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Good News Translation

1 Kings 18:12

What if the spirit of the Lord carries you off to some unknown place as soon as I leave? Then, when I tell Ahab that you are here and he can't find you, he will put me to death. Remember that I have been a devout worshiper of the Lord ever since I was a boy.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Doubting;   Elijah;   Obadiah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children, Good;   Fear, Godly;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Obadiah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gods and Goddesses, Pagan;   Holy Spirit;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Infant Baptism;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Obadiah;   Reverence;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Carmel;   Elijah;   Haggai;   Obadiah;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Obadiah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount carmel;   Obadiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Jezebel;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Obadi'ah;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth.
Hebrew Names Version
It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I don't know where; and so when I come and tell Ach'av, and he can't find you, he will kill me: but I your servant fear the LORD from my youth.
King James Version
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.
English Standard Version
And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.
New Century Version
The Spirit of the Lord may carry you to some other place after I leave. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesn't find you, he will kill me! I have followed the Lord since I was a boy.
New English Translation
But when I leave you, the Lord 's spirit will carry you away so I can't find you. If I go tell Ahab I've seen you, he won't be able to find you and he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal follower of the Lord from my youth.
Amplified Bible
"And as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I come to tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has [reverently] feared the LORD from my youth.
New American Standard Bible
"And it will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to where I do not know; so when I come and inform Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, though I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when I am gone from thee, the Spirit of the Lorde shall cary thee into some place that I doe not know: so when I come and tell Ahab, if he cannot finde thee, then wil he kil me: But I thy seruant feare the Lord from my youth.
Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that when I leave you, the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you where I do not know; and I will come and tell Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me, although I your servant have feared Yahweh from my youth.
Contemporary English Version
What if the Lord 's Spirit takes you away as soon as I leave? When Ahab comes to get you, he won't find you. Then he will surely kill me. I have worshiped the Lord since I was a boy.
Complete Jewish Bible
But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of Adonai will carry you off to I don't know where; so that when I come and tell Ach'av, and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have revered Adonai from my youth —
Darby Translation
And it shall come to pass when I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah shall carry thee whither I know not; and when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will kill me; and I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
Easy-to-Read Version
If I go tell King Ahab that you are here, the Spirit of the Lord might carry you away. Then when King Ahab comes here and cannot find you, he will kill me! I have followed the Lord since I was a boy.
George Lamsa Translation
And as soon as I am gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will take you up and carry you whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he shall slay me; but I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth.
Lexham English Bible
And it will happen that I will go from you and the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you up to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, but he will not find you, and then he will kill me, even though your servant has feared Yahweh from my youth.
Literal Translation
And it shall be, I will go away from you, and the Spirit of Jehovah will lift you up, where I do not know, and I will come to tell Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me. And your servant has feared Jehovah from my youth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan I were gone from the, the sprete of the LORDE shulde take ye awaye, I can not tell whither: and yf I then came and tolde Achab, and founde the not, he shulde slaye me: But thy seruaunt feareth the LORDE from his youth vp.
American Standard Version
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
Bible in Basic English
And straight away, when I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will take you away, I have no idea where, so that when I come and give word to Ahab, and he sees you not, he will put me to death: though I, your servant, have been a worshipper of the Lord from my earliest years.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And assoone as I am gone from thee, the spirite of the Lorde shall carrie thee into some place that I do not knowe, and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can not finde thee, he shall slay me: But I thy seruaunt feare the Lorde from my youth vp.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the LORD will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me; but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
King James Version (1611)
And it shall come to passe, as soone as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the Lord shall cary thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot finde thee, he shall slay mee: but I thy seruant feare the Lord from my youth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass when I shall have departed from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee to a land which I know not, and I shall go in to tell the matter to Achaab, and he will not find thee and will slay me: yet thy servant fears the Lord from his youth.
English Revised Version
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
Berean Standard Bible
I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Y schal departe fro thee, the Spirit of the Lord schal bere thee awey in to a place which Y knowe not; and Y schal entre, and `Y schal telle to Achab, and he schal not fynde thee, and he schal sle me; forsothe thi seruaunt dredith the Lord fro his yong childhod.
Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, I go from thee, and the Spirit of Jehovah doth lift thee up, whither I know not, and I have come to declare to Ahab, and he doth not find thee, and he hath slain me; and thy servant is fearing Jehovah from my youth.
Update Bible Version
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, I don't know where the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can't find you, he will slay me: but I your slave have feared Yahweh from my youth.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it will come to pass, [as soon as] I have gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry thee whither I know not; and [so] when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
World English Bible
It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you I don't know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can't find you, he will kill me: but I your servant fear Yahweh from my youth.
New King James Version
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.
New Living Translation
But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life.
New Life Bible
And after I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know. So I will go and tell Ahab, and he will not be able to find you. Then he will kill me. But I your servant have honored the Lord since I was young.
New Revised Standard
As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the Lord from my youth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
so shall it come to pass, as soon as, I, go from thee, that, the spirit of Yahweh, shall carry thee away - whither I know not, and so, when I go in to tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, then will he slay me, - and yet, thy servant, hath revered Yahweh, from my youth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when I am gone from thee, the Spirit of the Lord will carry thee into a place that I know not: and I shall go in and tell Achab; and he, not finding thee, will kill me: but thy servant feareth the Lord from his infancy.
Revised Standard Version
And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you whither I know not; and so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.

Contextual Overview

1 After some time, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab, and I will send rain." 2 So Elijah started out. The famine in Samaria was at its worst, 3 so Ahab called in Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the Lord , 4 and when Jezebel was killing the Lord 's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred of them, hid them in caves in two groups of fifty, and provided them with food and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Let us go and look at every spring and every stream bed in the land to see if we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Maybe we won't have to kill any of our animals." 6 They agreed on which part of the land each one would explore, and set off in different directions. 7 As Obadiah was on his way, he suddenly met Elijah. He recognized him, bowed low before him, and asked, "Is it really you, sir?" 8 "Yes, I'm Elijah," he answered. "Go and tell your master the king that I am here." 9 Obadiah answered, "What have I done that you want to put me in danger of being killed by King Ahab? 10 By the living Lord , your God, I swear that the king has made a search for you in every country in the world. Whenever the ruler of a country reported that you were not in his country, Ahab would require that ruler to swear that you could not be found.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Spirit of the Lord: 2 Kings 2:11, 2 Kings 2:16, Ezekiel 3:12-14, Ezekiel 8:3, Ezekiel 11:24, Ezekiel 37:1, Ezekiel 40:1, Ezekiel 40:2, Matthew 4:1, Acts 8:39, 2 Corinthians 12:2, 2 Corinthians 12:3

he shall slay me: 1 Samuel 22:11-19, Daniel 2:5-13, Matthew 2:16, Acts 12:19

from my youth: 1 Samuel 2:18, 1 Samuel 2:26, 1 Samuel 3:19, 1 Samuel 3:20, 2 Chronicles 34:3, Psalms 71:17, Psalms 71:18, Proverbs 8:13, Ecclesiastes 7:18, Isaiah 50:10, Luke 1:15, 2 Timothy 3:15

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:21 - such as 1 Kings 18:3 - feared the Lord 1 Kings 18:9 - What have I sinned Nehemiah 7:2 - feared God Psalms 19:9 - The fear Ecclesiastes 11:9 - in thy youth Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember Ezekiel 11:1 - the spirit Ezekiel 43:5 - the spirit Malachi 3:16 - that feared Matthew 20:2 - he sent Luke 4:1 - and was 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - caught Revelation 17:3 - he carried Revelation 21:10 - he carried

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?"
Genesis 18:6
Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread."
Genesis 18:7
Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods.
Genesis 18:12
So Sarah laughed to herself and said, "Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too."
Genesis 18:13
Then the Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?'
Genesis 18:18
His descendants will become a great and mighty nation, and through him I will bless all the nations.
Genesis 18:20
Then the Lord said to Abraham, "There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great.
Psalms 126:2
How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, "The Lord did great things for them."
Ephesians 5:33
But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not,.... This he supposed might possibly, and very probably, be the case, since small raptures might have been already, and known to Obadiah, as there were afterwards, see 2 Kings 2:16, and then he should not know where he was, nor be able to direct his master where to find him:

and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me; for telling him a lie, and deceiving and mocking him; or for not seizing on Elijah, and bringing him, when he knew he was so desirous of getting him into his hands:

but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth; and therefore did not deserve to be treated after this manner, having been an early and conscientious worshipper of the true God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 18:12. The Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee — Obadiah supposed that the Spirit of the Lord had carried him to some strange country during the three years and a half of the drought; and as he had reason to think that Ahab would slay Elijah if he found him, and that the God of the prophet would not suffer his servant to fall into such murderous hands, he took for granted that as soon as he should come into danger, so soon would the Spirit of the Lord carry him away, or direct him to some hiding place.


 
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