|
Chapter 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, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the
earth. |
| 2 |
And Elijah went to show 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 show 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. |
