18
1 After
many days, the
LORD’s word came
to Elijah, in the
third year, saying,
“Go, show yourself
to Ahab; and I
will send rain
on the earth.”
2 Elijah went
to show himself
to Ahab. The
famine was severe
in Samaria.
3 Ahab called
Obadiah, who was
over the household.
(Now Obadiah
feared the LORD
greatly;
4 for
when Jezebel cut
off the LORD’s
prophets, Obadiah
took one hundred
prophets, and hid
them fifty to
a cave, and
fed them with
bread and water.)
5 Ahab said to
Obadiah, “Go
through the land,
to all the
springs of water,
and to all
the brooks. Perhaps
we may find
grass and save
the horses and
mules alive, that
we not lose
all the animals.”
6 So
they divided
the land between
them to pass
throughout it. Ahab
went one way
by himself, and
Obadiah went another
way by himself.
7 As
Obadiah was on
the way, behold,
Elijah met him. He
recognized him,
and fell on
his face, and said,
“Is it you,
my lord Elijah?”
8 He answered
him, “It is I.
Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here!’ ”
9 He said, “How
have I sinned,
that you would
deliver your
servant into the
hand of Ahab, to
kill me?
10 As
the LORD your
God lives, there
is no nation
or kingdom where
my lord has
not sent to
seek you. When
they said, ‘He is
not here,’ he
took an oath
of the kingdom
and nation that
they didn’t find
you.
11 Now
you say, ‘Go, tell
your lord, “Behold, Elijah
is here.” ’
12 It
will happen,
as soon as I leave
you, that the
LORD’s Spirit 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, have
feared the LORD
from my youth.
13 Wasn’t it
told my lord
what I did
when Jezebel killed
the LORD’s
prophets, how I
hid one hundred
men of the
LORD’s prophets
with fifty to
a cave, and
fed them with
bread and water?
14 Now
you say, ‘Go, tell
your lord, “Behold, Elijah
is here”.’ He will
kill me.”
15 Elijah said, “As
the LORD of
Armies lives,
before whom I
stand, I will
surely show myself
to him today.”
16 So Obadiah
went to meet Ahab,
and told him;
and Ahab went to
meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab
saw Elijah, Ahab said to
him, “Is that
you, you troubler
of Israel?”
18 He answered,
“I have not
troubled Israel,
but you and
your father’s house,
in that you
have forsaken the
LORD’s commandments
and you have
followed the Baals.
19 Now
therefore send,
and gather to
me all Israel
to Mount Carmel,
and four hundred
fifty of the
prophets of Baal,
and four hundred
of the prophets
of the Asherah,
who eat at Jezebel’s
table.”
20 So Ahab
sent to all
the children of
Israel, and
gathered the
prophets together
to Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah came
near to all
the people, and
said, “How long
will you waver
between the
two sides? If the
LORD is God,
follow him; but if
Baal, then follow
him.”
The people didn’t
say a word.
22 Then Elijah
said to the people,
“I, even I only,
am left as
a prophet of
the LORD; but
Baal’s prophets
are four hundred
fifty men.
23 Let
them therefore
give us two
bulls; and let
them choose one
bull for
themselves, and
cut it in
pieces, and lay
it on the
wood, and put
no fire under; and
I will dress
the other bull,
and lay it
on the wood,
and put no fire
under it.
24 You
call on the
name of your
god, and I
will call on
the LORD’s name.
The God who
answers by fire,
let him be
God.”
All the people
answered, “What
you say is
good.”
25 Elijah said
to the prophets
of Baal, “Choose
one bull
for yourselves, and
dress it first,
for you are
many; and call
on the name
of your god,
but put no fire
under it.”
26 They
took the bull
which was given
them, and they
dressed it, and
called on the
name of Baal
from morning even
until noon, saying,
“Baal, hear us!”
But there was
no voice,
and nobody answered.
They leaped about
the altar which
was made.
27 At
noon, Elijah mocked
them, and said, “Cry
aloud, for he
is a god. Either
he is deep
in thought, or he
has gone somewhere,
or he is
on a journey,
or perhaps
he sleeps and must
be awakened.”
28 They
cried aloud, and
cut themselves in
their way with
knives and lances
until the blood
gushed out on
them.
29 When
midday was past,
they prophesied
until the time
of the evening
offering; but
there was no
voice, no answer,
and nobody paid
attention.
30 Elijah said
to all the
people, “Come near
to me!”; and
all the people
came near to
him. He repaired
the LORD’s altar
that had been
thrown down.
31 Elijah took
twelve stones, according to
the number of
the tribes of
the sons of
Jacob, to whom the
LORD’s word came,
saying, “Israel
shall be your
name.”
32 With
the stones he
built an altar
in the LORD’s
name. He made
a trench around
the altar large
enough to contain
two seahs
of seed.
33 He
put the wood
in order, and
cut the bull
in pieces and
laid it on
the wood. He said,
“Fill four jars with water, and pour
it on the burnt
offering and on
the wood.”
34 He said, “Do
it a second
time;” and they
did it the
second time.
He said, “Do it
a third time;”
and they did
it the third
time.
35 The
water ran around
the altar; and
he also filled
the trench with
water.
36 At
the time of
the evening
offering, Elijah the
prophet came near
and said, “LORD,
the God of Abraham,
of Isaac, and
of Israel, let
it be known
today that you
are God in
Israel and that
I am your
servant, and that
I have done
all these things
at your word.
37 Hear
me, LORD, hear
me, that this
people may know
that you, LORD,
are God, and
that you have
turned their heart
back again.”
38 Then
the LORD’s fire
fell and consumed
the burnt offering,
the wood,
the stones, and
the dust; and
it licked up
the water that
was in the
trench.
39 When
all the people
saw it, they
fell on their
faces. They said, “The
LORD, he is
God! The LORD,
he is God!”
40 Elijah said
to them, “Seize
the prophets of
Baal! Don’t let
one of them
escape!”
They seized them;
and Elijah brought
them down to
the brook Kishon,
and killed them
there.
41 Elijah said
to Ahab, “Get up,
eat and drink; for
there is the
sound of abundance
of rain.”
42 So Ahab
went up to eat
and to drink.
Elijah went up to
the top of
Carmel; and
he bowed himself
down on the
earth, and put
his face between
his knees.
43 He said
to his servant, “Go
up now and
look toward the
sea.”
He went up
and looked,
then said, “There
is nothing.”
He said, “Go
again” seven times.
44 On
the seventh time,
he said, “Behold,
a small cloud,
like a man’s hand,
is rising out
of the sea.”
He said, “Go up,
tell Ahab, ‘Get ready and
go down, so
that the
rain doesn’t stop
you.’ ”
45 In
a little while,
the sky grew
black with clouds
and wind, and
there was a
great rain. Ahab
rode, and went
to Jezreel.
46 The
LORD’s hand was
on Elijah; and
he tucked his cloak
into his belt and
ran before Ahab to
the entrance of
Jezreel.