1 Kings 18
Elijah Returns to
Ahab |
1 |
And it came to pass after many
days, that the word of the LORD came to Eli'jah
in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will
send rain upon the earth.
|
2 |
And Eli'jah went to show himself unto
Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
|
3 |
And Ahab called Obadi'ah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadi'ah feared
the LORD greatly:
|
4 |
for it was so, when Jez'ebel cut
off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadi'ah
took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed
them with bread and water.)
|
5 |
And Ahab said unto Obadi'ah, 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 Obadi'ah went
another way by himself.
|
7 |
And as Obadi'ah was in the way, behold,
Eli'jah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Eli'jah?
|
8 |
And he answered him, I am: go,
tell thy lord, Behold, Eli'jah 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, Eli'jah 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
Jez'ebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I
hid a 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, Eli'jah is here: and he shall slay me.
|
15 |
And Eli'jah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will
surely show myself unto him today.
|
16 |
So Obadi'ah went to meet Ahab, and told
him: and Ahab went to meet Eli'jah.
|
17 |
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw
Eli'jah, 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 Ba'alim.
|
19 |
Now therefore send, and gather to
me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Ba'al four
hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred,
which eat at Jez'ebel's table.
|
The Contest on Mount
Carmel |
20 |
So Ahab sent unto all the children of
Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount
Carmel.
|
21 |
And Eli'jah came unto all the people, and
said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Ba'al, then follow him. And the people answered him not a
word.
|
22 |
Then said Eli'jah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Ba'al'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 Eli'jah said unto the prophets of
Ba'al, 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 Ba'al
from morning even until noon, saying, O Ba'al, 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 Eli'jah
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 Eli'jah 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 Eli'jah 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: Gen. 32.28 ; 35.10
|
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 Eli'jah
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 Eli'jah said unto them, Take the
prophets of Ba'al; let not one of them escape. And they took them:
and Eli'jah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them
there.
|
Elijah Prays for
Rain |
41 |
And Eli'jah 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
Eli'jah 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. Jas. 5.18 And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
|
46 |
And the hand of the LORD was on Eli'jah; and he girded up his loins, and
ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
|
|