⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(A)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.

The Lord Will Not Relent

15 Then the Lord said to me, ^(A)“Though ^(B)Moses ^(C)and Samuel ^(D)stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!

¹⁷ Then he would return to ^(A)Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. ^(B)And he built there an altar to the Lord.

¹⁶ Therefore, ^(A)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^(B)that you may be healed. ^(C)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^[a]

² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ^(A)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been ^(A)thrown down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ^(B)“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 about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs^[a] of seed. ^33 (C)And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and ^(D)pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴ And 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 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

³⁶ And at the time of ^(E)the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, ^(F)God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that ^(G)you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that ^(H)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.” ^38 (I)Then the fire of the Lord 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.

⁸ Then go down before me ^(A)to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and ^(B)to sacrifice peace offerings. ^(C)Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”