1 Kings 18
18
Elijah Proves He Is the Lord's Prophet
1-2For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere. The Lord said to Elijah, “Go and meet with King Ahab. I will soon make it rain.” So Elijah went to see Ahab.
3-4At that time Obadiah was in charge of Ahab's palace, but he faithfully worshiped the Lord. In fact, when Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord's prophets, Obadiah hid 100 of them in two caves and gave them food and water.
Ahab sent for Obadiah 5and said, “We have to find something for our horses and mules to eat. If we don't, we will have to kill them. Let's look around every creek and spring in the country for some grass. 6You go one way, and I'll go the other.” Then they left in separate directions.
7As Obadiah was walking along, he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down, and asked, “Elijah, is it really you?”
8“Yes. Go tell Ahab I'm here.”
9Obadiah replied:
King Ahab would kill me if I told him that. And I haven't even done anything wrong. 10I swear to you in the name of the living Lord your God that the king has looked everywhere for you. He sent people to look in every country, and when they couldn't find you, he made the leader of each country swear that you were not in that country. 11Do you really want me to tell him you're here?
12What if the Lord's Spirit takes you away as soon as I leave? When Ahab comes to get you, he won't find you. Then he will surely kill me.
I have worshiped the Lord since I was a boy. 13I even hid 100 of the Lord's prophets in caves when Jezebel was trying to kill them. I also gave them food and water. 14Do you really want me to tell Ahab you're here? He will kill me!
15Elijah said, “I'm a servant of the living Lord All-Powerful, and I swear in his name that I will meet with Ahab today.”
16Obadiah left and told Ahab where to find Elijah.
Ahab went to meet Elijah, 17and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, “There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!”
18Elijah answered:
You're the troublemaker—not me! You and your family have disobeyed the Lord's commands by worshiping Baal.
19Call together everyone from Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
20Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. 21Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!”
The people did not say a word.
22Then Elijah continued:
I am the Lord's only prophet, but Baal has 450 prophets.
23Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either.
24The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the Lord. The one who answers by starting the fire is God.
“That's a good idea,” everyone agreed.
25Elijah said to Baal's prophets, “There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god.”
26They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no answer.
27At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. “Pray louder!” he said. “Baal must be a god. Maybe he's daydreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up.”
28The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped, 29and they kept it up until time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no answer of any kind.
30Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the Lord's altar. 31-32#Gn 32.28; 35.9-11. Then he used twelve stones to build an altar in honor of the Lord. Each stone stood for one of the tribes of Israel, which was the name the Lord had given to their ancestor Jacob. Elijah dug a ditch around the altar, large enough to hold about 14 liters. 33He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood.
He told the people, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood.” After they did this, 34he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said 35until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch.
36When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed:
Our Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Now, prove that you are the God of this nation,#18.36 this nation: Hebrew “Israel.” and that I, your servant, have done this at your command. 37Please answer me, so these people will know that you are the Lord God, and that you will turn their hearts back to you.#18.37 will turn … to you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
38The Lord immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch. 39When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
40Just then, Elijah said, “Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away.”
So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them.
It Starts To Rain
41Elijah told Ahab, “Get something to eat and drink. I hear a heavy rain coming.”
42 #
Jas 5.18. Ahab left, but Elijah climbed back to the top of Mount Carmel. Then he stooped down with his face almost to the ground 43and said to his servant, “Look toward the sea.”
The servant left. And when he came back, he said, “I looked, but I didn't see anything.” Elijah told him to look seven more times.
44After the seventh time the servant replied, “I see a small cloud coming this way. But it's no bigger than a fist.”
Elijah told him, “Tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and start home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.”
45-46A few minutes later, it got very cloudy and windy, and rain started pouring down. So Elijah wrapped his coat around himself, and the Lord gave him strength to run all the way to Jezreel. Ahab followed in his chariot.
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1 Kings 18: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 18
18
Elijah’s Message to Ahab
1After a long time, the word of the Lord # 1Kg 17:8 came to Elijah in the third year: # 1Kg 17:1; Jms 5:17 “Go and present yourself to Ahab. # 1Kg 16:29-33 I will send rain on the surface of the land.” 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
The famine was severe in Samaria. # 1Kg 16:24,29 3Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. # 1Kg 16:9 Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the Lord # Neh 7:2; Pr 3:5-6 4and took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel # 1Kg 16:31; Rv 2:20 slaughtered the Lord’s prophets. # 1Kg 18:13 5Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring of water and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.” # Gn 47:4 6They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. # 2Kg 1:6-8 When Obadiah recognized him, he fell with his face to the ground and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah? ”
8“It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here! ’ ”
9But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed, # 1Kg 17:18 that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? 10As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.
11“Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here! ” ’ 12But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off # 2Kg 2:16; Ac 8:39 to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. 13Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of the prophets of the Lord, 50 men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. 14Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here! ” ’ He will kill me! ”
15Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, # 1Kg 17:1 before whom I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”
16Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you destroyer of Israel? ” # Jos 7:25; 1Kg 21:20
18He replied, “I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands # 1Kg 9:9; 16:25-26 and followed the Baals. # 1Kg 16:31-32 19Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, # Jos 19:26; 2Kg 2:25 along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah # 1Kg 16:33; 22:6 who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Elijah at Mount Carmel
20So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? # 2Kg 17:41 If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” # Jos 24:15; Mt 6:24 But the people didn’t answer him a word.
22Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, # 1Kg 19:10,14 but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. # Gn 4:26; Rm 10:13 The God who answers with fire, He is God.”
All the people answered, “That sounds good.”
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”
26So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us! ” But there was no sound; # Jr 10:5; 1Co 8:4 no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.
27At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; # Or has turned aside; possibly to relieve himself or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up! ” # Hab 2:19 28They shouted loudly, and cut themselves # Lv 19:28; Dt 14:1 with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. 29All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, # Ex 29:39,41 but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention. # 2Kg 19:12; Is 16:12
30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down: # 1Kg 19:10 31Elijah took 12 stones — according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name” # Gn 32:28; 35:10; 2Kg 17:34 — 32and he built an altar # Gn 12:7,8; 22:9 with the stones in the name of Yahweh. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons. # LXX reads trench containing two measures of seed # Lit altar corresponding to a house of two seahs of seed 33Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” 34Then he said, “A second time! ” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time! ” and they did it a third time. 35So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.
36At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, # 1Kg 18:29 Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, # Ex 3:6; 4:5 today let it be known # Nm 16:28 that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. 37Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God # Jos 4:24; Jn 11:42 and that You have turned their hearts back.”
38Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39When all the people saw it, they fell facedown # Lv 9:24; Mt 17:6 and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God! ” # 1Kg 18:21,24
40Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! # 1Kg 18:19,22 Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon # Jdg 4:7; 5:21 and slaughtered them there. # Dt 13:5; 2Kg 10:24-25 41Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” # 1Kg 17:1; 18:1
42So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. # 1Kg 18:19 He bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees. # 1Sm 12:17; Jms 5:18 43Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.”
So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.”
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44On the seventh # Jos 6:15; Lk 12:54 time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming from the sea.”
Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’ ”
45In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel. # Jos 17:16; Jdg 6:33 46The power of the Lord # 2Kg 3:15 was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt # Ex 12:11; 2Kg 4:29; 9:1; Jr 1:17; 1Pt 1:13 and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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