1 GLT And it was many days and the word of Yahweh was to Elijah in the third year, saying,“Go, appear to Ahab and I will give rain on the face of the ground.” 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 GLT And Elijah went to appear to Ahab.(Now the famine was strong in Samaria.) BSB BSB: So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
3 GLT And Ahab called to Obadiah, who was over the house.(Now Obadiah was one who feared Yahweh exceedingly. BSB BSB: and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,
4 GLT And it had happened when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men in the cave, and he sustained 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 GLT And Ahab said to Obadiah,“Go in the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we will find grass and we will keep alive a horse or a mule, and not cut off some of the livestock.” 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 GLT And they divided the land for themselves to pass through it. Ahab went in the one way by himself and Obadiah went in the one 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 GLT And it happened that Obadiah was in the road, and behold, Elijah was to meet him. And he recognized him and fell on his face and said,“Is this you, my master 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 GLT And he said to him,“It is I. Go, say to your master,‘Here is Elijah.’” BSB BSB: “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”
9 GLT And he said,“How have I sinned, that you are giving your servant over into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death? BSB BSB: But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?
10 GLT As Yahweh your God is alive, if there is a nation or a kingdom there where my master has not sent to seek you, and they said‘he is not here,’ then he caused the kingdom or the nation to swear that it did not find you. 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 GLT And now you are saying,‘Go, say to your master,“Here is Elijah.”’ BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12 GLT And it will happen that I myself will go from with you, and the Spirit of Yahweh will lift you to where I will not know. And I will come to tell Ahab and he will not find you and he will slay me. And your servant has been fearing Yahweh 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 GLT Has it not been told to my master, what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Yahweh, and I hid from the prophets of Yahweh a hundred men, 50 by 50 men in the cave, and I sustained 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 GLT And now you are saying,‘Go, say to your master,“Here is Elijah,”’ and he will slay me.” BSB BSB: And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
15 GLT And Elijah said,“As Yahweh of hosts is alive, before whose face I stand, surely today I will appear to him.” BSB BSB: Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”
16 GLT And Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. BSB BSB: So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah.
17 GLT And it happened as soon as Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him,“Are you this one who troubles Israel?” BSB BSB: When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18 GLT And he said,“I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and the house of your father, by your forsaking the commandments of Yahweh and going after the Baals. 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 GLT And now send, gather to me all Israel to the mountain of the Carmel, and the 450 prophets of the Baal and the 400 prophets of the Asherah, those who eat of the table of Jezebel.” 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 GLT And Elijah came near to all the people and he said,“Until when will you be limping over the two opinions? If Yahweh is God, go after him, but if the Baal, go after him.” And the people did not answer him 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 GLT And Elijah said to the people,“I myself remain a prophet of Yahweh by myself, but the prophets of the Baal are 450 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 GLT And let them give to us two bulls, and let them choose for themselves the one bull, and let them cut it into pieces. And let them set it on the wood pieces, but a fire they will not set. And as for me I will make the one bull that I will give on the wood pieces, but a fire I will not set. 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 GLT And you will call on the name of your god, but as for me, I will call on the name of Yahweh. And it will happen that the God who answers with fire, he is God.” And all the people answered and they said,“The thing is good.” 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 GLT And Elijah said to the prophets of the Baal,“Choose for yourselves the one bull and make it first, for you are the most abundant. And call on the name of your god, but a fire you will not set.” 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 GLT And they took the bull that he gave to them and they made, and they called on the name of the Baal from the morning and until the midday, saying,“The Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and there was no answering. And they limped beside the altar that he had 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 GLT And it happened at the midday that Elijah mocked them and he said,“Cry out with a great voice, for he is a god. Surely he is musing, or surely moving away for himself, or surely a way is for him. Pehaps he is asleep and he will wake up.” 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 GLT And they cried out with a great voice, and they cut themselves, according to their custom, with the swords and with the spears, until a pouring out of blood was 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 GLT And it happened as soon as the midday passed, that they prophesied until the offering up of the grain offering, but there was no voice and there was no answering and there was no attentiveness. 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 GLT And Elijah said to all the people,“Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the torn down altar of Yahweh. 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 GLT And Elijah took 12 stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom was the word of Yahweh, 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 GLT And he built with the stones an altar in the name of Yahweh. And he made a trench like the house of two seahs of seed surrounding the altar. 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 GLT And he arranged the wood pieces. And he cut the bull into pieces and he set it on the wood pieces. BSB BSB: Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,
34 GLT And he said,“Fill four jars with water, and pour out on the burnt up offering and on the wood pieces.” And 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. 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 GLT And the water went around the altar and even the trench he filled with water. BSB BSB: So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 GLT And it happened at the offering up of the grain offering, that Elijah the prophet came near and he said,“Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant, and by your word I have done all these things. 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 GLT Answer me, Yahweh! Answer me, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and you have turned around their heart backward.” 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 GLT And the fire of Yahweh fell and ate the burnt up offering and the wood pieces and the stones and the dust. And it 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 GLT And all the people saw and they fell on their faces. And they said,“Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is 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 GLT And Elijah said to them,“Seize the prophets of the Baal. Do not let a man from them slip away.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the wadi Kishon and he slaughtered 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.
41 GLT And Elijah said to Ahab,“Get up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the roar of the rain.” BSB BSB: And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42 GLT And Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the head of the Carmel, and he bent down toward the earth and he 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 GLT And he said to his young man,“Go up, now, look toward the way of the sea.” And he went up and he looked and he said,“There is not anything.” And he said,“Return 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 GLT And it happened at the seventh time that he said,“Behold, a small cloud like the palm of a man is going up from the sea.” And he said,“Go up, say to Ahab,‘Harness and go down so the rain will not stop you.’” 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 GLT And it happened until here and until there, that the heavens became dark 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 GLT And the hand of Yahweh was to Elijah, and he girded up his loins and he ran before the face of Ahab as far as your coming into 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.