1 Kings 18 And it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth." ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ And Ahab called to Obadiah, who was over the house (and Obadiah greatly feared the LORD; ⁴ for when Jezebel cut off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) ⁵ Ahab had instructed Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to all of the water springs and to all of the valleys. Maybe we'll find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Also, maybe we won't have to kill some of our cattle." ⁶ So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way alone. ⁷ As Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah? ⁸ "I am," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Look! Elijah!'" ⁹ And he said, `What have I sinned, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab--to put me to death? ¹⁰ As the LORD 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, then he caused the kingdom and the nation to swear that it did not find you. ¹¹ But now you're saying 'Go tell your master, "Elijah is here!"' ¹² And it will be as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD shall carry you where I know not. And when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared 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 one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets in groups of fifty in caves and sustained them with bread and water? ¹⁴ And now you say, Go, tell your master, Behold, Elijah! and he will kill me. ¹⁵ Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." ¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸ Then he said in answer: "I have not made trouble for Israel. You and your family have. You have disobeyed the LORD's commands and have gone after the Baals. ¹⁹ Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the groves, who eat at Jezebel’s table. ²⁰ So Ahab sent word among the Israelites, and he assembled the prophets to Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn't say a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men. ²³ Let them give us two bulls, and let them choose for themselves one bull, cut him in pieces, and put it on the wood, but don't let them start a fire on it. I will prepare the other bull and set it on the wood, but I will put no fire on it. ²⁴ You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the god who answers by fire, he is God." All the people answered, "It is well said." ²⁵ So Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose an ox for yourselves and you prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't set fire to the offering." ²⁶ So they took the ox that was given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from early morning until noon. "Baal! Answer us!" they cried. But there was no response. Nobody answered. So they kept on dancing around the altar that they had made. ²⁷ At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud; for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.” ²⁸ So they called out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves with swords and with spears as was their custom, until the blood poured out over them. ²⁹ When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention. ³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people: "Come near to me." Then all the people came near. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob's descendants, to whom the message from the LORD had come that "Israel shall be your name." ³² And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed. ³³ And he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and placed it on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." ³⁴ He said, "Do it again!" They did it again. He said, "Do it a third time!" So they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water ran down around the altar and completely filled the trench. ³⁶ At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “the LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O LORD, answer me; that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back again." ³⁸ And the fire of the LORD fell and burned up 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 facedown and said, "The LORD, he is God. The LORD, he is God." ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any man of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the wadi of Kishon and killed them there. ⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of a heavy rain." ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink while Elijah went to the top of Carmel, bent down to 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 seven times, Go again. ⁴⁴ On the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea.” He said, “Go up, tell Ahab, 'Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn't stop you.'” ⁴⁵ In a little while, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.