1 Kings 18
Contemporary English Version
Elijah Proves He Is the Lord's Prophet
18 1-2 For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere. The Lord said to Elijah, “Go and meet with King Ahab. I will soon make it rain.” So Elijah went to see Ahab.
3-4 At that time Obadiah was in charge of Ahab's palace, but he faithfully worshiped the Lord. In fact, when Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord's prophets, Obadiah hid 100 of them in two caves and gave them food and water.
Ahab sent for Obadiah 5 and said, “We have to find something for our horses and mules to eat. If we don't, we will have to kill them. Let's look around every creek and spring in the country for some grass. 6 You go one way, and I'll go the other.” Then they left in separate directions.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down, and asked, “Elijah, is it really you?”
8 “Yes. Go tell Ahab I'm here.”
9 Obadiah replied:
King Ahab would kill me if I told him that. And I haven't even done anything wrong. 10 I swear to you in the name of the living Lord your God that the king has looked everywhere for you. He sent people to look in every country, and when they couldn't find you, he made the leader of each country swear that you were not in that country. 11 Do you really want me to tell him you're here?
12 What if the Lord's Spirit takes you away as soon as I leave? When Ahab comes to get you, he won't find you. Then he will surely kill me.
I have worshiped the Lord since I was a boy. 13 I even hid 100 of the Lord's prophets in caves when Jezebel was trying to kill them. I also gave them food and water. 14 Do you really want me to tell Ahab you're here? He will kill me!
15 Elijah said, “I'm a servant of the living Lord All-Powerful, and I swear in his name that I will meet with Ahab today.”
16 Obadiah left and told Ahab where to find Elijah.
Ahab went to meet Elijah, 17 and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, “There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!”
18 Elijah answered:
You're the troublemaker—not me! You and your family have disobeyed the Lord's commands by worshiping Baal.
19 Call together everyone from Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
20 Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!”
The people did not say a word.
22 Then Elijah continued:
I am the Lord's only prophet, but Baal has 450 prophets.
23 Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either.
24 The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the Lord. The one who answers by starting the fire is God.
“That's a good idea,” everyone agreed.
25 Elijah said to Baal's prophets, “There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god.”
26 They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no answer.
27 At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. “Pray louder!” he said. “Baal must be a god. Maybe he's daydreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up.”
28 The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped, 29 and they kept it up until time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no answer of any kind.
30 Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the Lord's altar. 31-32 (A) Then he used twelve stones to build an altar in honor of the Lord. Each stone stood for one of the tribes of Israel, which was the name the Lord had given to their ancestor Jacob. Elijah dug a ditch around the altar, large enough to hold about 14 liters. 33 He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood.
He told the people, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood.” After they did this, 34 he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said 35 until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch.
36 When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed:
Our Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Now, prove that you are the God of this nation,[a] and that I, your servant, have done this at your command. 37 Please answer me, so these people will know that you are the Lord God, and that you will turn their hearts back to you.[b]
38 The Lord immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch. 39 When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
40 Just then, Elijah said, “Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away.”
So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them.
It Starts To Rain
41 Elijah told Ahab, “Get something to eat and drink. I hear a heavy rain coming.”
42 (B) Ahab left, but Elijah climbed back to the top of Mount Carmel. Then he stooped down with his face almost to the ground 43 and said to his servant, “Look toward the sea.”
The servant left. And when he came back, he said, “I looked, but I didn't see anything.” Elijah told him to look seven more times.
44 After the seventh time the servant replied, “I see a small cloud coming this way. But it's no bigger than a fist.”
Elijah told him, “Tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and start home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.”
45-46 A few minutes later, it got very cloudy and windy, and rain started pouring down. So Elijah wrapped his coat around himself, and the Lord gave him strength to run all the way to Jezreel. Ahab followed in his chariot.
Melachim Alef 18
Orthodox Jewish Bible
18 And it came to pass after yamim rabbim, that the Devar Hashem came to Eliyahu in the shanah hashlishit, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ach’av; and I will send matar upon the face of ha’adamah.
2 And Eliyahu went to show himself unto Ach’av. And there was a ra’av chazak (strong famine) in Shomron.
3 And Ach’av summoned Ovadyah, who was in charge of the Bayit (Palace)—now Ovadyah feared Hashem me’od (greatly);
4 For it was so, when Izevel cut off the Nevi’im of Hashem, that Ovadyah took a hundred Nevi’im, and hid them by fifty in a me’arah (cave), and fed them with lechem and mayim—
5 And Ach’av said unto Ovadyah, Go into HaAretz unto all springs of mayim, and unto all brooks; perhaps we may find khatzir (grass) to save the sus (horse) and pered (mules) alive, that we not be dispossessed of all the behemah.
6 So they divided ha’aretz between them to pass throughout it; Ach’av went derech echad by himself, and Ovadyah went derech echad by himself.
7 And as Ovadyah was baderech (on the way, road), hinei, Eliyahu met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it you, adoni Eliyahu?
8 And he answered him, I am; go, tell adoneicha, Hinei, Eliyahu!
9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy eved into the yad Ach’av to slay me?
10 As Hashem Eloheicha liveth, there is no goy (nation) or mamlachah (kingdom), to where adoni hath not sent to seek thee there: and when they said, He is not there, he had the mamlachah and goy swear, that they found thee not.
11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell adoneicha, Hinei, Eliyahu!
12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Ruach [Hakodesh] of Hashem shall carry thee to where I know not; and so when I come and tell Ach’av, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me; but I thy eved fear Hashem from my youth.
13 Was it not told to adoni what I did when Izevel slaughtered the Nevi’im of Hashem, how I hid a hundred ish of Hashem’s Nevi’im by fifty in a me’arah, and fed them with lechem and mayim?
14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell adoneicha, Hinei, Eliyahu! And he shall slay me.
15 And Eliyahu said, As Hashem Tzva’os liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today.
16 So Ovadyah went to meet Ach’av, and told him; and Ach’av went to meet Eliyahu.
17 And it came to pass, when Ach’av saw Eliyahu, that Ach’av said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Yisroel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Yisroel; but thou, and the Bais Avicha, in that ye have forsaken the Mitzvot Hashem, and thou hast followed after the Ba’alim.
19 Now therefore summon, and gather to me kol Yisroel unto Har HaCarmel and the nevi’im of Ba’al four hundred and fifty, and the nevi’im haAsherah four hundred, which eat at shulchan Izevel.
20 So Ach’av sent unto kol Bnei Yisroel, and gathered the Nevi’im together unto Har HaCarmel.
21 And Eliyahu came unto kol haAm, and said, Ad Mosai (how long) ye be polekhim (limping ones, dancing ones) between two se’ipim (opinions)? If Hashem be HaElohim, follow after him; but if HaBa’al, then follow after him. And HaAm answered him not a word.
22 Then said Eliyahu unto HaAm, I, even I only, am left a navi of Hashem; but Ba’al’s nevi’im are four hundred and fifty ish.
23 Let them therefore give us two parim (bulls); and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no eish under it; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on wood, and put no eish under it;
24 And call ye on the shem eloheichem, and I will call on the Shem of Hashem; and haelohim that answereth by eish, let him be HaElohim. And kol haAm answered and said, Tov hadavar!
25 And Eliyahu said unto the nevi’im of Ba’al, Choose you one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are rabbim (many); and call on the shem eloheichem, but put no eish under it.
26 And they took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the shem of Ba’al from boker even until tzohorayim (noon), saying, O Ba’al, answer us. But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they danced [same word used in verse 21] around the mizbe’ach which had been made.
27 And it came to pass at tzohorayim, that Eliyahu mocked them, taunting, saying, Shout with a kol gadol (loud voice); for he is a g-d; either he is meditating, or he is pursuing [something], or ki derech lo (perhaps he had to travel, he’s relieving himself), or perhaps he sleepeth and must be awakened.
28 And they shouted with a kol gadol, and cut themselves after their mishpat (custom) with charavot (swords) and lances, till the dahm gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when tzohorayim was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the minchah (evening sacrifice), that there was neither kol (voice), nor any oneh (responder) nor any attender.
30 And Eliyahu said unto kol HaAm, Come near unto me. And kol HaAm came near unto him. And he repaired the Mizbe’ach Hashem that was in ruins.
31 And Eliyahu took twelve avanim (stones), according to the mispar (number) of the Shivtei Bnei Ya’akov, unto whom the Devar Hashem came, saying, Yisroel shall be Shemecha;
32 And with the avanim (stones) he built a Mizbe’ach in the Shem of Hashem; and he made a te’alah (trench) around the Mizbe’ach, as the space of two seahs of zera (seed).
33 And he laid the wood in order, and cut up the bull, and laid it on the wood, and said, Fill four jugs with mayim, and pour it on the olah and on the wood.
34 And Eliyahu 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 mayim ran around about the Mizbe’ach; and even filled the te’alah (trench) also with mayim.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the minchah (evening sacrifice), that Eliyahu HaNavi came near, and said, Hashem Elohei Avraham, Yitzchak and of Yisroel, let it be known this day that Thou art Elohim in Yisroel, and that I am Thy Eved, and that I have done all these things at Thy Davar.
37 Answer me, Hashem, answer me, that HaAm Hazeh may know that Thou art Hashem HaElohim, and that Thou hast turned back their lev.
38 Then the Eish of Hashem fell, and consumed the olah and the wood, and the avanim, and the aphar, and licked up the mayim that was in the te’alah (trench).
39 And when kol HaAm saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, Hashem hu HaElohim; Hashem hu HaElohim.
40 And Eliyahu said unto them, Seize the nevi’im of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Eliyahu brought them down to the Brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
41 And Eliyahu said unto Ach’av, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a kol hamon hageshem (sound of rushing rain, sound of rain coming).
42 So Ach’av went up to eat and to drink. But Eliyahu climbed up to Rosh HaCarmel (top of Carmel); and he cast himself down upon the ground, and put his face between his birkayim (knees),
43 And said to his eved, Go up now, look toward the yam. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again sheva pe’amim (seven times).
44 And it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, Hinei, there ariseth a little cloud out of the yam, as small as kaf ish (a man’s palm). And he said, Go, say unto Ach’av, Harness up [thy merkavah] and get thee down that the geshem stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the Shomayim grew black with clouds and ruach, and there was a geshem gadol. And Ach’av rode, and went to Yizre’el [Jezreel].
46 And the Yad Hashem was on Eliyahu; and he girded up his loins, and ran ahead of Ach’av to the entrance of Yizre’el.
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