1 Kings 18
International Standard Version
Elijah Rebukes Ahab
18 Quite some time later—three years later!—this message from the Lord came to Elijah: “Go visit Ahab, and I’ll send some rain to the surface of the ground.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab, right when the famine in Samaria was most severe.
3 Ahab called for Obadiah, his household supervisor. This man, who feared the Lord very much, 4 had taken 100 prophets and had hidden them by fifties in a cave, providing them with food and water when Jezebel was trying to destroy the Lord’s prophets.
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 so they could conduct their survey. Ahab went off by himself in one direction and Obadiah went off by himself in the other.
7 While Obadiah was on the road, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him and bowed down with his face to the ground. “It’s you, isn’t it, my master Elijah?”
8 “I am,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Look! Elijah!’”
9 But Obadiah replied, “What did I do wrong, that you would put me in a position where Ahab would execute me? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there isn’t a nation or kingdom where my master hasn’t tried to find you. Whenever they would say ‘He isn’t here,’ he forced that kingdom or nation to swear that they hadn’t seen you. 11 But now you’re saying ‘Go tell your master, “Elijah is here!”’ 12 As soon as I’ve left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you off to I don’t know where! Then when I go tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he’ll kill me, even though I have been your servant and have feared the Lord since I was young! 13 Hasn’t anyone told you, my master, what I did when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and provided food and water for them. 14 Now you’re saying, ‘Go tell your master, “Elijah’s here!”’ He’s sure to kill me!”
15 But Elijah promised him, “As the Lord of the Heavenly Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, I will appear to Ahab today.”
16 So Obadiah went out to meet Ahab and reported to him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab asked him, “Is it really you, you destroyer of Israel?”
18 But Elijah[a] replied, “I’m no destroyer of Israel. But you and your ancestor’s household have been doing that, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commandments and have followed the Baals. 19 So go gather all of Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring along 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who are funded at Jezebel’s expense.”[b]
Elijah Defeats the Prophets of Baal
20 Ahab sent for the Israelis and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel, 21 where Elijah approached all the people and asked them, “How long will you keep hesitating[c] between both sides? If the Lord is God, go after him. If Baal, go after him.”
But the people didn’t say a word.
22 So Elijah told the people, “I’m the only one left over as a prophet of the Lord, am I? But Baal’s prophets number 450 men? 23 So let them provide two oxen. They can choose one ox for themselves. Cut it up, lay it on top of some wood, but don’t set fire to it. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on top of some wood, and I won’t set fire to it. 24 Then you can call on the name of your god, and I’ll call on the name of the Lord. Let the God who answers by fire be our God!”
“That’s a good idea!” all the people shouted.
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[d] around the altar that they had made.
27 Starting about noon, Elijah began to tease them:
“Shout louder!
“He’s a god, so maybe he’s busy.
“Maybe he’s relieving himself.
“Maybe he’s busy someplace.
“Maybe he’s taking a nap and somebody needs to wake him up.”
28 So the prophets of Baal[e] cried even louder and slashed themselves with swords and lances until their blood gushed out all over them, as was their custom. 29 They kept on raving right through midday and until it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, but there was still no response. Nobody answered, and nobody paid attention.
30 Eventually, Elijah told everybody, “Come here!” So everybody approached him, and he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn 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 is to be your name.” 32 So Elijah used the stones to build an altar to the name of the Lord. But then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures[f] of seed. 33 Then he laid the wood in order, cut the bull into pieces, and laid them on top of the wood.
“Fill four pitchers with water,” he ordered. “Then pour them out on the burnt offering and the wood.”
34 “Do it a second time,” he ordered. So they did it a second time.
“Do it a third time,” he said. So they did it a third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and completely filled the trench.[g]
Elijah’s Prayer and God’s Answer by Fire
36 As the time for the evening offering arrived, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I, your servant, have done all of this in obedience to your word. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people may know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning back their hearts again.”
38 Right then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water that was in the trench! 39 When all the people saw what had happened, they fell flat on their faces and cried out “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
40 But Elijah said, “Arrest the prophets of Baal. Don’t let even one of them get away.” So the people[h] seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi[i] Kishon and executed them there.
The Rain Storm Ends the Drought
41 After this, Elijah told Ahab, “Get up and have something to eat and drink, because there’s the sound of a coming rainstorm.” 42 So Ahab got up to get something to eat and drink while Elijah went back up to the top of Mount[j] Carmel, where he bowed low to the ground and placed his face between his knees.
43 Then he told his young servant, “Go and look toward the sea.”
So he went and looked out to sea. “Nothing there,” he said.
But Elijah told him to go back seven times. 44 On the seventh look, he said, “Look! There’s a cloud, a small one, about the size of a man’s hand. It’s coming up out of the sea!”
“Get up and find Ahab!” Elijah[k] said. “Tell him, ‘Mount your chariot and ride down the mountain[l] so the storm doesn’t stop you.’”
45 A little while later, the sky turned black with storm clouds and winds, and there was a heavy shower. So Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 After Ahab had left,[m] the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah, and he tucked his mantle into his belt and outran Ahab in a race to the city gate of Jezreel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 18:18 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 18:19 Lit. who eat at Jezebel’s table
- 1 Kings 18:21 Lit. dancing; or limping
- 1 Kings 18:26 Or limping
- 1 Kings 18:28 Lit. So they
- 1 Kings 18:32 Lit. seahs; or hold four gallons; i.e. a trench encircling the altar and wide enough that a container holding about four gallons could be laid inside it
- 1 Kings 18:35 Lit. trench with water
- 1 Kings 18:40 Lit. So they
- 1 Kings 18:40 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- 1 Kings 18:42 The Heb. lacks Mount
- 1 Kings 18:44 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 18:44 The Heb. lacks the mountain
- 1 Kings 18:46 Lit. Then
1 Kings 18
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 18
Elijah and Ahab. 1 Now after quite some time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 Elijah went and showed himself to Ahab. There was a severe famine in Samaria.
3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, the major-domo of his household. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord. 4 When Jezebel cut down the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took one hundred of the prophets and he hid them by fifties in a cave, and he provided them with bread and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land where there are springs of water and through all the wadis. Perhaps you will find some green grass for the horses and donkeys so that we might not lose all of the animals.”
6 They divided the land between them, and they went through it. Ahab went in one direction, and Obadiah went in the other direction by himself. 7 As Obadiah was going along, he met Elijah. He recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is that you, my lord, Elijah?” 8 He said to him, “It is I. Go and tell your lord: ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ ”
9 But he answered, “How have I sinned that you would hand your servant over to Ahab so that he will kill me? 10 As the Lord, your God, lives, there is no land or kingdom into which my lord has not sent to search for you. When they said, ‘he is not here,’ he made the kingdom and the nation swear an oath that they could not find you. 11 And now you are telling me, ‘Go tell your lord: “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’ 12 When I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you off to some unknown place. When I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill your servant who has feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Has it not been reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and provided them with bread and water? 14 But now you are telling me, ‘Go, tell your lord: “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me.”
15 Elijah answered, “As the Lord of hosts before whom I stand lives, I will surely show myself to him today.”
16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” 18 He answered, “It is not I who have troubled Israel. It is you and your father’s household who have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and have followed after Baal. 19 Now send word, and gather together all of Israel for me on Mount Carmel, along with four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah, those who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 Elijah Destroys the Evil Prophets. So Ahab sent word to all of the Israelites, and he gathered together the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah approached all of the people and said, “How long will you be stuck between two points of view? If the Lord is God, then follow him, but if it is Baal, then follow him.” But the people did not say a single thing to him.[a]
22 Elijah then said to the people, “I am the only prophet of the Lord left, but there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. 23 Now give us two oxen. They can choose which ox is theirs. Let them cut it up and lay it on the wood, but do not set it on fire. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, but I will not set it on fire. 24 Call on the name of your God, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers with fire, that is God.” All of the people answered, “You have spoken well.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You can be the first to choose one of the oxen for yourselves and prepare it because you are more numerous. Call upon the name of your gods, but do not set it on fire.”
26 They took the ox that had been given them, and they prepared it. They called upon the name of Baal from the morning until noontime. They said, “Hear us, O Baal.” But there was no voice, and no one answered. They then leapt around on the altar they had built. 27 At noon, Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry out loud, for he is a god. He might be meditating, or maybe he has gone aside. Perhaps he is on a journey, or maybe he is asleep and needs to be woken up.”
28 So they cried out loud, and they slashed themselves with knives and swords as was their custom until blood gushed out from their bodies. 29 In the afternoon they prophesied until the time of the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice, no answer, no one listened.
30 Elijah said to all the people, “Come over here to me.” So all the people went over to him. He repaired the altar of God that had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the word of the Lord came saying, “Your name will be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar to the name of the Lord. He dug a trench around the altar deep enough to hold two measures of seed. 33 He piled up the wood, and cut up the ox into pieces. He laid them on the wood and said, “Fill four barrels with water and pour them on the burnt sacrifice and the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar, and the water filled the trench.
36 [b]At the hour for the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet drew near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are the God of Israel, and that I am your servant, and I have done all of these things by your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me so that this people might know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 The fire of the Lord fell down and consumed the burnt offering as well as the wood, the stones, the soil, and even the water that it licked up from the trench. 39 When all of the people saw this, they fell down upon their faces and said, “The Lord is God; the Lord is God!”
40 Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Wadi Kishon and killed them there.
41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat, and drink, for I hear the sound of heavy rain.” 42 Ahab went to eat and drink, and Elijah climbed up to the top of Carmel. He cast himself down to the ground and placed his face between his knees.
43 He said to his servant, “Go, now, and look out toward the sea.” He went and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Seven times he told him, “Go again.” 44 The seventh time he said, “Behold, there is a small cloud like the shape of a man’s hand rising from out of the sea.” He said, “Go tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Meanwhile, the skies grew dark with clouds, the wind rose up, and it poured. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. 46 The hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins[c] and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah saw that the people had succumbed to Baal worship by following Ahab and the false prophets, but he also knew that he could not be silent and he urged them to make a choice for the true God. The story of the drought is really a story of the war between good and evil.
- 1 Kings 18:36 As on many occasions in the history of Israel, God intervenes with a sign that the people who have abandoned him cannot ignore in order to win them back. In this case, the fire of the Lord convinces them, and they follow Elijah’s command to kill the prophets of Baal.
- 1 Kings 18:46 Girded up his loins: Elijah ran after Ahab, in this case, pulling up his clothes and securing them, so that he could run quickly into Jezreel so that the events of the ending of the drought and the killing of the evil prophets would be known there. Elijah also wanted to confront Ahab about his wrongdoing, just as Nathan had confronted David about Uriah (2 Sam 12:9).
1 Kings 18
New King James Version
Elijah’s Message to Ahab
18 And it came to pass after (A)many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and (B)I will send rain on the earth.”
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was [a]in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4 For so it was, while Jezebel [b]massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.” 6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he (C)recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”
8 And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”
9 So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here” ’! 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that (D)the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go 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 reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me!”
15 Then 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 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, (E)“Is that you, O (F)troubler of Israel?”
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, (G)in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on (H)Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, (I)and the four hundred prophets of [c]Asherah, who [d]eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and (J)gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, (K)“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, (L)follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, (M)“I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; (N)but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who (O)answers by fire, He is God.”
So all the people answered and said, [e]“It is well spoken.”
25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, [f]hear us!” But there was (P)no voice; no one answered. Then they [g]leaped about the altar which they had made.
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry [h]aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and (Q)cut themselves, as was their custom, with [i]knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, (R)they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was (S)no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. (T)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, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, (U)“Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar (V)in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he (W)put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and (X)pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled (Y)the trench 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 (Z)God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, (AA)let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that (AB)I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then (AC)the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, (AD)“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
40 And Elijah said to them, (AE)“Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook (AF)Kishon and (AG)executed them there.
The Drought Ends
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; (AH)then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, [j]‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the (AI)hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he (AJ)girded[k] up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 18:3 Lit. over the house
- 1 Kings 18:4 Lit. cut off
- 1 Kings 18:19 A Canaanite goddess
- 1 Kings 18:19 Are provided for by Jezebel
- 1 Kings 18:24 Lit. The word is good
- 1 Kings 18:26 answer
- 1 Kings 18:26 Lit. limped about, leaped in dancing around
- 1 Kings 18:27 with a loud voice
- 1 Kings 18:28 swords
- 1 Kings 18:44 Lit. Bind or Harness
- 1 Kings 18:46 Tucked the skirts of his robe in his belt in preparation for quick travel
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
