1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD
came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I
will send rain upon the earth.
2 And
Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
3 And
Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house.
(Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
4 For
it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that
Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them
with bread and water.)
5 And
Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto
all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive,
that we lose not all the beasts.
6 So
they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by
himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 And
as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on
his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
8 And
he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold,
Elijah is here.
9 And
he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the
hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no
nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they
said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that
they found thee not.
11 And
now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12 And
it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit
of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I
come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy
servant fear the LORD from my youth.
13 Was
it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how
I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them
with bread and water?
14 And
now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15 And
Elijah said, As the
LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him
to day.
16 So
Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And
it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou
he that troubleth Israel?
18 And
he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in
that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed
Baalim.
19 Now
therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount
Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of
the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
20 So
Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together
unto mount Carmel.
21 And
Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two
opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then
said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD;
but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let
them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for
themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on
wood, and put no fire under:
24 And
call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and
the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and
said, It is well spoken.
25 And
Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves,
and dress it first;
for ye are many;
and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And
they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even
until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And
they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And
it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god;
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure
he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And
they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and
lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And
it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of
the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither
voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And
Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came
near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken
down.
31 And
Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And
with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench
about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And
he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on
the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the
burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And
he said, Do it the
second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the
third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And
the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And
it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of
Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy
servant, and that I
have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear
me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the
LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back
again.
38 Then
the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and
the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in
the trench.
39 And
when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and
they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the
God.
40 And
Elijah said unto them, 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 slew
them there.
41 And
Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a
sound of abundance of rain.
42 So
Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and
he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And
said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and
looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven
times.
44 And
it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a
little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto
Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down,
that the rain stop thee not.
45 And
it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and
wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And
the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before
Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
