1 Kings 18

Elijah Meets Obadiah 1 Kings 18:3–16

³Verse 3. Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Yahweh greatly; ⁴Verse 4. for when Jezebel cut off Yahweh’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) ⁵Verse 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.” ⁶Verse 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.

⁷Verse 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?” ⁸Verse 8. He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here!’” ⁹Verse 9. He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? ¹⁰Verse 10. As Yahweh 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.

¹¹Verse 11. Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ ¹²Verse 12. It will happen, as soon as I leave you, that Yahweh’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 Yahweh from my youth. ¹³Verse 13. Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed Yahweh’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of Yahweh’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? ¹⁴Verse 14. Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”.’ He will kill me.”

¹⁵Verse 15. Elijah said, “As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” ¹⁶Verse 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

Confrontation with Ahab 1 Kings 18:17–21

¹⁷Verse 17. When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸Verse 18. He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken Yahweh’s commandments, and you have followed the Baals. ¹⁹Verse 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.” ²⁰Verse 20. So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel. ²¹Verse 21. Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.

The Prophets of Baal 1 Kings 18:22–29

²²Verse 22. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left as a prophet of Yahweh; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred fifty men. ²³Verse 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. ²⁴Verse 24. You call on the name of your god, and I will call on Yahweh’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.” All the people answered, “What you say is good.”

²⁵Verse 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.” ²⁶Verse 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. ²⁷Verse 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.”

²⁸Verse 28. They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. ²⁹Verse 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.

Yahweh Answers with Fire 1 Kings 18:30–39

³⁰Verse 30. Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me!”; and all the people came near to him. He repaired Yahweh’s altar that had been thrown down. ³¹Verse 31. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Yahweh’s word came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” ³²Verse 32. With the stones he built an altar in Yahweh’s name. He made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed. ³³Verse 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.”

³⁴Verse 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. ³⁵Verse 35. The water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. ³⁶Verse 36. At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “Yahweh, 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. ³⁷Verse 37. Hear me, Yahweh, hear me, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.”

³⁸Verse 38. Then Yahweh’s fire fell, and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹Verse 39. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, “Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!”

The Aftermath and Rain 1 Kings 18:40–46

⁴⁰Verse 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. ⁴¹Verse 41. Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” ⁴²Verse 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. ⁴³Verse 43. He said to his servant, “Go up now, and look toward the sea.” He went up, and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” He said, “Go again” seven times.

⁴⁴Verse 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.’” ⁴⁵Verse 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. ⁴⁶Verse 46. Yahweh’s hand was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.