⁷ While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him.^(A) When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸ “It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’” ^[a]

⁹ But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed,^(B) that you are handing your servant over to 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 someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

¹¹ “Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ ¹² But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off^(C) to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. ¹³ Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the Lord, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. ¹⁴ Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵ Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of Armies lives,^(D) in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶ Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.