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Thursday, October 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 19:2

Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Jezebel;   King;   Life;   Malice;   Minister, Christian;   Miracles;   Revenge;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Apostles;   Church;   Evil;   God's;   Jezebel;   Meekness-Retaliation;   Ministers;   Persecution;   Queens;   Revenge;   Silence-Speech;   Suffering for Righteousness' S;   Voice;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Persecution;   Revenge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jezebel;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Elijah;   Jezebel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Angel;   Idol, Idolatry;   Persecution;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Jezebel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Archangel;   Elijah;   Jezebel;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Elijah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jezebel ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Camel;   Eli'jah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ahab;   Angel;   Elijah;   Jezebel;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for July 25;   Every Day Light - Devotion for January 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”
Hebrew Names Version
Then Izevel send a messenger to Eliyah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
King James Version
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
English Standard Version
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
New Century Version
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "May the gods punish me terribly if by this time tomorrow I don't kill you just as you killed those prophets."
New English Translation
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, "May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!"
Amplified Bible
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and even more, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them."
New American Standard Bible
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Iezebel sent a messenger vnto Eliiah, saying, The gods doe so to me and more also, if I make not thy life like one of their liues by to morowe this time.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by about this time tomorrow."
Contemporary English Version
She sent a message to Elijah: "You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow."
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Izevel sent a messenger to say to Eliyahu, "May the gods do terrible things to me and worse ones besides if by this time tomorrow I haven't taken your life, just as you took theirs!"
Darby Translation
And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So do the gods [to me], and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time!
Easy-to-Read Version
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah and said, "I swear that by this time tomorrow, you will be just as dead as those prophets. If I don't succeed, may the gods do the same or worse to me."
George Lamsa Translation
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
Good News Translation
She sent a message to Elijah: "May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets."
Lexham English Bible
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "Thus may the gods do to me, and may they add to it, surely at this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them!"
Literal Translation
And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do, and more so, if at this time tomorrow I will not cause your life to be as the life of one of them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sent Iesabel a messaunger vnto Elias, sayenge: The goddes do this & that vnto me, yf I tomorow aboute this tyme, make not thy soule as one of these.
American Standard Version
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Iezabel sent a messenger vnto Elias, saying: So and so let the gods do to me, if I make not thy soule lyke one of theirs by to morowe this time.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying: 'So let the gods do [to me], and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.'
King James Version (1611)
Then Iezebel sent a messenger vnto Eliiah, saying; So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them, by to morrow about this time.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jezabel sent to Eliu, and said, If thou art Eliu and I am Jezabel, God do so to me, and more also, if I do not make thy life by this time to-morrow as the life of one of them.
English Revised Version
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
Berean Standard Bible
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Jezabel sente a messanger to Elie, and seide, Goddis do these thingis to me, and adde these thingis, no but to morewe in this our Y schal putte thi lijf as the lijf of oon of hem.
Young's Literal Translation
and Jezebel sendeth a messenger unto Elijah, saying, `Thus doth the gods, and thus do they add, surely about this time to-morrow, I make thy life as the life of one of them.'
Update Bible Version
Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do [to me], and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.
World English Bible
Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
New King James Version
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time."
New Living Translation
So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: "May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them."
New Life Bible
Then Jezebel sent news to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
New Revised Standard
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then sent Jezebel a messenger unto Elijah, saying, - So, let the gods do, and, so, let them add, if, by this time to-morrow, I make not thy life as the life of one of them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jezabel sent a messenger to Elias, saying: Such and such things may the gods do to me, and add still more, if by this hour to morrow I make not thy life as the life of one of them.
Revised Standard Version
Then Jez'ebel sent a messenger to Eli'jah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time."

Contextual Overview

1 Ahab gave Jezebel news of all Elijah had done, and how he had put all the prophets to death with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant; 4 While he himself went a day's journey into the waste land, and took a seat under a broom-plant, desiring for himself only death; for he said, It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers. 5 And stretching himself on the earth, he went to sleep under the broom-plant; but an angel, touching him, said to him, Get up and have some food. 6 And looking up, he saw by his head a cake cooked on the stones and a bottle of water. So he took food and drink and went to sleep again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touching him said, Get up and have some food, or the journey will be overmuch for your strength. 8 So he got up and took food and drink, and in the strength of that food he went on for forty days and nights, to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So let: 1 Kings 2:28, 1 Kings 20:10, Ruth 1:17, 2 Kings 6:31

if I: Exodus 10:28, Exodus 15:9, 2 Kings 19:10-12, 2 Kings 19:22, 2 Kings 19:27, 2 Kings 19:28, Daniel 3:15

to morrow: Proverbs 27:1, Acts 12:4-6, James 4:13, James 4:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:18 - to morrow 1 Samuel 20:13 - The Lord do 1 Samuel 22:16 - Thou shalt 2 Samuel 3:9 - So do God 2 Samuel 19:13 - God 1 Kings 16:31 - Jezebel 1 Kings 18:19 - eat at Jezebel's table 1 Kings 19:10 - they seek my life 1 Kings 21:5 - Jezebel 1 Kings 21:25 - whom Jezebel 2 Kings 1:9 - sent unto 2 Kings 9:22 - the whoredoms 2 Kings 9:30 - Jezebel Proverbs 12:16 - fool's Proverbs 14:16 - the fool Jeremiah 20:10 - we shall Matthew 2:8 - go Matthew 5:12 - for so Matthew 14:8 - Give Matthew 21:35 - General Luke 6:23 - for in Acts 23:12 - bound Revelation 2:20 - that woman

Cross-References

Genesis 18:4
Let me get water for washing your feet, and take your rest under the tree:
Genesis 19:17
And when they had put them out, he said, Go for your life, without looking back or waiting in the lowland; go quickly to the mountain or you will come to destruction.
Genesis 19:21
And he said, See, I have given you your request in this one thing more: I will not send destruction on this town.
Genesis 19:28
And looking in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the lowland, he saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of an oven.
Genesis 19:29
So it came about that when God sent destruction on the towns of the lowland, he kept his word to Abraham, and sent Lot safely away when he put an end to the towns where he was living.
Acts 16:15
And when she and her family had had baptism, she made a request to us, saying, If it seems to you that I am true to the Lord, come into my house and be my guests. And she made us come.
Hebrews 13:2
Take care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their guests, without being conscious of it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,.... In Jezreel, or near it, to frighten him away; not caring to seize him, and dispatch him, for fear of the people, in whom he had now a great interest; or otherwise it is not easy to account for it that she should give him notice of it; unless she scorned to do it privately, as some think, and was determined to make a public example of him; but being not as yet prepared for it, sends him word what he must expect, imagining that as he had the courage to appear, he would not flee; no doubt there was an hand of Providence in it, be it which it will, that he might have time to make his escape:

saying, so let the gods do to me, and more also; the gods she served, Baal and Ashtaroth, and by whom she swore:

if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time; as one of the prophets Elijah had slain; she swore by her gods, and wished the greatest evils might befall her, if she did not lodge him in the state of the dead where they were in the space of twenty four hours; though Abarbinel thinks it is not an oath, but that the words and meaning of them are, so the gods do; it is their usual way, and they will go on to do so for the future, because of the holiness of their name; and therefore do not boast of slaying the prophets, or make use of that as an argument of their falsehood, for they will do the same by thee by tomorrow this time.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prophet had not long to wait before learning the intentions of the queen. A priest’s daughter herself, she would avenge the slaughtered priests; a king’s wife and a king’s child, she would not quail before a subject. That very night a messenger declared her determination to compass the prophet’s death within the space of a day.

So let the gods ... - A common oath about this time (marginal references). The Greek Version prefixes to this another clause, which makes the oath even more forcible, “As surely as thou art Elijah and I am Jezebel, so let the gods,” etc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:2. So let the gods do — If I do not slay thee, let the gods slay me with the most ignominious death.


 
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