| 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. |
