The Daily Audio Bible

Elijah’s Journey to Horeb

19 Ahab told Jezebel^(A) everything that Elijah had done^(B) and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.^{(C) 2} So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘May the gods punish me and do so severely^(D) if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow! ’

³ Then Elijah became afraid^[a](E) and immediately ran for his life.^(F) When he came to Beer-sheba^(G) that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,^{(H) 4} but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree^(I) and prayed that he might die. He said, ‘I have had enough! Lord, take my life,^(J) for I’m no better than my ancestors.’ ⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.

Suddenly, an angel touched him.^(K) The angel told him, ‘Get up and eat.’ ⁶ Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water.^(L) So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ Then the angel of the Lord^(M) returned for a second time and touched him. He said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.’ ⁸ So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked for forty days and forty nights^(N) to Horeb, the mountain of God.^{(O) 9} He entered a cave^(P) there and spent the night.

Elijah’s Encounter with the Lord

Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah? ’^(Q)

¹⁰ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous^(R) for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant,^(S) torn down your altars,^(T) and killed your prophets^(U) with the sword. I alone am left,^(V) and they are looking for me to take my life.’^(W)

¹¹ Then he said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.’^(X)

At that moment, the Lord passed by.^(Y) A great and mighty wind^(Z) was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake,^(AA) but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there was a fire,^(AB) but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.^{(AC) 13} When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle^(AD) and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah? ’

¹⁴ ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies,’ he replied, ‘but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.’^(AE)

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael^(AF) as king over Aram. ¹⁶ You are to anoint Jehu^(AG) son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha^(AH) son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael,^(AI) and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.^{(AJ) 18} But I will leave seven thousand in Israel^(AK) – every knee that has not bowed to Baal^(AL) and every mouth that has not kissed him.’^(AM)

Elisha’s Appointment as Elijah’s Successor

¹⁹ Elijah left there and found Elisha^(AN) son of Shaphat as he was ploughing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.^{(AO) 20} Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.’^(AP)

‘Go on back,’ he replied, ‘for what have I done to you? ’

²¹ So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered^[b] them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plough,^(AQ) he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.^(AR)

James Martyred and Peter Jailed

12 About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church, ² and he executed James,^(A) John’s brother, with the sword. ³ When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^{(B) 4} After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him.

Peter Rescued

⁶ When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord^(C) appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, ‘Quick, get up! ’ And the chains fell off his wrists.^{(D) 8} ‘Get dressed,’ the angel told him, ‘and put on your sandals.’ And he did. ‘Wrap your cloak round you,’ he told him, ‘and follow me.’ ⁹ So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(E) 10} After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him.^(F)

¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.’^{(G) 12} As soon as he realised this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark,^(H) where many had assembled and were praying. ¹³ He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ She recognised Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

¹⁵ ‘You’re out of your mind! ’ they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, ‘It’s his angel.’^{(I) 16} Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

¹⁷ Motioning to them with his hand^(J) to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. ‘Tell these things to James^(K) and the brothers,’ he said, and he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.^(L)

Herod’s Death

²⁰ Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.^{(M) 21} On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them. ²² The assembled people began to shout, ‘It’s the voice of a god and not of a man! ’ ²³ At once an angel of the Lord^(N) struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.^(O)

God’s Love Is Eternal