AB - I Kings - 18

18:1  And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, and appear before Ahab, and I will bring rain upon the face of the earth.

18:2  And Elijah went to appear before Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.

18:3  And Ahab called Obadiah the steward. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.

18:4  And it came to pass when Jezabel had killed the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.

18:5  And Ahab said to Obadiah, Come, and let us go through the land, and to the fountains of water, and to the brooks, if by any means we may find grass, and may save the horses and mules, and so they will not perish.

18:6  And they made a division of the way between them to pass through it; Ahab went one way, and Obadiah went by another way alone.

18:7  And Obadiah was alone in the road; and Elijah came alone to meet him. And Obadiah made haste, and fell upon his face, and said, My lord Elijah, are you indeed he?

18:8  And Elijah said to him, I am: go and say to your master, Behold, Elijah is here.

18:9  And Obadiah said, What sin have I committed, that you give your servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me?

18:10  As the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you; and if they said, He is not here, then has he set fire to the kingdom and its territories, because he has not found you.

18:11  And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

18:12  And it shall come to pass when I shall have departed from you, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry you to a land which I know not, and I shall go in to tell the matter to Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will slay me; yet your servant fears the Lord from his youth.

18:13  Has it not been told to you my lord, what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how that I hid a hundred men of the prophets of the Lord, by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

18:14  And now you say to me, Go, say to your master, Behold, Elijah is here; and he shall slay me.

18:15  And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, today I will appear before him.

18:16  And Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab made haste, and went to meet Elijah.

18:17  And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to Elijah, Are you he that perverts Israel?

18:18  And Elijah said, I do not pervert Israel; but it is you and your father's house, in that you forsake the Lord your God, and you have gone after the Baals.

18:19  And now send, gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of shame, and the four hundred prophets of the groves, that eat at Jezebel's table.

18:20  And Ahab sent to all Israel, and gathered all the prophets to Mount Carmel.

18:21  And Elijah drew near to them all. And Elijah said to them, How long will you halt on both feet? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. And the people answered not a word.

18:22  And Elijah said to the people, I alone am left, the prophet of the Lord; and the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men, and the prophets of the groves are four hundred.

18:23  Let them give us two bulls, and let them choose one for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire on the wood: and I will dress the other bull, but put no fire on it.

18:24  Then you call loudly on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord my God, and it shall come to pass that the God who shall answer by fire, He is God. And all the people answered and said, The word which you have spoken is good.

18:25  And Elijah said to the prophets of shame, Choose to yourselves one bull, and dress it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god; but apply no fire.

18:26  And they took the bull and dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, and said, hear us, O Baal, hear us. And there was no voice, neither was there hearing, and they ran up and down on the alter which they had made.

18:27  And it was noon, and Elijah the Tishbite mocked them, and said, Call with a loud voice, for he is a god; for he is meditating, or else perhaps he is engaged in business, or perhaps he is asleep, and needs to be awakened.

18:28  And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves according to their custom with knives and lancets until the blood gushed out upon them.

18:29  And they prophesied until the evening came. And it came to pass as it was the time of the offering of the sacrifice, that Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations, saying, Stand by for the present, and I will offer my sacrifice. And they stood aside and departed.

18:30  And Elijah said to the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him.

18:31  And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, as the Lord spoke to him, saying, Israel shall be your name.

18:32  And he built up the stones in the name of the Lord, and repaired the altar that had been broken down; and he made a trench that would hold two measures of seed round about the altar.

18:33  And he piled the cleft wood on the altar which he had made, and divided the whole burnt offering, and laid it on the wood, and laid it in order on the altar, and said, Fetch me four pitchers of water, and pour it on the whole burnt offering, and on the wood. And they did so.

18:34  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.

18:35  And the water ran round about the altar, and they filled the trench with water.

18:36  And Elijah cried aloud to the heavens, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, answer me, O Lord, answer me this day by fire, and let all this people know that You are the Lord, the God of Israel, and I am Your servant, and for Your sake I have done these works.

18:37  Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and let this people know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned back the heart of this people.

18:38  Then fire fell from the Lord out of heaven, and devoured the whole burnt offerings, and the wood and the water that was in the trench, and the fire licked up the stones and the earth.

18:39  And all the people fell upon their faces, and said, Truly the Lord is God! He is God!

18:40  And Elijah said to the people, 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 he executed them there.

18:41  And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, and eat and drink, for there is a sound of the coming of rain.

18:42  And Ahab went up to eat and to drink; and Elijah went up to Carmel, and stooped to the ground, and put his face between his knees,

18:43  and said to his servant, Go up, and look toward the sea. And the servant looked, and said, There is nothing. And Elijah said, Go again, seven times.

18:44  And the servant went again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that behold, a little cloud like the sole of a man's foot brought water; and he said, Go up, and say to Ahab, make ready your chariot, and go down, lest the rain overtake you.

18:45  And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab wept, and went to Jezreel.

18:46  And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to Jezreel.