Nlebesambeli Elija ne bhamba
1 Nlebesambeli Elija we N'tishibhe mu Giliyadi Kadwa Mambo Ahabu kati, “Mu zina la Yahwe Ndzimu unotjila we Iziraela, wandinoshingila, akutowobe ne khawa kene vula inona kwe makole matatu kuzhe kwe ndaleba.” 2 Dama la Yahwe likazha kakale ku nlebesambeli Elija liti, 3 “Milika ipapa utendebukile ku bhezhuba, unobgwata mu Nkuku we Kherithi, ku bhezhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani. 4 Unong'wa vula mu nkuku, ngono ndalaula makungubo kuti akupe zojiwa.”
5 Elija kathama tjaadwiwa ndi Yahwe, kanogala pa Nkuku we Kherithi ku bhezhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani. 6 Makungubo kanzhisila tjiwunga ne nyama mangwanana ne madekwana, eng'wa vula mu nkuku. 7 Shule kwe mazhuba nkuku ukapkhwa, ngobe vula yakabe isingane mu shango.
Nlebesambeli Elija na Zarefati we tjilikadzi
8 Dama la Yahwe likazha kakale ku nlebesambeli Elija liti, 9 “Milika ngwenu, uyende ku Zarefati we Sidoni unogala ko. Bona, ndalaula tjilikadzi ikweno kuti ikupe zojiwa.” 10 Ndizo Elija kamilika kayenda ku Zarefati, ngono kati eswika pa nkoba we nzi nkulu, bona, kawana tjilikadzi ishaka hwuni. Ngono kaidwa kati, “Ndokumbila vula inong'wiwa.” 11 Ngono kukati tjilikadzi itjayenda kunotola vula, kaidana kati, “Mundizhile ne tjiwunga.” 12 Ngono tjilikadzi ikandabila iti, “Ndotuna na Yahwe, Ndzimu uwo unotjila, andina tjandabhika, ndina bgwisa mu tjilongo gungapelela mu luboko ne mafuta asimuni mu ikuyu. Ndawoshaka hwuni ipapa, kuti ndinobhika ndipeleledza ndibe ndija ne nkololo wangu. Zowobe zwili izo zojiwa zwedu zwe bupelo, towobe togala zhala kudzina tifa.”
13 Ngono Elija kadwa tjilikadzi kati, “Usitje, yenda unothama sekwa waleba, koga kutanga ubhikile imi tjiwunga tjitukununu muna kwaunako, ndiko ukowozwibhikila ne nkololo uwo. 14 Ngoti Yahwe, Ndzimu we Iziraela baleba beti, ‘Bgwisa gumu tjilongo agutowopela, ne mafuta amu ikuyu angamiminike, kudzina zhuba liswika Yahwe benisa vula mu shango.’ ”
15 Tjilikadzi yakayenda ikanothama sekwa yadwiwa ndi Elija, ngono iye na Elija ne be nsha uwe bakabe ne zojiwa zwabakaja mazhuba manjinji. 16 Bgwisa gukasipele mu tjilongo ne mafuta kasimiminike mu ikuyu, kuyendidzana ne dama la Yahwe labakaleba betuma Elija.
17 Shule kwe mazhuba nkololo we tjilikadzi iyeyi mweni we ng'umba, kagwala, bugwele gukantshambilidza kapela meya. 18 Tjilikadzi ikadwa Elija ikati, “Apa unogwilani nami nthu we Ndzimu? Wakazha pandili kuwondikumbuludza tjibi tjangu ne kuthama kuti nkololo wangu afe kene?”
19 Elija kandwa kati, “Undipe nkololo uwo.” Ngono katola mbisana pa ifuba tja mmeyabe, katathila naye ku ng'umba ipezhugwi kwaakabe egala, kaswika eladzika mbisana pa bulawo gugwe. 20 Kamilidzila hwi lile kuna Yahwe etembezela eti, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu wangu, apa mazhisa zogwadza zwingapa mu nkadzi iwoyu we tjilikadzi wandigele panli ngobulaya mwana uwe kene?” 21 Ipapo Elija katshibama pezhugwi kwe mwana katatu, kamimilila kuna Yahwe etembezela eti, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu wangu, ndokumbila kuti meya ye mwana uwoyu ibgwilile munli.” 22 Ngono Yahwe bakateedza hwi la Elija, meya ye mwana ikabgwilila munli, akathudza. 23 Elija katola mwana kadelukila naye ku ng'umba ipasi, kayisa mbisana kuna mmeyabe, kabadwa kati, “Bona, nkololo uwo unotjila.”
24 Ngono nkadzi kadwa Elija kati, “Ngwenu ndoziba kuti u nthu we Ndzimu ne kuti dama linodwa mu nlomo uwo malebeswa, i dama la Yahwe.”
Elijah and the Drought
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.
Elijah and the Widow in Zarephath
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!”