1 Kings
Chapter 18
1 After a long time, God’s message came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, meet Ahab, and I will make it rain on the land.”
2 Elijah went to meet Ahab, and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
3 Ahab asked Obadiah, his house manager, to come. (Obadiah deeply respected God:
4 When Jezebel killed God’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, hid them in groups of fifty in caves, and gave them bread and water.
5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the water springs and streams. Maybe we can find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we don’t lose all the animals.”
6 They split the land to travel through it: Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went a different way alone.
7 As Obadiah was on the road, he met Elijah. He recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and asked, “Are you Elijah, my master?”
8 He replied, “I am Elijah; go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
9 He asked, “What did I do wrong that you would let your servant be killed by Ahab?”
10 As God, your God, is alive, there isn’t any country or kingdom where my master hasn’t looked for you. And when they said, “He’s not here,” he made each country and kingdom promise they hadn’t found you.
11 Now you say, “Go, tell your master, ‘Look, Elijah is here.’”
12 When I leave you, God’s Spirit will take you to a place I don’t know. So when I tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared God since I was young.
13 Didn’t someone tell you, my lord, what I did when Jezebel killed God’s prophets? I hid a hundred of God’s prophets in caves, fifty in each, and gave them bread and water.
14 You say, “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here,’” but he will kill me.
15 Elijah said, “As the living God of all commands, whom I serve, I will definitely show myself to him today.”
16 Obadiah met Ahab and told him, and then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who troubles Israel?”
18 He replied, “I have not caused trouble in Israel; it is you and your family because you have ignored God’s commands and followed the Baals.”
19 So now, send a message and bring all of Israel to Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the groves who are fed by Jezebel.
20 Ahab sent a message to all the Israelites and brought the prophets to Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah came to everyone and asked, “How long will you hesitate between two choices? If God is the true God, follow Him; but if Baal is, then follow him.” But the people didn’t say anything in reply.
22 Elijah told the people, “I am the only one left of God’s prophets, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.”
23 So they should give us two young bulls. They can pick one, cut it up, and place it on the wood without setting it on fire. I’ll prepare the other bull, put it on the wood, and also not light it.
24 Ask your gods for help, and I will ask God for help. The one who sends fire is the true God. And everyone agreed this was a good plan.
25 Elijah said to Baal’s prophets, “Pick one bull for yourselves, prepare it first since you are many, and pray to your gods, but don’t light a fire under it.”
26 They took the bull given to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal from morning to noon, saying, “O Baal, listen to us.” But there was no reply or anyone who answered. And they jumped on the altar that was built.
27 At noon, Elijah made fun of them and said, “Shout louder; maybe your god is busy talking, away on a trip, taking a nap, or needs to wake up.”
28 They shouted loudly and cut themselves with knives and sharp tools, as was their custom, until blood flowed out on them.
29 After midday, they continued to prophesy until the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice, no answer, and no one paid attention.
30 Elijah said to everyone, “Come closer to me.” So all the people came closer to him. Then he fixed God’s altar that was damaged.
31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of Jacob’s sons, because God had said, “Your name will be Israel.”
32 He used the stones to build an altar for God and dug a ditch around it big enough to hold two measures of seed.
33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four barrels with water and pour it over the burnt offering and the wood.”
34 He said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time.
35 Water flowed around the altar, and the trench was also filled with water.
36 When the time came to offer the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed, “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, show everyone today that you are the true God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have followed your instructions.
37 Listen to me, God, listen to me, so these people will know you are God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again.
38 Then God’s fire came down and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even dried up the water in the ditch.
39 When everyone saw this, they fell down and said, “God is the God; God is the God.”
40 Elijah said to them, “Capture the prophets of Baal and don’t let any of them get away.” They captured them, and Elijah took them to the Kishon creek and killed them there.
41 Elijah told Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; because I hear the sound of a lot of rain coming.”
42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, lay down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.
43 He told his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “There is nothing.” Then he was told, “Go back seven times.”
44 On the seventh time, he saw a small cloud rising from the sea, like a man’s hand. He told the messenger to tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and go before the rain stopped him.
45 Meanwhile, the sky turned dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
46 God’s power was with Elijah; he tied up his clothes and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.