1 KingsChapter 18

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¹A long time passed. In the third year with no rain, the word of the LORD came to Elijah. He said, "Go and show yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the earth." ²So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was very bad in Samaria. ³Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah deeply feared the LORD. ⁴For when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them. He put fifty men in each cave. He gave them food and water.) ⁵Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to every spring and every valley. Maybe we can find grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Then we won't have to kill any of our animals." ⁶So they split up the land to search it. Ahab went one way by himself. Obadiah went the other way by himself. ⁷As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah suddenly met him. Obadiah knew who he was. He bowed down with his face to the ground. He said, "Is it really you, my master Elijah?" ⁸"Yes, it's me," he answered. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here!'" ⁹But Obadiah said, "What have I done wrong? Why are you handing me over to Ahab to be killed? I'm your servant. ¹⁰As surely as the LORD your God lives, my master has sent people to look for you in every nation and kingdom. When a nation said, 'He isn't here,' Ahab made them swear an oath. They had to swear they had not found you. ¹¹And now you say, 'Go tell your master that Elijah is here!' ¹²When I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off. I don't know where. Then I'll go tell Ahab, and he won't find you. And he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD since I was young. ¹³Didn't anyone tell you what I did when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty men in each. I gave them food and water. ¹⁴And now you say, 'Go tell your master that Elijah is here!' He will kill me!" ¹⁵Elijah said, "I serve the LORD of Hosts. As surely as he lives, I will show myself to Ahab today." ¹⁶So Obadiah went and told Ahab. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, the one who brings trouble on Israel?" ¹⁸Elijah answered, "I haven't brought trouble on Israel. You and your father's family have. That is because you have forsaken the LORD's commands. You have followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now call all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring the 450 prophets of Baal too. And bring the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table." ²⁰So Ahab sent for all the Israelites. He gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. ²¹Then Elijah stood in front of all the people. He said, "How long will you go back and forth between two choices? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, follow Baal." But the people did not say a word. ²²Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left. But Baal has 450 prophets. ²³Bring us two bulls. Let Baal's prophets choose one bull for themselves. Let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood. But they must not light the fire. I will get the other bull ready. I will put it on the wood, but I won't light the fire. ²⁴Then you call on the name of your god. And I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire is the true God." All the people answered, "That's a good plan." ²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "There are so many of you. So choose one bull for yourselves and get it ready first. Then call on the name of your god. But don't light the fire." ²⁶So they took the bull they were given and got it ready. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon. They shouted, "Baal, answer us!" They danced around the altar they had made. But there was no sound. No one answered. ²⁷At noon Elijah began to make fun of them. He said, "Shout louder! He's a god, isn't he? Maybe he is deep in thought. Or maybe he's busy, or he's away on a trip. Maybe he's asleep and needs to be woken up!" ²⁸So they shouted louder. They cut themselves with knives and spears, as they usually did. They kept doing it until blood poured all over them. ²⁹Noon passed. They kept on raving wildly until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no reply. No one answered. No one paid any attention. ³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." So all the people came close to him. Then he fixed the LORD's altar, which had been torn down. ³¹Elijah took twelve stones. There was one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob. The LORD's word had come to Jacob and said, "Your name will be Israel." ³²With the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. He dug a ditch around the altar. It was big enough to hold about 13 quarts of seed.a ³³Next he set the wood in place. He cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. ³⁴Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water. Pour it on the offering and on the wood." Then he said, "Do it again." So they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said. And they did it a third time. ³⁵So the water ran down all around the altar. It even filled the ditch. ³⁶At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet stepped up to the altar. He prayed, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let everyone know today that you are God in Israel. Let them know that I am your servant. Let them know I have done all these things because you told me to. ³⁷Answer me, LORD! Answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God. Let them know that you have turned their hearts back again." ³⁸Then the fire of the LORD came down. It burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dirt. It even dried up the water in the ditch. ³⁹All the people saw this. They bowed down with their faces to the ground. They cried, "The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!" ⁴⁰Then Elijah gave them an order. "Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let a single one get away!" So they grabbed them. Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. ⁴¹Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up and eat and drink. I hear the sound of a heavy rain coming." ⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel. He bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³He said to his servant, "Go and look toward the sea." So the servant went and looked. He said, "There's nothing there." Seven times Elijah told him, "Go back." ⁴⁴The seventh time, the servant said, "I see a small cloud coming up from the sea. It's as small as a man's hand." Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Get your chariot ready and go down. Go before the rain stops you.'" ⁴⁵Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind. A heavy rain began to fall. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶The power of the LORD came on Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt. Then he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.