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Sunday, October 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 18:2

So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. Now there was no food to be had in Samaria.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Famine;   Rain;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Obadiah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gods and Goddesses, Pagan;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dearth;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Famine and Drought;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Carmel;   Haggai;   Prophecy, Prophets;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount carmel;   Obadiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Famine;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Famine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Hebrew Names Version
Eliyah went to show himself to Ach'av. The famine was sore in Shomron.
King James Version
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
English Standard Version
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
New Century Version
So Elijah went to meet Ahab. By this time there was no food in Samaria.
New English Translation
So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
Amplified Bible
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
New American Standard Bible
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Eliiah went to shew himselfe vnto Ahab, and there was a great famine in Samaria.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
Complete Jewish Bible
When Eliyahu went to present himself to Ach'av, the famine in Shomron had become severe.
Darby Translation
And Elijah went to shew himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.
Easy-to-Read Version
So Elijah went to meet with Ahab. The famine was very bad in Samaria.
George Lamsa Translation
And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And there was a severe famine in Samaria.
Good News Translation
So Elijah started out. The famine in Samaria was at its worst,
Lexham English Bible
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
Literal Translation
And Elijah went to be seen by Ahab. And the famine in Samaria was severe.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Elias wente to shewe him selfe vnto Achab. But there was a greate derth i Samaria.
American Standard Version
And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Elias went to shewe him selfe vnto Ahab: and there was a great famishment in Samaria.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
King James Version (1611)
And Eliiah went to shew himselfe vnto Ahab, and there was a sore famine in Samaria.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu went to appear before Achaab: and the famine was severe in Samaria.
English Revised Version
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
Berean Standard Bible
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Elie yede to schewe hym silf to Achab; forsothe greet hungur was in Samarie.
Young's Literal Translation
and Elijah goeth to appear unto Ahab. And the famine is severe in Samaria,
Update Bible Version
And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And the famine was intense in Samaria.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And [there was] a grievous famine in Samaria.
World English Bible
Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was sore in Samaria.
New King James Version
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
New Living Translation
So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.
New Life Bible
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the time without food was very hard in Samaria.
New Revised Standard
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Elijah went, to show himself unto Ahab. Now, the famine, was severe in Samaria.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elias went to shew himself to Achab, and there was a grievous famine in Samaria.
Revised Standard Version
So Eli'jah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Sama'ria.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.

Contextual Overview

1 Now after a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go and let Ahab see you, so that I may send rain on the earth. 2 So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. Now there was no food to be had in Samaria. 3 And Ahab sent for Obadiah, the controller of the king's house. (Now Obadiah had the fear of the Lord before him greatly; 4 For when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred of them, and kept them secretly in a hole in the rock, fifty at a time, and gave them bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Come, let us go through all the country, to all the fountains of water and all the rivers, and see if there is any grass to be had for the horses and the transport beasts, so that we may be able to keep some of the beasts from destruction. 6 So they went through all the country, covering it between them; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another by himself. 7 And while Obadiah was on his way, he came face to face with Elijah; and seeing who it was, he went down on his face and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah? 8 And Elijah in answer said, It is I; now go and say to your lord, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, What sin have I done, that you would give up your servant into the hand of Ahab, and be the cause of my death? 10 By the life of the Lord your God, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent in search of you; and when they said, He is not here; he made them take an oath that they had not seen you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

went to show: Psalms 27:1, Psalms 51:4, Proverbs 28:1, Isaiah 51:12, Hebrews 13:5, Hebrews 13:6

a sore: Leviticus 26:26, Deuteronomy 28:23, Deuteronomy 28:24, 2 Kings 6:25, Jeremiah 14:2-6, Jeremiah 14:18, Joel 1:15-20

Reciprocal: Ruth 1:1 - a famine 2 Samuel 21:1 - a famine 1 Kings 16:24 - the name of the city 1 Kings 18:1 - Go 2 Kings 8:1 - the Lord Amos 4:6 - and want Luke 4:25 - when the

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant:
Genesis 18:6
Then Abraham went quickly into the tent, and said to Sarah, Get three measures of meal straight away and make cakes.
Genesis 18:7
And running to the herd, he took a young ox, soft and fat, and gave it to the servant and he quickly made it ready;
Genesis 18:11
Now Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was past the time for giving birth.
Genesis 18:16
And the men went on from there in the direction of Sodom; and Abraham went with them on their way.
Genesis 19:1
And at nightfall the two angels came to Sodom; and Lot was seated at the way into the town: and when he saw them he got up and came before them, falling down on his face to the earth.
Genesis 23:7
And Abraham got up and gave honour to the children of Heth, the people of that land.
Genesis 32:24
Then Jacob was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till dawn.
Genesis 43:26
And when Joseph came in, they gave him the things which they had for him, and went down to the earth before him.
Genesis 43:28
And they said, Your servant, our father, is well, he is still living. And they went down on their faces before him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab,.... Which showed his cheerful and ready obedience to the will of God, and his great courage and magnanimity, to face a king enraged against him, and that sought his life:

and there was a sore famine in Samaria; the metropolis of the kingdom, where Ahab kept his court, and therefore must be sensible of it, and bore the greater indignation against the prophet who had foretold it.


 
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