18:1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”
18:2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,
18:3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD.
18:4 While Jezebel was killing off the LORD’S prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)
18:5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.”
18:6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
18:7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”
18:8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
18:9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?
18:10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.
18:11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’
18:12 I don’t know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth.
18:13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD’S prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water.
18:14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”
18:15 Elijah said, “As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”
18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
18:17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
18:18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’S commands and have followed the Baals.
18:19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
18:20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
18:21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
18:22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’S prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
18:23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
18:24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire–he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
18:25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
18:26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
18:27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
18:28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
18:29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins.
18:31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”
18:32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
18:33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
18:34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time.
18:35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
18:36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.
18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
18:39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD–he is God! The LORD–he is God!”
18:40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
18:41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
18:42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
18:43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
18:44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
18:45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
18:46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
18:1 Then after many days the word of Jehovah came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, present yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.
18:2 And Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.
18:3 And Ahab called for Obadiah, who was over his house. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly.
18:4 And when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and kept them fed with bread and water.)
18:5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and the mules alive and not lose some of the animals.
18:6 And they divided the land between them in order to pass through it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
18:7 And while Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him at that moment; and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is it indeed you, my lord Elijah?
18:8 And he said to him, It is I. Go and say to your lord, Elijah is here.
18:9 And he said, What sin have I committed, that you give your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?
18:10 As Jehovah your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom that my lord has not sent men into in order to seek you; and when they said, He is not here, he had an oath taken from the kingdom or nation that they had not found you there.
18:11 And now you say, Go and say to your lord, Elijah is here.
18:12 And it will happen that when I go away from you, the Spirit of Jehovah will carry you off, I know not where; and when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will slay me, although I your servant have feared Jehovah since my youth.
18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, that I hid a hundred of Jehovah s prophets by fifties in a cave and kept them fed with bread and water?
18:14 And now you say, Go and say to your lord, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.
18:15 Then Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to him today.
18:16 Then Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
18:17 And when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Is that you, the troubler of Israel?
18:18 And he said, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah and have gone after the Baals.
18:19 And now send word, and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel s table.
18:20 So Ahab sent word to all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel.
18:21 Then Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go hopping between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.
18:22 And Elijah said to the people, I alone am left as a prophet of Jehovah, but Baal s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
18:23 Let them therefore give us two bulls. And let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and put it on the wood, but let them apply no fire; and I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood, and I will apply no fire.
18:24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God who answers by fire, He will be God. And all the people answered and said, The word seems good.
18:25 And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for there are many of you. And call on the name of your god, but apply no fire.
18:26 So they took the bull which had been given them and prepared it; and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they leaped around the altar that had been made.
18:27 Then at noon Elijah mocked them and said, Cry out with a loud voice, for he is a god; for he is meditating or has wandered off or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and will awake.
18:28 And they cried out with a loud voice and cut themselves, according to their custom, with swords and spears until blood gushed out all over them.
18:29 And when noon had passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering up of the meal offering; but there was no voice nor any that answered nor any attention paid.
18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah which was broken down.
18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob (to whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be your name);
18:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah, and he made a trench around the altar, with a capacity of two measures of seed.
18:33 And he arranged the wood and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour the water on the burnt offering and on the wood.
18:34 And he said, Do it a second time. And they did it a second time. And he said, Do it a third time. And they did it a third time.
18:35 And the water went around the altar, and he filled the trench also with water.
18:36 Then at the time of the offering up of the meal offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and 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 by Your word.
18:37 Answer me, O Jehovah; answer me, that this people may know that You, O Jehovah, are God and that You have turned their heart back again.
18:38 And the fire of Jehovah fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
18:39 And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and said, Jehovah ? He is God! Jehovah ? He is God!
18:40 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape! And they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
18:41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, Go up; eat and drink, for there is the sound of an abundance of rain.
18:42 And Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he bowed down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
18:43 And he said to his attendant, Go up now; look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said seven times, Go back.
18:44 And at the seventh time the attendant said, Now there is a cloud, small as a man s hand, coming up out of the sea. And Elijah said, Go up and say to Ahab, Prepare a chariot and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.
18:45 And in the meantime the heavens became black with clouds, and there was wind and a great rain. And Ahab mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel.
18:46 And the hand of Jehovah was upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.