1 Kings 18

¹ A long time went by, and the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, 'Go, present yourself toAhab, and I wil send rain on the country.'

² So Elijah set off to present himself to Ahab. As the famine was particularly severe in Samaria,

³ Ahab summoned Obadiah, the master of the palace -- Obadiah held Yahweh in great reverence:

⁴ when Jezebel was butchering the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred of them and hid them,fifty at a time, in a cave, and kept them provided with food and water-

⁵ and Ahab said to Obadiah, 'Come along, we must scour the country, all the springs and all the ravinesin the hope of finding grass to keep horses and mules alive, or we shall have to slaughter some of our stock.'

⁶ They divided the country for the purpose of their survey; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiahwent another way by himself.

⁷ While Obadiah was on his way, whom should he meet but Elijah. Recognising him he fel on his faceand said, 'So it is you, my lord Elijah!'

⁸ 'Yes,' he replied, 'go and tel your master, "Elijah is here." '

⁹ But Obadiah said, 'What sin I have committed, for you to put your servant into Ahab's power and causemy death?

¹⁰ As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent in search ofyou; and when they said, "He is not there," he made the kingdom or nation swear an oath that they did not knowwhere you were.

¹¹ And now you say to me, "Go and tel your master: Elijah is here."

¹² But as soon as I leave you, the spirit of Yahweh wil carry you away and I shal not know where; I shalgo and tel Ahab; he wil not be able to find you, and then he wil kil me. Yet from his youth your servant hasrevered Yahweh.

¹³ Has no one told my lord what I did when Jezebel butchered the prophets of Yahweh, how I hid ahundred of them in a cave, fifty at a time, and kept them provided with food and water?

¹⁴ And now you say to me, "Go and tel your master: Elijah is here." Why, he wil kill me!'

¹⁵ Elijah replied, 'As Yahweh Sabaoth lives, whom I serve, I shal present myself to him today!'

¹⁶ Obadiah went to find Ahab and tel him the news, and Ahab then went to find Elijah.

¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, Ahab said, 'So there you are, you scourge of Israel!'

¹⁸ 'Not I,' he replied, 'I am not the scourge of Israel, you and your family are; because you have desertedYahweh and fol owed Baal.

¹⁹ Now give orders for all Israel to gather round me on Mount Carmel, and also the four hundredprophets of Baal who eat at Jezebel's table.'

²⁰ Ahab cal ed al Israel together and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

²¹ Elijah stepped out in front of al the people. 'How long', he said, 'do you mean to hobble first on oneleg then on the other? If Yahweh is God, follow him; if Baal, fol ow him.' But the people had nothing to say.

²² Elijah then said to them, 'I, I alone, am left as a prophet of Yahweh, while the prophets of Baal arefour hundred and fifty.

²³ Let two bulls be given us; let them choose one for themselves, dismember it but not set fire to it. I inmy turn shal prepare the other bul , but not set fire to it.

²⁴ You must cal on the name of your god, and I shal cal on the name of Yahweh; the god who answerswith fire, is God indeed.' The people al answered, 'Agreed!'

²⁵ Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose one bul and begin, for there are more of you. Call onthe name of your god but light no fire.'

²⁶ They took the bul and prepared it, and from morning to midday they called on the name of Baal. 'OBaal, answer us!' they cried, but there was no voice, no answer, as they performed their hobbling dance roundthe altar which they had made.

²⁷ Midday came, and Elijah mocked them. 'Cal louder,' he said, 'for he is a god: he is preoccupied or heis busy, or he has gone on a journey; perhaps he is asleep and needs to be woken up!'

²⁸ So they shouted louder and gashed themselves, as their custom was, with swords and spears untilthe blood flowed down them.

²⁹ Midday passed, and they ranted on until the time when the offering is presented; but there was novoice, no answer, no sign of attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to al the people, 'Come over to me,' and al the people came over to him. Herepaired Yahweh's altar which had been torn down.

³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom theword of Yahweh had come, 'Israel is to be your name,'

³² and built an altar in the name of Yahweh. Round the altar he dug a trench of a size to hold twomeasures of seed.

³³ He then arranged the wood, dismembered the bull, and laid it on the wood.

³⁴ Then he said, 'Fil four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.' They did this.He said, 'Do it a second time;' they did it a second time. He said, 'Do it a third time;' they did it a third time.

³⁵ The water flowed round the altar until even the trench itself was ful of water.

³⁶ At the time when the offering is presented, Elijah the prophet stepped forward. 'Yahweh, God ofAbraham, Isaac and Israel,' he said, 'let them know today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant,that I have done all these things at your command.

³⁷ Answer me, Yahweh, answer me, so that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God and arewinning back their hearts.'

³⁸ Then Yahweh's fire fel and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and licked up the water in thetrench.

³⁹ When al the people saw this they fell on their faces. 'Yahweh is God,' they cried, 'Yahweh is God!'

⁴⁰ Elijah said, 'Seize the prophets of Baal: do not let one of them escape.' They seized them, and Elijahtook them down to the Kishon, and there he slaughtered them.

⁴¹ Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go back now, eat and drink; for I hear the approaching sound of rain.'

⁴² While Ahab went back to eat and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and bowed down to theground, putting his face between his knees.

⁴³ 'Now go up', he told his servant, 'and look out to sea.' He went up and looked. 'There is nothing at al ,'he said. Seven times Elijah told him to go back.

⁴⁴ The seventh time, the servant said, 'Now there is a cloud, smal as a man's hand, rising from the sea.'Elijah said, 'Go and say to Ahab, "Harness the chariot and go down before the rain stops you." '

⁴⁵ And with that the sky grew dark with cloud and storm, and rain fel in torrents. Ahab mounted hischariot and made for Jezreel.

⁴⁶ But the hand of Yahweh had come on Elijah and, hitching up his clothes, he ran ahead of Ahab al theway to Jezreel.