Elijah’s Message to Ahab 1 AKJV And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth. BSB BSB: After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
2 AKJV And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. BSB BSB: So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
3 AKJV And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: BSB BSB: and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,
4 AKJV 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.) BSB BSB: for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
5 AKJV And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. BSB BSB: Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”
6 AKJV So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. BSB BSB: So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7 AKJV And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Are you that my lord Elijah? BSB BSB: Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
8 AKJV And he answered him, I am: go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. BSB BSB: “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”
9 AKJV And he said, What have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? BSB BSB: But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?
10 AKJV As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found you not. BSB BSB: As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.
11 AKJV And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12 AKJV And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry you where I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he shall slay me: but I your servant fear the LORD from my youth. BSB BSB: I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
13 AKJV 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? BSB BSB: Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water.
14 AKJV And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
15 AKJV And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him to day. BSB BSB: Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”
Elijah on Mount Carmel 16 AKJV So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. BSB BSB: So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah.
17 AKJV And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Are you he that troubles Israel? BSB BSB: When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18 AKJV And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and you have followed Baalim. BSB BSB: “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
19 AKJV Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to 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. BSB BSB: Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
21 AKJV And Elijah came to all the people, and said, How long halt you between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. BSB BSB: Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.
22 AKJV Then said Elijah to the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. BSB BSB: Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23 AKJV 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: BSB BSB: Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.
24 AKJV And call you on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. BSB BSB: Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
25 AKJV And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. BSB BSB: Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
26 AKJV 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 on the altar which was made. BSB BSB: And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
27 AKJV 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 sleeps, and must be awaked. BSB BSB: At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
28 AKJV And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out on them. BSB BSB: So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
29 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 AKJV And Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. BSB BSB: Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
31 AKJV And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be your name: BSB BSB: And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”
32 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,
34 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
35 AKJV And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. BSB BSB: So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah’s Prayer 36 AKJV 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 you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. BSB BSB: At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.
37 AKJV Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you are the LORD God, and that you have turned their heart back again. BSB BSB: Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
38 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
39 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
40 AKJV And Elijah said to 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. BSB BSB: Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
The LORD Sends Rain 41 AKJV And Elijah said to Ahab, Get you up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. BSB BSB: And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42 AKJV So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees, BSB BSB: So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.
43 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44 AKJV And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there rises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot, and get you down that the rain stop you not. BSB BSB: On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
45 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
46 AKJV And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. BSB BSB: And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.