AND it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD  came to Elijah, in the third year,

saying," Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.

2 So Elijah went to present to Ahab, and there was a severe famine in Samaria.

3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. ( Now Obadiah feared the LORD

greatly.

4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one

hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)

5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks;

perhaps we may find grass to keep the horese and mules alivee, so that we will not have to kill any

livestock."

6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by hiself, and Obadiah went

another way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddendly Elijah met him; and he recognised  him, and fell on his

face, and said, " Is that you, my lord Elihaj ?"

8 And he answered him, " It is I. Go, tell your master is here.' "

9 So he said," How have I sinned, that you are delivered your servant into the hand of Ahab, kill me ?

10 " As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom hwere my master has not sent

someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ' He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or

nation that they could not find you.

11 "And now you say, ' Go, tell your master," Elijah is her" '

12 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry  you to

a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me.But I your

servant have feared the LORD from my mouth.

13 "Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid

one hundred men of the LORD' s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them them with bread and water?

14 "And now you say,' Go, tell your master, " Elijah is here." ' He will kill me.!"

15 Then Elijah said, " As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to

him today."

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab said to him, " Is that you, O troubler of

Israel?"

17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah is her." ' He kill me.

18 And he answered , "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you

have have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.

19 "Now therefore. send and gather all Israel to to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty

prophets of Baal, and the four hundred and fifty  prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of

Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets to gether on Mount Carmel.

21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long you will falter betwen two opnions ? If the

LORD is  God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.

22 The Elijah said to the people, " I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophet are four

hundred and fifty men.

23 "Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselve, cut it in pieces,

and lay it on the wood, but no fire under it; and I  will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood,

but put no fire under it.

24 "Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and  the God

who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said," It was well spoken."

25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, " Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you

are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they  prepared it, and called on the name of Baal

from morning  even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us ! But there was no voice; no one answered.

Then they leaped about thatar which they had made.

27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said , "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is

mediating, or he is busy. otr he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."

28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the

blood gushed out on them.

29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.

But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people," Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he

repaired the altar to the LORD that was broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, acording to the number of the word of the sons of Jacob, to whom

the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name.

32 Thne with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the

altar large enough to hold two seah of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, " Fill four

waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood."

34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third

time," and they did it a third time.

35 So the water ran all around the alter; and he also filled the trench with water.

36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet

came near and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and I AM Your servant, and that I

have done all these things at Your word.

37 "Hear, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You are

God in Israel and that You have turn their hearts back to You again.

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and

the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said," The LORD, He IS God ! The

LORD, He is God!"

40 And Elijah said to them," Seize the prophets of Baal ! Do not let one of them escape ! So they

seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and execute them there.

41 Then  Elijah said to Ahab," Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain."

42  So Ahab went up to eat and drink, And Elijah went up to th top of Carmel; then he bowed down on

the ground, and put his face between his knees,

43 And said to his servant, " Go uo now, look toward the sa." So he went up and looked toward ." So

he went up and looked, and said," There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."

44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, " There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand,

rising out of the sea !" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, ' Prepare your chariot, and go down before

the rain stops you.' "

45 Now it happened in the nmeantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was

a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezebel.

46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his lions and ran ahead of Ahab to

the enterance of Jezreel. 1 KINGS 18