1 Kings 17-18
New English Translation
Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory
17 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve),[a] there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.”[b] 2 The Lord’s message came to him: 3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 4 Drink from the stream; I have already told[c] the ravens to bring you food[d] there.” 5 So he carried out[e] the Lord’s message; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.
7 After a while,[f] the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 The Lord’s message came to him, 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told[g] a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a little water in a cup, so I can take a drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”[h] 12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.”[i] 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned.[j] But first make me a small cake[k] and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” 15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family.[l] 16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah.
17 After this[m] the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 18 She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come[n] to me to confront me with[o] my sin and kill my son?” 19 He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 20 Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” 22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. 23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet[p] and that the Lord’s message really does come through you.”[q]
Elijah Meets the King’s Servant
18 Some time later, in the third year of the famine,[r] the Lord’s message came to Elijah, “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord.[s] 4 When Jezebel was killing[t] the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took 100 prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas[u] so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill[v] some of the animals.” 6 They divided up the land between them to search it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him.[w] When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 8 He replied, “Yes,[x] go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’”[y] 9 Obadiah[z] said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution?[aa] 10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them[ab] swear an oath that they could not find you. 11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’[ac] 12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you.[ad] If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me.[ae] That would not be fair,[af] because your servant has been a loyal follower of[ag] the Lord from my youth. 13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did[ah] when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’[ai] but he will kill me.” 15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[aj] lives (whom I serve),[ak] I will make an appearance before him today.”
Elijah Confronts Baal’s Prophets
16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah.[al] 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he[am] said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on[an] Israel?” 18 Elijah[ao] replied, “I have not brought disaster on[ap] Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 19 Now send out messengers[aq] and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports.”[ar]
20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision?[as] If the Lord is the true God,[at] then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. 22 Elijah said to them:[au] “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 24 Then you[av] will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.”[aw] All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.”[ax]
25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.”[ay] 26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested,[az] and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped[ba] around on the altar they had made.[bb] 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.”[bc] 28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual,[bd] mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood.[be] 29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy,[bf] but there was no sound, no answer, and no response.[bg]
30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.[bh] 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord’s message had come, “Israel will be your name.”[bi] 32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord.[bj] Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs[bk] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” 34 When they had done so,[bl] he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 36 When it was time for the evening offering,[bm] Elijah the prophet approached the altar[bn] and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove[bo] today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God[bp] and that you are winning back their allegiance.”[bq] 38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky.[br] It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God![bs] The Lord is the true God!” 40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed[bt] them there.
41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.”[bu] 42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.”[bv] Seven times Elijah sent him to look.[bw] 44 The seventh time the servant[bx] said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah[by] then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’”[bz] 45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward[ca] Jezreel. 46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power;[cb] he tucked his robe into his belt[cc] and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 17:1 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
- 1 Kings 17:1 tn Heb “except at the command of my word.”
- 1 Kings 17:4 tn Heb “commanded.”
- 1 Kings 17:4 tn Heb “to provide for you.”
- 1 Kings 17:5 tn Heb “acted according to.”
- 1 Kings 17:7 tn Heb “And it came about at the end of days.”
- 1 Kings 17:9 tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”
- 1 Kings 17:11 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “in your hand.”
- 1 Kings 17:12 tn Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”
- 1 Kings 17:13 tn Heb “according to your word.”
- 1 Kings 17:13 tn Heb “cake from there.”
- 1 Kings 17:15 tn Heb “and she ate, she and he and her house [for] days.”
- 1 Kings 17:17 tn Heb “after these things.”
- 1 Kings 17:18 tn Heb “What to me and to you, man of God, that you have come.”
- 1 Kings 17:18 tn Heb “to make me remember.”
- 1 Kings 17:24 tn Heb “man of God.”
- 1 Kings 17:24 tn Heb “is truly in your mouth.”sn This episode is especially significant in light of Ahab’s decision to promote Baal worship in Israel. In Canaanite mythology the drought that swept over the region (v. 1) would signal that Baal, a fertility god responsible for providing food for his subjects, had been defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. While Baal was overcome by death and unable to function like a king, Israel’s God demonstrated his sovereignty and superiority to death by providing food for a widow and restoring life to her son. And he did it all in Sidonian territory, Baal’s back yard, as it were. The episode demonstrates that Israel’s God, not Baal, is the true king who provides food and controls life and death. This polemic against Baalism reaches its climax in the next chapter, when the Lord proves that he, not Baal, controls the elements of the storm and determines when the rains will fall.
- 1 Kings 18:1 tn The words “of the famine” do not appear in the original text but are supplied for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:3 tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.
- 1 Kings 18:4 tn Heb “cutting off.”
- 1 Kings 18:5 tn Heb “grass.”
- 1 Kings 18:5 tn Heb “to cut off.”
- 1 Kings 18:7 tn Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”
- 1 Kings 18:8 tn Heb “[It is] I.”
- 1 Kings 18:8 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
- 1 Kings 18:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 18:9 tn Heb “to kill me.”
- 1 Kings 18:10 tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
- 1 Kings 18:11 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
- 1 Kings 18:12 tn Heb “to [a place] which I do not know.”
- 1 Kings 18:12 tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”
- 1 Kings 18:12 tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.
- 1 Kings 18:12 tn Heb “has feared the Lord” (also see the note at 1 Kgs 18:3).
- 1 Kings 18:13 tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
- 1 Kings 18:14 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
- 1 Kings 18:15 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of Hosts.”
- 1 Kings 18:15 tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”
- 1 Kings 18:16 tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
- 1 Kings 18:17 tn Heb “Ahab.”
- 1 Kings 18:17 tn Or “brings trouble on.”
- 1 Kings 18:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 18:18 tn Or “brought trouble on.”
- 1 Kings 18:19 tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:19 tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
- 1 Kings 18:21 tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.
- 1 Kings 18:21 tn Heb “the God.”
- 1 Kings 18:22 tn Heb “to the people.”
- 1 Kings 18:24 tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.
- 1 Kings 18:24 tn Heb “the God.”
- 1 Kings 18:24 tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”
- 1 Kings 18:25 tc The last sentence of v. 25 is absent in the Syriac Peshitta.
- 1 Kings 18:26 tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”
- 1 Kings 18:26 tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).
- 1 Kings 18:26 tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions have the plural form of the verb.
- 1 Kings 18:27 sn Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.
- 1 Kings 18:28 tn Or “as was their custom.”
- 1 Kings 18:28 tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”sn mutilated…covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
- 1 Kings 18:29 tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”
- 1 Kings 18:29 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”sn In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to describe the god Baal as dead and therefore unresponsive.
- 1 Kings 18:30 sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
- 1 Kings 18:31 sn Israel will be your name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
- 1 Kings 18:32 tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord.”
- 1 Kings 18:32 tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.
- 1 Kings 18:34 tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn Heb “let it be known.”
- 1 Kings 18:37 tn Heb “the God.”
- 1 Kings 18:37 tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”
- 1 Kings 18:38 tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 18:39 tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
- 1 Kings 18:40 tn Or “slaughtered.”
- 1 Kings 18:41 tn Heb “for [there is] the sound of the roar of the rain.”
- 1 Kings 18:43 sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.
- 1 Kings 18:43 tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”
- 1 Kings 18:44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 18:44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 18:44 tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”
- 1 Kings 18:45 tn Heb “rode and went to.”
- 1 Kings 18:46 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah.”
- 1 Kings 18:46 tn Heb “and girded up his loins.” The idea is that of gathering up the robes and tucking them into the sash or belt so that they do not get in the way of the legs when running (or working or fighting).
1 Kings 17-18
Legacy Standard Bible
A Widow Sustains Elijah
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [a](A)the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “(B)As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, surely (C)there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is [b]east of the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you will drink of the brook, and (D)I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is [c]east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens were bringing him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 Now it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to (E)Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and remain there; behold, (F)I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and (G)he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a [d]jar, that I may drink.” 11 So she went to get it, and he called to her and said, “Please get me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “(H)As Yahweh your God lives, (I)I have no [e]bread, only a handful of flour in the [f]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering [g]a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and (J)die.” 13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from [h]it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘The [i]bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil [j]be empty, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The [k]bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil [l]become empty, according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke by the hand of Elijah.
Yahweh Returns Life to the Widow’s Son
17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “(K)What do I have to do with you, O (L)man of God? [m]You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am sojourning, by causing her son to die?” 21 (M)Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return [n]to him.” 22 And Yahweh heard the voice of Elijah, (N)and the life of the child returned [o]to him and he became alive. 23 Then Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “(O)Now I know this: that you are a man of God and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth.”
Obadiah Meets Elijah
18 Now it happened (P)after many days that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and (Q)I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah (R)who was over the household. (Now Obadiah [p](S)feared Yahweh greatly. 4 And it happened that (T)when Jezebel was cutting down the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and (U)sustained them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to cut down some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now it happened that as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah [q]met him, (V)and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” 8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 And he said, “What [r]sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10 (W)As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and if they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 And it will be that when I leave you, (X)the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you where I do not know; and I will come and tell Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me, although I your servant have [s]feared Yahweh from my youth. 13 (Y)Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, that I hid [t]one hundred prophets of Yahweh by fifties in a cave, and sustained them with bread and water? 14 So now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” 15 And Elijah said, “(Z)As Yahweh of hosts 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 Now it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, that (AA)Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because (AB)you have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh and (AC)you have followed the Baals. 19 So now then send and gather to me all Israel at (AD)Mount Carmel, (AE)together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of (AF)the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Yahweh or Baal on Mount Carmel
20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “(AG)How long will you be limping between two opinions? (AH)If Yahweh is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I (AI)alone am left a prophet of Yahweh, but Baal’s prophets are (AJ)450 men. 23 Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but place no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and put it on the wood, and I will not place fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and (AK)the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered and said, “[u]That is a good word.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but place no fire under it.” 26 Then they took the ox which [v]was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was (AL)no voice and no one answered. And they [w]limped about the altar which [x]they had made. 27 Now it happened at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or relieving himself, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” 28 So they cried with a loud voice and (AM)gashed themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 Now it happened when noon had passed, that they prophesied (AN)until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no [y]one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And (AO)he repaired the altar of Yahweh which had been pulled down. 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yahweh had come, saying, “(AP)Israel shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones he built an altar in (AQ)the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two [z]seahs of seed. 33 (AR)Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 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 flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
Yahweh Answers, He Is God
36 (AS)Now it happened at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “(AT)O Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that (AU)You are God in Israel and that I am Your slave and (AV)I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Yahweh, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” 38 Then the (AW)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 And all the people saw it and fell on their faces and said, “(AX)Yahweh, He is God; Yahweh, He is God.” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to (AY)the brook Kishon, (AZ)and slaughtered them there.
Yahweh Sends Rain
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the tumult of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of (BA)Carmel; and he (BB)stretched himself down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his young man, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 Now it happened at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, (BC)a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘[aa]Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’” 45 Now it happened that in a little while the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. And Ahab rode and went to (BD)Jezreel. 46 But (BE)the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah, and (BF)he girded up his loins and [ab]outran Ahab unto where you enter Jezreel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 17:1 Or Tishbe in Gilead
- 1 Kings 17:3 Lit before
- 1 Kings 17:5 Lit before
- 1 Kings 17:10 Or vessel
- 1 Kings 17:12 Lit cake
- 1 Kings 17:12 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:12 Lit two
- 1 Kings 17:13 Lit there
- 1 Kings 17:14 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:14 Lit lack
- 1 Kings 17:16 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:16 Lit lack
- 1 Kings 17:18 Or Have you come...death?
- 1 Kings 17:21 Lit upon his inward part
- 1 Kings 17:22 Lit upon his inward part
- 1 Kings 18:3 Or reverenced
- 1 Kings 18:7 Lit to meet
- 1 Kings 18:9 Lit have I sinned
- 1 Kings 18:12 Or reverenced
- 1 Kings 18:13 Lit a hundred men of the prophets
- 1 Kings 18:24 Lit The matter is good
- 1 Kings 18:26 Lit he gave
- 1 Kings 18:26 A type of ceremonial dance
- 1 Kings 18:26 As in some mss and the ancient versions; M.T. he
- 1 Kings 18:29 Lit attentiveness
- 1 Kings 18:32 A seah was approx. 7 qt. or 7.7 l
- 1 Kings 18:44 Lit Tie, Harness
- 1 Kings 18:46 Lit ran before
1 Kings 17-18
King James Version
17 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.
17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
20 And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
18 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:
4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
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 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10 As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear 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 an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15 And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. 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, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy 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 measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he 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 water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also 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 God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed 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 on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.