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Revelation
Chapter
18
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18
19
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1 Kings chapter 18
English Standard Version
1
After many days the word of the
Lord
came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth."
2
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
3
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the
Lord
greatly,
4
and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the
Lord
, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.)
5
And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals."
6
So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.
7
And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"
8
And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’"
9
And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would give 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. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you.
11
And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, "Behold, Elijah is here."’
12
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.
13
Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the
Lord
, how I hid a hundred men of the
Lord
's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water?
14
And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, "Behold, Elijah is here"’; and he will kill me."
15
And Elijah said, "As the
Lord
of hosts 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 it you, you troubler of Israel?"
18
And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father 's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the
Lord
and followed the Baals.
19
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel 's table."
20
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the
Lord
is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word.
22
Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the
Lord
, but Baal 's prophets are 450 men.
23
Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.
24
And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the
Lord
, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken."
25
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it."
26
And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.
27
And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."
28
And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.
29
And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
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 the
Lord
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 word of the
Lord
came, saying, "Israel shall be your name,"
32
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the
Lord
. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.
33
And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."
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.
35
And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
36
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O
Lord
, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
37
Answer me, O
Lord
, answer me, that this people may know that you, O
Lord
, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."
38
Then the fire of the
Lord
fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The
Lord
, he is God; the
Lord
, he is God."
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.
41
And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain."
42
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
43
And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go again," seven times.
44
And at the seventh time he said, "Behold, a little cloud like a man 's hand is rising from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’"
45
And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
46
And the hand of the
Lord
was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
New International Version
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."
2
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,
3
and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the
Lord
.
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.)
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."
6
So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
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?"
8
"Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ "
9
"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?
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.
11
But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’
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.
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.
14
And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!"
15
Elijah said, "As the
Lord
Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."
16
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
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.
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."
20
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
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.
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.
23
Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets 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.
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."
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."
26
So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
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."
28
So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
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.
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 had been torn down.
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."
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.
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."
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.
35
The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "
Lord
, the 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.
37
Answer me,
Lord
, answer me, so these people will know that you,
Lord
, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
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.
39
When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The
Lord
—he is God! The
Lord
—he is God!"
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.
41
And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain."
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.
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."
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.’ "
45
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
46
The power of the
Lord
came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
New American Standard Bible
1
Now it happened
after
many days that the word of the
Lord
came to Elijah in the third year, saying, 'Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.'
2
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine
was
severe in Samaria.
3
Ahab summoned Obadiah, who
was
in charge of the household. (Now Obadiah feared the
Lord
greatly;
4
for when Jezebel killed the prophets of the
Lord
, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
5
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, 'Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not
have to
kill some of the cattle.'
6
So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7
Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, 'Is it you, Elijah my master?'
8
And he said to him, 'It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah
is here.
’?'
9
But he said, 'What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death?
10
As
surely as
the
Lord
your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my master has not sent
word
to search for you; and whenever they say, ‘He is not
here,
’ he makes the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.
11
Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah
is here!
'?’
12
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.
13
Has it not been reported to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the
Lord
, that I hid a hundred prophets of the
Lord
by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water?
14
Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah
is here
'?’; he will then kill me!'
15
Then Elijah said, 'As
surely as
the
Lord
of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.'
16
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and informed him; then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, 'Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?'
18
He said, 'I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house
have,
because you have abandoned the commandments of the
Lord
and you have followed the Baals.
19
Now then, send
orders and
gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel,
together
with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.'
20
So Ahab sent
orders
among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, 'How long are you going to struggle with the two choices? If the
Lord
is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' But the people did not answer him
so much as
a word.
22
Then Elijah said to the people, 'I alone am left as a prophet of the
Lord
, while Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
23
Now have them give us two oxen; and have them choose the one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire
under it;
and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire
under it.
24
Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the
Lord
; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.' And all the people replied, 'That is a good idea.'
25
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose the one ox for yourselves and prepare it first, since
there are
many
of
you, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire
under the ox.
'
26
Then they took the ox which was given them and they 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 limped about the altar which they had made.
27
And at noon Elijah ridiculed them and said, 'Call out with a loud voice, since he is a god; undoubtedly he is attending to business, or is on the way, or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and will awaken.'
28
So they cried out with a loud voice, and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood gushed out on them.
29
When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the
evening
sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
30
Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come forward to me.' So all the people came forward to him. And he repaired the altar of the
Lord
which had been torn down.
31
Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the
Lord
had come, saying, 'Israel shall be your name.'
32
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the
Lord
; and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.
33
Then he laid out the wood, and he cut the ox in pieces and placed
it
on the wood.
34
And he said, 'Fill four large jars with water and pour
it
on the burnt offering and on the wood.' And he said, 'Do it a second time,' so they did it a second time. Then he said, 'Do it a third time,' so they did it a third time.
35
The water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
36
Then at the time of the offering of the
evening
sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached and said, '
Lord
, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and
that
I have done all these things at Your word.
37
Answer me,
Lord
, answer me, so that this people may know that You,
Lord
, are God, and
that
You have turned their heart back.'
38
Then the fire of the
Lord
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.
39
When all the people saw
this,
they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The
Lord
, He is God; the
Lord
, He is God!'
40
Then Elijah said to them, 'Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.' So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
41
Now Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a
heavy
shower.'
42
So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees.
43
And he said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' So he went up and looked, but he said, 'There is nothing.' Yet
Elijah
said, 'Go back' seven times.
44
And
when he returned
the seventh
time,
he said, 'Behold, a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.' And
Elijah
said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness
your chariot horses
and go down, so that the
heavy
shower does not stop you.’?'
45
Meanwhile the sky became dark with clouds and wind
came up,
and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
46
Then the hand of the
Lord
was on Elijah, and he belted
his cloak
around his waist and outran Ahab to Jezreel.
Christian Standard Bible
1
After a long time, the word of the
Lord
came to Elijah in the third year: "Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land."
2
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.
3
Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the
Lord
4
and took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the
Lord
’s prophets.
5
Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle."
6
They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7
While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"
8
"It is I," he replied. "Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’"
9
But Obadiah said, "What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?
10
As the
Lord
your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.
11
"Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"’
12
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.
13
Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the
Lord
’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the
Lord
, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water.
14
Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"’ He will kill me!"
15
Then Elijah said, "As the
Lord
of Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab."
16
Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, the one ruining Israel?"
18
He replied, "I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the
Lord
’s commands and followed the Baals.
19
Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table."
20
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.
21
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the
Lord
is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him." But the people didn’t answer him a word.
22
Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only remaining prophet of the
Lord
, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
23
Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.
24
Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the
Lord
. The God who answers with fire, he is God." All the people answered, "That’s fine."
25
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire."
26
So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.
27
At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, "Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!"
28
They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them.
29
All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30
Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near me." So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the
Lord
’s altar that had been torn down:
31
Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the
Lord
had come, saying, "Israel will be your name" —
32
and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the
Lord
. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.
33
Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, "Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood."
34
Then he said, "A second time!" and they did it a second time. And then he said, "A third time!" and they did it a third time.
35
So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.
36
At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, "
Lord
, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things.
37
Answer me,
Lord
! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the
Lord
, are God and that you have turned their hearts back."
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 facedown and said, "The
Lord
, he is God! The
Lord
, he is God!"
40
Then Elijah ordered them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape." So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.
41
Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm."
42
So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees.
43
Then he said to his servant, "Go up and look toward the sea." So he went up, looked, and said, "There’s nothing." Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
44
On the seventh time, he reported, "There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea." Then Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’"
45
In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel.
46
The power of the
Lord
was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
New Living Translation
1
Later on, in the third year of the drought, the
Lord
said to Elijah, 'Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!'
2
So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.
3
So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the
Lord
.
4
Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the
Lord
’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)
5
Ahab said to Obadiah, 'We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules.'
6
So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7
As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. 'Is it really you, my lord Elijah?' he asked.
8
Yes, it is,' Elijah replied. 'Now go and tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’'
9
Oh, sir,' Obadiah protested, 'what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab?
10
For I swear by the
Lord
your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, ‘Elijah isn’t here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim.
11
And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'’
12
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.
13
Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the
Lord
’s prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water.
14
And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'’ Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me.'
15
But Elijah said, 'I swear by the
Lord
Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.'
16
So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.
17
When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, 'So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?'
18
I have made no trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 'You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the
Lord
and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.
19
Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel. '
20
So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.
21
Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, 'How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the
Lord
is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!' But the people were completely silent.
22
Then Elijah said to them, 'I am the only prophet of the
Lord
who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.
23
Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it.
24
Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the
Lord
. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!' And all the people agreed.
25
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, 'You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.'
26
So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, 'O Baal, answer us!' But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.
27
About noontime Elijah began mocking them. 'You’ll have to shout louder,' he scoffed, 'for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!'
28
So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.
29
They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.
30
Then Elijah called to the people, 'Come over here!' They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the
Lord
that had been torn down.
31
He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,
32
and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the
Lord
. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.
33
He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, 'Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.'
34
After they had done this, he said, 'Do the same thing again!' And when they were finished, he said, 'Now do it a third time!' So they did as he said,
35
and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.
36
At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, 'O
Lord
, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.
37
O
Lord
, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O
Lord
, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.'
38
Immediately the fire of the
Lord
flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!
39
And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, 'The
Lord
— he is God! Yes, the
Lord
is God!'
40
Then Elijah commanded, 'Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!' So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.
41
Then Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!'
42
So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.
43
Then he said to his servant, 'Go and look out toward the sea.' The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, 'I didn’t see anything.' Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.
44
Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, 'I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.' Then Elijah shouted, 'Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’'
45
And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.
46
Then the
Lord
gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.
King James Version
1
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the
Lord
came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
2
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
3
And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the
Lord
greatly:
4
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the
Lord
, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
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
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
8
And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
9
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10
As the
Lord
thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
11
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12
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.
13
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the
Lord
, how I hid an hundred men of the
Lord
'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15
And Elijah said, As the
Lord
of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
16
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the
Lord
, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
20
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the
Lord
be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the
Lord
; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the
Lord
: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29
And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the
Lord
that was broken down.
31
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the
Lord
came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the
Lord
: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34
And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,
Lord
God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37
Hear me, O
Lord
, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the
Lord
God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38
Then the fire of the
Lord
fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The
Lord
, he is the God; the
Lord
, he is the God.
40
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43
And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
45
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46
And the hand of the
Lord
was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
New King James Version
1
And it came to pass
after
many days that the word of the
Lord
came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”
2
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and
there was
a severe famine in Samaria.
3
And Ahab had called Obadiah, who
was
in charge of
his
house. (Now Obadiah feared the
Lord
greatly.
4
For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the
Lord
, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)
5
And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.”
6
So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7
Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “
Is
that you, my lord Elijah?”
8
And he answered him, “
It is
I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah
is here.
’ ”
9
So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering 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 master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘
He is
not
here,
’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you.
11
And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah
is here
” ’!
12
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.
13
Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the
Lord
, how I hid one hundred men of the
Lord
’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14
And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah
is here.
” ’ He will kill me!”
15
Then Elijah said, “
As
the
Lord
of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.”
16
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “
Is that
you, O troubler of Israel?”
18
And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house
have,
in that you have forsaken the commandments of the
Lord
and have followed the Baals.
19
Now therefore, send
and
gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
21
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the
Lord
is
God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
22
Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the
Lord
; but Baal’s prophets
are
four hundred and fifty men.
23
Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay
it
on the wood, but put no fire
under it;
and I will prepare the other bull, and lay
it
on the wood, but put no fire
under it.
24
Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the
Lord
; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
25
Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare
it
first, for you
are
many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire
under it.
”
26
So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared
it,
and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But
there was
no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
27
And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he
is
a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey,
or
perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
28
So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
29
And when midday was past, they prophesied until the
time
of the offering of the
evening
sacrifice. But
there was
no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the
Lord
that was
broken down.
31
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the
Lord
had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32
Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the
Lord
; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33
And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid
it
on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour
it
on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
34
Then 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.
35
So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36
And it came to pass, at
the time of
the offering of the
evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “
Lord
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You
are
God in Israel and I
am
Your servant, and
that
I have done all these things at Your word.
37
Hear me, O
Lord
, hear me, that this people may know that You
are
the
Lord
God, and
that
You have turned their hearts back
to You
again.”
38
Then the fire of the
Lord
fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that
was
in the trench.
39
Now when all the people saw
it,
they fell on their faces; and they said, “The
Lord
, He
is
God! The
Lord
, He
is
God!”
40
And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
41
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for
there is
the sound of abundance of rain.”
42
So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
43
and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “
There is
nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44
Then it came to pass the seventh
time,
that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare
your chariot,
and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45
Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
46
Then the hand of the
Lord
came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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