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War between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

18 It happened many days later that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab so that I may give rain on the surface of the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab summoned Obadiah who was over the house. (Now Obadiah was fearing Yahweh greatly. It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties[a] in the cave and sustained them with food and water.) Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis.[b] Perhaps we may find green grass that we may keep horses and mules alive and that we might not lose any of the animals.” So they divided the land for themselves in order to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 18:4 Literally “fifty men”
  2. 1 Kings 18:5 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season

Elijah versus Baal’s prophets

18 After many days, the Lord’s word came to Elijah (it was the third year of the drought): Go! Appear before Ahab. I will then send rain on the earth. So Elijah went to appear before Ahab.

Now the famine had become especially bad in Samaria. Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace affairs. (Obadiah greatly feared the Lord. When Jezebel killed the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred of them and hid them, fifty each in two caves. He supplied them with food and water.) Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land and check every spring of water and every brook. Perhaps we can find some grass to keep our horses and mules alive so we don’t have to kill any of them.” To search, they divided the land between themselves. Ahab went one way by himself, while Obadiah went a different way by himself.

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