1 It happened after many days, that the word of Yahweh came to
Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send
rain on the earth. 2 Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was
sore in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now
Obadiah feared Yahweh greatly: 4 for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the
prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by
fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 5 Ahab said to
Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the
brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive,
that we not lose all the animals. 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 As Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and
he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah?
8 He answered him, It is I: go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is
here. 9 He said, Wherein have I sinned, that you would deliver your
servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As Yahweh your God lives,
there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you: and
when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation,
that they didn’t find you. 11 Now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold,
Elijah is here. 12 It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you,
that the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you I don’t know where; and so when I
come and tell Ahab, and he can’t find you, he will kill me: but I your
servant fear Yahweh from my youth. 13 Wasn’t it told my lord what I did
when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, how I hid one hundred men of
Yahweh’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 Now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he
will kill me. 15 Elijah said, As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I
stand, I will surely show myself to him today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet
Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 It happened, when
Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is it you, you troubler of Israel?
18 He answered, I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s
house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh, and you
have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all
Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred fifty, and the
prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel’s table. 20 So
Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together
to Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How
long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him;
but if Baal, then follow him.” The people answered him not a word. 22 Then
Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of Yahweh; but
Baal’s prophets are four hundred fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us
two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces,
and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other
bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. 24 You call on
the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh; and the God who
answers by fire, let him be God.”
All the people answered, “It is well said.” 25 Elijah said to the prophets
of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for you
are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26 They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and
called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, Baal, hear
us. But there was no voice, nor any who answered. They leaped about the altar
which was made. 27 It happened at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said,
Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he
is on a journey, or peradventure he sleeps and must be awakened. 28 They
cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances,
until the blood gushed out on them. 29 It was so, when midday was past,
that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
offering; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any who
regarded. 30 Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me; and all the
people came near to him. He repaired the altar of Yahweh that was thrown
down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes
of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, Israel shall
be your name. 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh;
and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures
of seed. 33 He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid
it on the wood. He said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt
offering, and on the wood. 34 He said, Do it the second time; and they did
it the second time. He said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third
time. 35 The water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench
also with water. 36 It happened at the time of the offering of the
evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,
Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known
this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I
have done all these things at your word. 37 Hear me, Yahweh, hear me,
that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that
you have turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell,
and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust,
and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw
it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Yahweh, he is God; Yahweh, he is
God. 40 and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don’t let one
of them escape. They took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook
Kishon, and killed them there. 41 Elijah said to Ahab, Get you up, eat and
drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain. 42 So Ahab went up to
eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself
down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his
servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. He went up, and looked, and said,
There is nothing. He said, Go again seven times. 44 It happened at the
seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a small cloud, like a man’s hand, is rising
out of the sea.” He said, Go up, tell Ahab, Make ready your
chariot, and get you down, that the rain not stop you. 45 It happened
in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there
was a great rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel: 46 and the hand of
Yahweh was on Elijah; and he girded up his waist, and ran before Ahab to the
entrance of Jezreel.
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