back downstairs to his mother and said to her, "Look, your son is alive!" [24] She answered, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the LORD really speaks through you!"