Now it happened aafter many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and bI will provide rain on the face of the earth.”1 Kin 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17Deut 28:12 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, awho was in charge of the household. (Now Obadiah 1bfeared the LORD greatly;Or revered1 Kin 16:9Neh 7:2; Job 28:28 4 for awhen Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and bprovided them with bread and water.)1 Kin 18:13Matt 10:40-42 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to 1survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.Lit pass through
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, aand he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, Elijah my master?”2 Kin 1:6-8 8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 But he said, “What 1sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death?Lit have I sinned 10 aAs surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my master has not sent word to search for you; and whenever they say, ‘He is not here,’ he makes the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.1 Kin 17:1 11 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here!”’ 12 And it will come about when I leave you athat the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to where I do not know; so when I come and inform Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, though I, your servant, have 1feared the LORD from my youth.Or revered2 Kin 2:16; Ezek 3:12, 14; Acts 8:39 13 aHas it not been reported to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid a hundred 1prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water?Lit men of the prophets1 Kin 18:4 14 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me!” 15 Then Elijah said, “aAs surely as the LORD of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.”1 Kin 17:1 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and informed him; then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, aAhab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”Josh 7:25; 1 Kin 21:20 18 He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because ayou have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and byou have followed the Baals.1 Kin 9:9; 2 Chr 15:21 Kin 16:31; 21:25, 26 19 Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at aMount Carmel, btogether with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of 1cthe Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”I.e., wooden symbol of a female deityJosh 19:26; 2 Kin 2:251 Kin 18:221 Kin 16:33
20 So Ahab sent orders among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “aHow long are you going to 1struggle with the two choices? bIf the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word.Lit limp on the two crutches2 Kin 17:41; Matt 6:24Josh 24:15 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I aalone am left as a prophet of the LORD, while Baal’s prophets are b450 men.1 Kin 19:10, 141 Kin 18:19 23 Now have them give us two oxen; and have them choose the one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and athe God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people replied, “1That is a good idea.”Lit The matter is good1 Kin 18:38
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose the one ox for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the ox.” 26 Then they took the ox which 1was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was ano voice and no one answered. And they 2limped about the altar which 3they had made.Lit he gaveI.e., in a type of ceremonial danceAs in some mss and ancient versions; MT hePs 115:4, 5; Jer 10:5 27 And at noon Elijah ridiculed them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, since he is a god; undoubtedly he is attending to business, or is on the way, or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and will awaken.” 28 So they cried out with a loud voice, and acut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood gushed out on them.Lev 19:28; Deut 14:1 29 When midday was past, they raved auntil the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and 1no one paid attention.Lit there was no attentionEx 29:39, 41
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come forward to me.” So all the people came forward to him. And ahe repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.1 Kin 19:10, 14; 2 Chr 33:16 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “aIsrael shall be your name.”Gen 32:28; 35:10; 2 Kin 17:34 32 And with the stones he built an altar in athe name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two 1measures of seed.Heb seahs; i.e., one seah equals about 7 qt. or 7.7 litersCol 3:17 33 aThen he laid out the wood, and he cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood.Gen 22:9; Lev 1:7, 8 34 And he said, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” so they did it a second time. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” so they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
36 Then aat the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “bLORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that cYou are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that dI have done all these things at Your word.1 Kin 18:29Gen 28:13; Ex 3:6; 4:5; Matt 22:321 Kin 8:43Num 16:28-32 37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that You, LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.” 38 Then the afire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench.Gen 15:17; Lev 9:24; 10:1, 2; Judg 6:21; 2 Kin 1:12; 1 Chr 21:26; 2 Chr 7:1; Job 1:16 39 When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces; and they said, “aThe LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God!”1 Kin 18:21, 24 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to athe brook Kishon, band slaughtered them there.Judg 4:7; 5:21Deut 13:5; 18:20; 2 Kin 10:24, 25
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of aCarmel; and he bbent down to the earth and put his face between his knees.1 Kin 18:19, 20James 5:18 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. 44 And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, aa cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”Luke 12:54 45 Meanwhile the sky became dark with clouds and wind came up, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to aJezreel.Josh 17:16; Judg 6:33 46 Then athe hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and bhe 1belted his cloak around his waist and 2outran Ahab 3to Jezreel.I.e., for travelLit ran ahead ofLit until your coming to2 Kin 3:15; Is 8:11; Ezek 3:142 Kin 4:29; Jer 1:17; 1 Pet 1:13