1 Kings 19:10

The NET Bible®

He answered, "I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord , the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”

Hebrew Names Version
He said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,; for the children of Yisra'el have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

King James Version
And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

English Standard Version
He said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord , the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."

New Century Version
He answered, " Lord God All-Powerful, I have always served you as well as I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."

Amplified Bible
He said, "I have been very zealous (impassioned) for the LORD God of hosts (armies) [proclaiming what is rightfully and uniquely His]; for the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life."

New American Standard Bible
And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he answered, I haue bene very ielous for the Lord God of hostes: for the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenant, broken downe thine altars, and slayne thy Prophets with the sword, and I onely am left, and they seeke my life to take it away.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, pulled down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

Contemporary English Version
He answered, " Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!"

Complete Jewish Bible
He answered, "I have been very zealous for Adonai the God of armies, because the people of Isra'el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I'm the only one left, and they're coming after me to kill me too."

Darby Translation
And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it away.

Easy-to-Read Version
Elijah answered, " Lord God All-Powerful, I have always served you the best I can, but the Israelites have broken their agreement with you. They destroyed your altars and killed your prophets. I am the only prophet left alive, and now they are trying to kill me!"

George Lamsa Translation
And he said, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Good News Translation
He answered, " Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!"

Lexham English Bible
Then he said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life.

Literal Translation
And he said, Being zealous, I have been zealous for Jehovah the God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant; they have thrown down Your altars, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seekto take my life.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: I haue bene zelous for the LORDE God Zebaoth: for the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenaunt, and broken downe thine altares, and slayne thy prophetes with the swerde, and I am lefte onely, & they seke to take awaye my life.

American Standard Version
And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Bible in Basic English
And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have made destruction of your altars, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he aunswered, I haue ben ielous for the Lorde God of hoastes sake: For the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenaunt, broken downe thyne aulters, and slayne thy prophetes with the sword: and I onely am left, and they seke my lyfe to take it away.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.'

King James Version (1611)
And hee sayd, I haue beene very iealous for the Lord God of hostes: for the children of Israel haue forsaken thy Couenant, throwen downe thine Altars, and slaine thy Prophets with the sword: and I, euen I onely am left, and they seeke my life, to take it away.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu said, I have been very jealous for the Lord Almighty, because the children of Israel have forsaken thee: they have digged down thine altars, and have slain thy prophets with the sword; and I only am left alone, and they seek my life to take it.

English Revised Version
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Berean Standard Bible
"I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts," he replied, "but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he answeride, Bi feruent loue Y louede feruentli, for the Lord God of oostis; for the sones of Israel forsoken the couenaunt of the Lord; thei destrieden thin auters, and killiden bi swerd thi prophetis; and Y am left aloone, and thei seken my lijf, that thei do it awei.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `I have been very zealous for Jehovah, God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant -- Thine altars they have thrown down, and Thy prophets they have slain by the sword, and I am left, I, by myself, and they seek my life -- to take it.'

Update Bible Version
And he said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.

World English Bible
He said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

New King James Version
So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

New Living Translation
Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."

New Life Bible
Elijah said, "I have been very careful to serve the Lord, the God of All. For the people of Israel have turned away from Your agreement. They have torn down Your altars and have killed with the sword the men who speak for You. Only I am left, and they want to kill me."

New Revised Standard
He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord , the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - Very jealous, have I been, for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thine altars, have they thrown down, thy prophets, also have they slain with the sword, - and, I alone, am left, and they have sought my life, to take it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: they have thrown down thy altars, they have slain thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away.

Revised Standard Version
He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

THE MESSAGE
"I've been working my heart out for the God -of-the-Angel-Armies," said Elijah. "The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I'm the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

Contextual Overview

⁹ He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" ¹⁰ He answered, "I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord , the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life." ¹¹ The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord . Look, the Lord is ready to pass by." A very powerful wind went before the Lord , digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" ¹⁴ He answered, "I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord , the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life." ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. ¹⁶ You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael's sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu's sword. ¹⁸ I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

very jealous: Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:14, Numbers 25:11, Numbers 25:13, Psalms 69:9, Psalms 119:139, John 2:17

thrown down: 1 Kings 19:14, 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:30, Jeremiah 2:30, Hosea 5:11, Micah 6:16, Micah 7:2

I only: 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:20, 1 Kings 18:22, 1 Kings 20:13, 1 Kings 20:22, 1 Kings 20:35, 1 Kings 20:41, 1 Kings 20:42, 1 Kings 22:8, Romans 11:2-4

they seek my life: 1 Kings 19:2, 1 Kings 18:10, 1 Kings 18:17

Reciprocal: Exodus 5:22 - why is it Exodus 23:2 - follow Deuteronomy 29:25 - they have forsaken Judges 5:3 - even I 2 Kings 10:16 - Come with me 2 Chronicles 18:7 - one man Nehemiah 9:26 - slew Psalms 35:4 - that Psalms 44:22 - killed Jeremiah 5:1 - if ye can Jeremiah 36:26 - to take Jeremiah 50:5 - that shall Hosea 12:10 - have also Matthew 5:12 - for so Matthew 21:35 - General Mark 12:3 - they Luke 6:23 - for in Acts 7:52 - Which of Acts 12:2 - with Acts 17:16 - his spirit Romans 11:3 - Lord Hebrews 11:37 - were slain 2 Peter 2:15 - forsaken

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, I have been jealous for the Lord God of hosts,.... Through zeal for the glory of God he had slain four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and this had stirred up the malice and revenge of Jezebel against him, who sought his life, and which had obliged him to flee, and come to this place for shelter; this is the first part of his answer, others follow:

for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant; the law, especially the two first commandments delivered in this very place; and therefore he could hope for no protection from them, but was forced to leave his country:

thrown down thy altars: which had been built in times past for the worship of God, to sacrifice thereon to him, but were now demolished, that those that would not bow the knee to Baal, and could not go to Jerusalem, might make no use of them:

and slain thy prophets with the sword; which was done by Jezebel, the Israelites conniving at it, and consenting to it, and not daring to oppose her; slain all she had knowledge of, or even were known by the prophet: hence it follows,

and I, [even] I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away: all this Elijah said, as it seems, not only to excuse himself for fleeing, and taking up his abode where he was, but to stir up the indignation of God against Israel for their idolatries and murders, and to put him upon inflicting his judgments on them for the same.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I, even I only, am left - The same statement as in 1 Kings 18:22, but the sense is different. There Elijah merely said that he alone remained to execute the prophet’s office, which was true; here he implies that he is the only prophet left alive, whereas a hundred had been saved by Obadiah 1 Kings 18:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:10. I have been very jealous for the Lord — The picture which he draws here of apostate Israel is very affecting:-

1. They have forsaken thy covenant — They have now cleaved to and worshipped other gods.

2. Thrown down thine altars — Endeavoured, as much as they possibly could, to abolish thy worship, and destroy its remembrance from the land.

3. And slain thy prophets — That there might be none to reprove their iniquity, or teach the truth; so that the restoration of the true worship might be impossible.

4. I only, am left — They have succeeded in destroying all the rest of the prophets, and they are determined not to rest till they slay me.