1 Kings 18

1Many days went by, and in the third year the word of Yahweh came to Elijah: “Go and appear before Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the land.”

2So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. In Samaria the famine was fierce.

3Ahab called Obadiah, the steward over his household. Now Obadiah deeply feared Yahweh.

4When Jezebel was wiping out the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men to each cave, and kept them fed with bread and water.

5Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to every spring of water and every ravine. Perhaps we will find grass so the horses and mules can live, and we will not lose any of the livestock.”

6They split up the land between them to travel through it. Ahab took one road alone, and Obadiah took another road alone.

7Obadiah was on the road when suddenly Elijah was there to meet him. Obadiah recognized him, fell facedown, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

8“I am,” he said to him. “Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

9But Obadiah said, “What is my sin, that you are delivering your servant into Ahab’s power so he can kill me?

10As Yahweh your God lives, my master has sent men into every nation and kingdom to hunt for you. Whenever they said, ‘He is not here,’ he put that kingdom or nation under oath that they had not found you.

11And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’

12The moment I leave you, the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you away to some place unknown to me. I will go and report to Ahab, and when he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have feared Yahweh since I was young.

13Did no one tell my lord what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred of Yahweh’s prophets, fifty men to each cave, and provided them with bread and water.

14And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me!”

15Elijah said, “As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I stand, I will appear before him this very day.”

16Obadiah went off to meet Ahab and reported to him, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.

17As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one who brings trouble on Israel?”

18“It is not I who have brought trouble on Israel,” he answered. “It is you and your father’s house. You abandoned Yahweh’s commands and went after the Baals.

19Now send out word and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, along with Baal’s 450 prophets and Asherah’s four hundred prophets, the ones who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

20Ahab sent messengers among all the Israelites and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

21Elijah stepped up to all the people and said, “How long will you keep hobbling back and forth between two sides? If Yahweh is God, go after him; but if Baal is, go after him.” The people said not a word in reply.

22Then Elijah told the people, “I alone remain as a prophet for Yahweh, but the prophets of Baal are 450 men.

23Have two bulls brought to us. They can pick one bull for themselves, cut it up, and set it on the wood without setting fire to it. I will get the other bull ready and set it on the wood, and I will not set fire to it either.

24Then you will call on your god by name, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. Whichever God answers with fire, he is God.” All the people replied, “Well said.”

25Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Pick one bull for yourselves and get it ready first, because there are so many of you. Call on your god by name, but set no fire to it.”

26They took the bull he had given them and got it ready, and from morning until noon they called on Baal by name, crying, “Baal, answer us!” But no voice came, and no one gave an answer. They kept hobbling around the altar they had made.

27At noon Elijah started mocking them. “Shout at the top of your voices,” he said, “since he is a god! He may be deep in thought, or off relieving himself, or away on a trip. Or perhaps he is sleeping and has to be woken.”

28They cried out even louder and gashed themselves with swords and spears, following their custom, until blood streamed over them.

29Midday went by, and they kept on raving as prophets until the hour when the grain offering is presented. Still there was no voice, no one answered, and no one took notice.

30Elijah then told all the people, “Come over here to me.” So all the people came over to him, and he repaired Yahweh’s altar, which lay in ruins.

31Elijah took twelve stones to match the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Yahweh’s word had come: “Your name will be Israel.”

32He built the stones into an altar in Yahweh’s name, and all around the altar he dug a trench big enough to hold two seahs of seed.

33He set the wood in order, cut up the bull, and placed the pieces on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and the wood.”

34Then he said, “Once more,” and they did it once more. He said, “A third time,” and they did it a third time.

35The water flowed all around the altar, and he filled the trench with water as well.

36When it was time to present the grain offering, Elijah the prophet stepped forward and said, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be made known that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things because you told me to.

37Answer me, Yahweh, answer me, so this people will know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that it is you who have turned their hearts back.”

38Then fire from Yahweh fell and devoured the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and it lapped up the water in the trench.

39All the people saw it and fell facedown, and they said, “Yahweh—he is God! Yahweh—he is God!”

40Elijah told them, “Capture the prophets of Baal! Do not let any of them get away.” They captured them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Brook and slaughtered them there.

41Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go up and eat and drink, for there is the rumble of a downpour.”

42Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He crouched down on the ground and put his face between his knees.

43He told his servant, “Go up, please, and look out toward the sea.” The servant went up, looked, and said, “Nothing is there.” “Go back,” Elijah told him, seven times.

44The seventh time, the servant said, “Look, a little cloud no bigger than a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go up and say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot and go down, so the rain does not hold you back.’”

45In a little while the sky turned dark with clouds and wind, and a great rain came. Ahab rode away and headed for Jezreel.

46The hand of Yahweh came upon Elijah; he hitched up his robe around his waist and ran in front of Ahab until he reached Jezreel.