As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized(A) him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

“What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look(B) for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 I don’t know where the Spirit(C) of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”

15 Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present(D) myself to Ahab today.”

Elijah on Mount Carmel

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

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It happened that Obadiah was on the way, and suddenly Elijah was there to meet him. When he recognized him, he fell on his face and said, “Is this you, my lord Elijah?” He said to him, “I am. Go, say to your lord, ‘Elijah is here.’” He said, “How have I sinned that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me? 10 As Yahweh your God lives,[a] surely there is not a nation or a kingdom to which my lord has not sent me to seek you. If they would say, ‘He is not here,’ then he would make the kingdom or the nation swear that it could not find you. 11 Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here.”’ 12 And it will happen that I will go from you and the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you up to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, but he will not find you, and then he will kill me, even though your servant has feared Yahweh from my youth. 13 Has it not been told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred men of the prophets of Yahweh by fifties[b] in the cave, and I sustained them with food and water. 14 Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here,”’ and he will kill me.” 15 Elijah said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives,[c] before whom I stand, I will certainly show myself to him today.”

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him, so Ahab went to meet Elijah.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 18:10 Literally “The life of Yahweh your God”
  2. 1 Kings 18:13 Literally “fifty fifty men”
  3. 1 Kings 18:15 Literally “The life of Yahweh of hosts”