Elijah’s Message to Ahab 1 UST For a long time, almost three years, it did not rain in Israel. Then Yahweh told Elijah:“Go and meet with King Ahab so that I may make it rain again.” 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 UST So Elijah went to meet with Ahab. By this time, there was almost no food in Samaria for anyone to eat. BSB BSB: So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
3 UST { As Elijah was approaching,} Ahab summoned one of his officials. His name was Obadiah. He was in charge of the royal palace.(Obadiah greatly revered Yahweh. BSB BSB: and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,
4 UST Queen Jezebel had tried to kill all of Yahweh’ s prophets, but Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He had put 50 prophets in each cave, and he had brought food and water to them.) 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 UST Ahab told Obadiah,“I want you to go throughout the country and check every spring and every stream bed to see whether we can find enough grass to feed the horses and mules so that they will not all die. If we can find grass, we will also not have to slaughter all of the cattle.” 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 UST They agreed to look separately in different parts of the country. Ahab went in one direction, and Obadiah went in another direction. BSB BSB: So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7 UST As Obadiah was walking along, he saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized Elijah, and he bowed down respectfully to him. Then he said,“Is it really you, Elijah, my master?” 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 UST Elijah replied,“Yes, it is. Now go and tell your master Ahab that I am here.” BSB BSB: “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”
9 UST Obadiah responded,“I have done nothing wrong to deserve the punishment I would get{ if I told Ahab that}!{ Because of what would happen next,} he would order his soldiers to kill 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 UST I swear by Yahweh your God that King Ahab sent messengers to the rulers of every kingdom and people group around us to find out whether you were living with them. Every ruler told him,‘Elijah is not here.’ Ahab then demanded that the ruler solemnly swear that he was telling the truth{, and each one did}. 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 UST But now you are telling me,‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’ BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12 UST I believe that when I leave you, the Spirit of Yahweh will take you away somewhere, and I will not know where he has taken you. So when I tell Ahab that you are here, and he comes here and discovers that you are not here, he will kill me! But{ I do not deserve to die, because} I have revered Yahweh ever since I was a boy. 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 UST Sir, you must have heard about what I did when Jezebel wanted to kill all of Yahweh’ s prophets. I hid 100 of them in two caves. I put 50 prophets in each cave and brought food and water to them. 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 UST But even so, you are telling me,‘Go and tell your master that Elijah is here.’{ If I do that and he comes and finds that you are not here,} he will kill me!” BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
15 UST But Elijah replied,“I swear by Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, the God whom I serve, that I stay right here where Ahab can find me today.” 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 UST So Obadiah went and told Ahab that Elijah had returned. Ahab came to meet Elijah. BSB BSB: So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah.
17 UST When he saw Elijah, he said to him,“Is it really you,{ Elijah,} who have caused so much trouble for the people of Israel?” BSB BSB: When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18 UST Elijah replied,“I am not the one who has caused trouble for the people of Israel! You and your family are the ones who have done that! You have refused to obey Yahweh’ s commands, and you have worshiped idols representing Baal instead. 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 UST So I want you to command leaders from throughout Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. I want you to tell the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to go there also. Your wife Jezebel supports those prophets.” 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 UST Then Elijah stood in front of them and said,“You must not remain undecided any longer about who is truly God! If Yahweh is God, then you should worship him. If Baal is God, then you should worship him!” But the people said nothing in reply. 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 UST Then Elijah told them,“I am the only prophet of Yahweh who is still alive here in Israel, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 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 UST Now bring two bulls here. The prophets of Baal may choose the one that they want. They may kill it and cut it into pieces, and they may{ build an altar and put wood on it and} lay the pieces on the wood. But they must not set the wood on fire. I will kill the other bull and cut it in pieces and lay the pieces on wood{ that I will put on an altar that I will make}. But I will not set the wood on fire.” 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 UST Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal,“You must pray specifically to Baal as your god, and I will pray specifically to Yahweh.” Then Elijah said to the Israelite leaders,“The God who answers by sending fire{ to kindle the wood and burn up the sacrifice that is on his altar} is the true God!” The Israelite leaders agreed to what Elijah proposed. 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 UST Then Elijah told the prophets of Baal,“You may go first, since there are so many of you. Choose one of the bulls and cut it into pieces.{ Make an altar and put wood on it and put the pieces on the wood,} but do not light a fire. Then pray specifically to Baal as your god{ and ask him to set the wood on fire}.” 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 UST So they chose one of the bulls and cut it into pieces.{ They built an altar and put wood on it,} and they placed the pieces on the altar. Then they prayed to Baal specifically as their god all through that morning. They shouted,“Baal, answer us!” Then they danced wildly around the altar that they had made. But no one spoke to them from the sky or did anything in response to their prayer. 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 UST About noontime, Elijah started to make fun of them. He said,“You believe that Baal is a god, so shout more loudly{ to get his attention}! Perhaps{ he has not answered you because} he is thinking about something else or because he is relieving himself or because he is not home right now. Maybe he is sleeping but will wake up{ if you shout loudly enough}.” 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 UST So they shouted even more loudly. They slashed themselves with swords and spears, as they typically did when they worshiped Baal, until blood covered their bodies. BSB BSB: So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
29 UST They kept calling out to Baal until the middle of the afternoon, when it would soon be the time when it was customary to make a grain offering. But no one spoke to them from the sky or did anything in response to their prayer or paid any attention to it. 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 UST Then Elijah called to the people saying,“Come over here!” So they all crowded around him. There had been an altar to Yahweh there, but people who worshiped Baal had broken it apart. Elijah repaired it. 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 UST To do that, he took 12 large stones, one to represent each of the tribes whose ancestors were the sons of Jacob. Yahweh had told Jacob,“Your name will now be Israel.” 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 UST With these stones, Elijah rebuilt Yahweh’ s altar. Then he dug a ditch around the altar that was large enough to hold about 15 liters of grain. 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 UST Elijah stacked some wood on top of the stones. He{ killed the bull and} cut it into pieces. Then he laid the pieces on top of the wood. BSB BSB: Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,
34 UST Then Elijah told the people there,“Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water on top of the pieces of the bull and the wood.”{ So they did that.} Then he told them,“Do the same thing again!” So they did it again. Then he told them,“Do it yet again!” So they did it yet again. 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 UST The people poured so much water on the altar that it flowed all around the altar and filled the ditch at the bottom of it. BSB BSB: So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah’s Prayer 36 UST It was now{ late afternoon,} the time when it was customary to make a grain offering. Elijah walked up to the altar. He prayed,“Yahweh, you are the God whom our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel worshiped. Prove today that you are the God whom the Israelite people should worship. Also prove that I am your servant and that I have done all these things because you told me to do them. 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 UST Yahweh, please give the sign that I have described and send down fire! Do that so that these people will know that you, Yahweh, are the only true God and that you are working to make them want to worship you 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 UST Immediately Yahweh sent down fire from the sky. The fire burned up the pieces of meat, the wood, the stones, and the dirt that was around the altar. It even dried up all the water in the ditch! 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 UST When the people saw that, they bowed down respectfully. People throughout the crowd shouted,“Yahweh is the true 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 UST Then Elijah commanded the people,“Seize all the prophets of Baal! Do not allow any of them to escape!” So the people seized all the prophets of Baal. They brought them down the mountain to the Kishon valley, and Elijah had the people execute them all 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 UST Then Elijah told Ahab,“Go back up{ onto Mount Carmel where your servants have provisions for you} and get something to eat and drink.{ But do it quickly,} because{ as a prophet,} I can hear the sound of a heavy downpour{, so I know that it will soon rain very hard}!” BSB BSB: And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42 UST So Ahab went back up{ onto Mount Carmel} and had something to eat and drink. Elijah himself went up to the top of Mount Carmel. He bowed down reverently with his face almost to the ground{ and prayed that Yahweh would make it rain}. 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 UST Then Elijah told his servant,“Please climb up to a place where you can look out at the sea{ and see if any rain clouds are forming}.” So his servant went and looked. He{ came back and} told Elijah,“There are no clouds forming in the sky above the sea.” Elijah kept sending him back to look, for a total of 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 UST When the servant went the seventh time, he came back and told Elijah,“I saw a cloud forming above the sea. It was very small, like a person’ s hand.” Then Elijah told him,“Go and tell King Ahab to have his servants get his chariot ready so he can go home right away. If he does not do that, the rain will stop him!” 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 UST Very soon a strong wind drove in so many black clouds that they made the sky dark. It began to rain very hard. Ahab was rushing in his chariot back to{ his palace in} the city of 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 UST Yahweh gave extra strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt so that he could run, and he ran ahead of Ahab’ s chariot all the way to 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.