וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתֹּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד אֶל־אַחְאָב חַי־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם־יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר כִּי אִם־לְפִי דְבָרִי

Elijah the Tishbite, from the city of Tishbe, whose location has not been identified, who was of the residents of Gilad, said to Ahav: As the Lord, God of Israel, before whom I stand, whom I served, lives, an expression of an oath, there shall be neither dew nor rain in the Land of Israel during these years, except by my word. From this point onward, there will be rain and dew only when I say so. Elijah issued this statement in Ahav’s capital of Samaria, which was in central Israel.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with him, saying:

לֵךְ מִזֶּה וּפָנִיתָ לְּךָ קֵדְמָה וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן

Go from here and turn yourself eastward and hide by the Kerit Stream that is opposite the Jordan, one of the intermittent streams that flows into the Jordan.

וְהָיָה מֵהַנַּחַל תִּשְׁתֶּה וְאֶת־הָעֹרְבִים צִוִּיתִי לְכַלְכֶּלְךָ שָׁם

It shall be that you will drink water from the stream, and I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there.The ravens will snatch food from elsewhere and bring it to you there.

וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעַשׂ כִּדְבַר ה' וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן

He went and acted in accordance with the word of the Lord; he went and lived in solitude by the Kerit Stream that is opposite the Jordan.

וְהָעֹרְבִים מְבִיאִים לוֹ לֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בַּבֹּקֶר וְלֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בָּעָרֶב וּמִן־הַנַּחַל יִשְׁתֶּה

The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the stream.

וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים וַיִּיבַשׁ הַנָּחַל כִּי לֹא־הָיָה גֶשֶׁם בָּאָרֶץ

It was after some days and the stream dried up, as there was no rain in the land, and therefore Elijah could not remain in that spot.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with him, saying:

קוּם לֵךְ צָרְפַתָה אֲשֶׁר לְצִידוֹן וְיָשַׁבְתָּ שָׁם הִנֵּה צִוִּיתִי שָׁם אִשָּׁה אַלְמָנָה לְכַלְכְּלֶךָ

Rise, go to the city of Tzarefat that is of Sidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you. I have arranged food for you there with a widow.

וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ צָרְפַתָה וַיָּבֹא אֶל־פֶּתַח הָעִיר וְהִנֵּה־שָׁם אִשָּׁה אַלְמָנָה מְקֹשֶׁשֶׁת עֵצִים וַיִּקְרָא אֵלֶיהָ וַיֹּאמַר קְחִי־נָא לִי מְעַט־מַיִם בַּכְּלִי וְאֶשְׁתֶּה

He rose and he went to Tzarefat; he came to the entrance of the city, and behold, there was a widow woman there gathering wood. He called to her and said: Please bring me a little water in the vessel and I will drink. Elijah assumed that this was the woman selected by God to provide him with sustenance.

וַתֵּלֶךְ לָקַחַת וַיִּקְרָא אֵלֶיהָ וַיֹּאמַר לִקְחִי־נָא לִי פַּת־לֶחֶם בְּיָדֵךְ

She went to bring it, and he called to her and said: Since you are already getting water for me, please bring me as well a piece of bread in your hand.

וַתֹּאמֶר חַי־ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אִם־יֶשׁ־לִי מָעוֹג כִּי אִם־מְלֹא כַף־קֶמַח בַּכַּד וּמְעַט־שֶׁמֶן בַּצַּפָּחַת וְהִנְנִי מְקֹשֶׁשֶׁת שְׁנַיִם עֵצִים וּבָאתִי וַעֲשִׂיתִיהוּ לִי וְלִבְנִי וַאֲכַלְנֻהוּ וָמָתְנוּ

She said: As the Lord your God lives, I do not have even a roll, or any other food; I have nothing in the house but only a handful of flour in the jug and a bit of oil in the cruse. Behold, I am gathering two pieces of wood for kindling, and I will go and prepare it, the flour meal, for me and for my son; we will eat it, and we will die, as we have nothing else left for us to eat. I cannot possibly give you anything.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ אֵלִיָּהוּ אַל־תִּירְאִי בֹּאִי עֲשִׂי כִדְבָרֵךְ אַךְ עֲשִׂי־לִי מִשָּׁם עֻגָה קְטַנָּה בָרִאשֹׁנָה וְהוֹצֵאת לִי וְלָךְ וְלִבְנֵךְ תַּעֲשִׂי בָּאַחֲרֹנָה

Elijah said to her: Do not fear. Come, do as you said; prepare the flour for yourself and your son. However, first prepare for me from there, from some of the flour, a small roll, and bring it out to me to eat, and prepare for yourself and for your son afterward.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּד הַקֶּמַח לֹא תִכְלָה וְצַפַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶן לֹא תֶחְסָר עַד יוֹם תֵּת־ה' גֶּשֶׁם עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה

For so said the Lord, God of Israel: If you follow my instructions, then the jug of flour will not be finished and the cruse of oil will not be lacking. The flour in the jug and the oil in the cruse will last until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.

וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתַּעֲשֶׂה כִּדְבַר אֵלִיָּהוּ וַתֹּאכַל הִיא־וָהוּא וּבֵיתָהּ יָמִים

She went and acted according to the word of Elijah, and she ate, she and her household, for many days.

כַּד הַקֶּמַח לֹא כָלָתָה וְצַפַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶן לֹא חָסֵר כִּדְבַר ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד אֵלִיָּהוּ

Throughout this time, the jug of flour was not finished and the cruse of oil was not lacking, in accordance with the word of the Lord, which He spoke by means of Elijah.

וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה חָלָה בֶּן־הָאִשָּׁה בַּעֲלַת הַבָּיִת וַיְהִי חָלְיוֹ חָזָק מְאֹד עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נוֹתְרָה־בּוֹ נְשָׁמָה

It was after these matters, following the period during which the woman and her son ate from the miraculous food, and the son of the woman, the owner of the house, fell ill. His illness was very grave, until no breath was left in him. He showed no signs of life, and it appeared that he was about to die.

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל־אֵלִיָּהוּ מַה־לִּי וָלָךְ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בָּאתָ אֵלַי לְהַזְכִּיר אֶת־עֲוֹנִי וּלְהָמִית אֶת־בְּנִי

She said to Elijah: What is it with me and you, man of God? Did you come to me to evoke my sin and to kill my son? As long as I lived only among my neighbors here, I was not considered a great sinner. However, when you, a holy man, arrived here, all my shortcomings and transgressions were magnified in contrast to your sanctity. It is your presence here that caused my son’s death.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ תְּנִי־לִי אֶת־בְּנֵךְ וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ מֵחֵיקָהּ וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּה אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יֹשֵׁב שָׁם וַיַּשְׁכִּבֵהוּ עַל־מִטָּתוֹ

He said to her: Give your son to me. He took him from her bosom, as the boy was apparently a young child, and he took him up to the upper story, where he lived, the attic that had been set aside as Elijah’s chambers, and he laid him on his bed.

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־ה' וַיֹּאמַר ה' אֱלֹהָי הֲגַם עַל־הָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי מִתְגּוֹרֵר עִמָּהּ הֲרֵעוֹתָ לְהָמִית אֶת־בְּנָהּ

He called to the Lord, and he said: Lord my God, have You also caused harm against the widow with whom I am living, to kill her son? She is performing a kindness to me, in accordance with Your wishes.

וַיִּתְמֹדֵד עַל־הַיֶּלֶד שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־ה' וַיֹּאמַר ה' אֱלֹהָי תָּשָׁב־נָא נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּלֶד הַזֶּה עַל קִרְבּוֹ

He, Elijah, laid himself out over the child three times, and he called to the Lord and said: Lord my God, please return this child’s life into him.

וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' בְּקוֹל אֵלִיָּהוּ וַתָּשָׁב נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּלֶד עַל־קִרְבּוֹ וַיֶּחִי

The Lord heeded the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned into him, and he came to life.

וַיִּקַּח אֵלִיָּהוּ אֶת־הַיֶּלֶד וַיֹּרִדֵהוּ מִן־הָעֲלִיָּה הַבַּיְתָה וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ לְאִמּוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ רְאִי חַי בְּנֵךְ

Elijah took the child, and he took him down from the upper story to the house, and he gave him to his mother. Elijah said: See, your son lives. You thought that he was dead or dying, but he is indeed alive.

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל־אֵלִיָּהוּ עַתָּה זֶה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים אָתָּה וּדְבַר־ה' בְּפִיךָ אֱמֶת

The woman said to Elijah: Now, with this, I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is true. Perhaps she was insufficiently impressed by the earlier miracles that Elijah had performed for her with the flour and oil, or perhaps she forgot about them in her anguish over her son’s fate. With the revival of her child, Elijah was transformed in her eyes into an individual of an especially elevated stature, whose every word comes true.