-
And it
came to pass after many days, that the word of
the Lord came to Elijah in the third year,
saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will
send rain upon the earth.
02 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And
there was a sore famine in Samaria.
03 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the
governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the
Lord greatly:
04 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the
prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an
hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a
cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
05 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, 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.
06 So they divided the land between them to pass
throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and
Obadiah went another way by himself.
07 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah
met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face,
and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
08 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord,
Behold, Elijah is here.
09 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, Elijah 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
Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid
an 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, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15 And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth,
before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself
unto him to day.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him:
and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah,
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 Baalim.
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all
Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of
Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of
the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's
table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel,
and gathered the prophets together unto mount
Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said,
How long halt ye between two opinions? if the
Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I
only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal'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.
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25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal,
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 Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O
Baal, 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 Elijah
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 Elijah 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 Elijah 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:
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 Elijah
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 Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets
of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they
took them: and Elijah brought them down to the
brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41 And Elijah 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
Elijah 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. And Ahab rode, and went
to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he
girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the
entrance of Jezreel.
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