And it came to passaftermany days, that the word of theLORDcame to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. Andthere wasa sore famine in Samaria.
And Ahab called Obadiah, whichwasthe governor ofhishouse. (Now Obadiah feared theLORDgreatly:
For it wasso, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of theLORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
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.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said,Artthou that my lord Elijah?
And he answered him, Iam:go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijahis here.
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
AstheLORDthy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said,He isnotthere;he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijahis here.
And it shall come to pass,as soon asI am gone from thee, that the Spirit of theLORDshall carry thee whither I know not; andsowhen I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear theLORDfrom my youth.
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of theLORD, how I hid an hundred men of theLORD’sprophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijahis here:and he shall slay me.
And Elijah said,AstheLORDof hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him,Artthou he that troubleth Israel?
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of theLORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
Now therefore send,andgather 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.
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if theLORDbeGod, follow him: but if Baal,thenfollow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I,evenI only, remain a prophet of theLORD; but Baal’s prophetsarefour hundred and fifty men.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and layiton wood, and put no fireunder:and I will dress the other bullock, and layiton wood, and put no fireunder:
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of theLORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dressitfirst; for yearemany; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fireunder.
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressedit, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. Butthere wasno voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for heisa god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey,orperadventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until thetimeof the offering of theeveningsacrifice, thatthere wasneither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
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 theLORDthat wasbroken down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of theLORDcame, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of theLORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laidhimon the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pouriton the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
And he said, Doitthe second time. And they diditthe second time. And he said, Doitthe third time. And they diditthe third time.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
And it came to pass atthe time ofthe offering of theeveningsacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,LORDGod of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thouartGod in Israel, andthatIamthy servant, andthatI have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, OLORD, hear me, that this people may know that thouarttheLORDGod, andthatthou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of theLORDfell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water thatwasin the trench.
And when all the people sawit, they fell on their faces: and they said, TheLORD, heisthe God; theLORD, heisthe God.
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.
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; forthere isa sound of abundance of rain.
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,
And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said,There isnothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
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, Preparethy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
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.
And the hand of theLORDwas on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.