¹⁸ And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have ^(A)abandoned the commandments of the Lord and ^(B)followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount ^(C)Carmel, and the ^(D)450 prophets of Baal and ^(E)the 400 prophets of Asherah, ^(F)who eat at Jezebel's table.”

The Prophets of Baal Defeated

²⁰ So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long ^(G)will you go limping between two different opinions? ^(H)If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

⁹ Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

⁴⁰ And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to ^(A)the brook Kishon and ^(B)slaughtered them there.

²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” ²⁶ And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. ²⁷ And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸ And they cried aloud and ^(A)cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.