< 1 Kings 18 >
1 After many dayes, the worde of the Lord came to Eliiah, in the third yeere, saying, Goe, shewe thy selfe vnto Ahab, and I will sende rayne vpon the earth.
And it happened 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 And Eliiah went to shew himselfe vnto Ahab, and there was a great famine in Samaria.
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.
3 And Ahab called Obadiah the gouernour of his house: (and Obadiah feared God greatly:
And Ahab summoned Obadiah, the steward of the house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.
4 For when Iezebel destroyed the Prophets of the Lord, Obadiah tooke an hundreth Prophets, and hid them, by fiftie in a caue, and he fed them with bread and water.)
And it came about, when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them, fifty by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5 And Ahab saide vnto Obadiah, Goe into the land, vnto all the fountaines of water, and vnto all the riuers, if so be that we may finde grasse to saue the horses and the mules aliue, lest we depriue the lande of the beastes.
And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals."
6 And so they deuided the lande betweene them to walke thorowe it. Ahab went one way by him selfe, and Obadiah went another way by him selfe.
So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way alone.
7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Eliiah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art not thou my lord Eliiah?
And as Obadiah was on the way, look, Elijah met him; and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"
8 And he answered him, Yea, goe tell thy lord, Behold, Eliiah is here.
He answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord, 'Look, Elijah is here.'"
9 And he said, What haue I sinned, that thou wouldest deliuer thy seruant into the hande of Ahab, to slay me?
And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
10 As the Lord thy God liueth, there is no nation or kingdome, whither my lorde hath not sent to seeke thee: and when they sayd, He is not here, he tooke an othe of the kingdome and nation, if they had not found thee.
As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they did not find you.
11 And now thou sayest, Goe, tell thy lorde, Beholde, Eliiah is here.
Now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, "Look, Elijah is here."'
12 And when I am gone from thee, the Spirit of the Lord shall cary thee into some place that I doe not know: so when I come and tell Ahab, if he cannot finde thee, then wil he kill me: But I thy seruant feare the Lord from my youth.
It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I do not know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
13 Was it not tolde my lord, what I did when Iezebel slew the Prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundreth men of the Lordes Prophets by fifties in a caue, and fed them with bread and water?
Wasn't it told 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 by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 And now thou sayest, Go, tel thy lord, Behold, Eliiah is here, that he may slay me.
Now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, "Look, Elijah is here";' and he will kill me."
15 And Eliiah said, As the Lord of hostes liueth, before whome I stand, I will surely shewe my selfe vnto him this day.
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 meete Ahab, and tolde him: And Ahab went to meete Eliiah.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And when Ahab saw Eliiah, Ahab said vnto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
It happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 And he answered, I haue not troubled Israel, but thou, and thy fathers house, in that ye haue forsaken the commandements of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.
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 the Baals.
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel vnto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal foure hundreth and fiftie, and the prophets of the groues foure hundreth, which eate at Iezebels table.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent vnto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together vnto mount Carmel.
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21 And Eliiah came vnto all the people, and said, How long halt ye betweene two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal be he, then goe after him. And the people answered him not a worde.
Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you keep limping between two positions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.
22 Then said Eliiah vnto the people, I onely remayne a Prophet of the Lord: but Baals prophets are foure hundreth and fiftie men.
Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men, and the prophets of Asherah four hundred.
23 Let them therefore giue vs two bullockes, and let them chuse the one, and cut him in pieces, and lay him on the wood, but put no fire vnder, and I will prepare the other bullocke, and lay him on the wood, and will put no fire vnder.
Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it.
24 Then call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and then the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered, and sayde, It is well spoken.
You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the god who answers by fire, he is God." All the people answered, "It is well said."
25 And Eliiah said vnto the prophets of Baal, Chuse you a bullocke, and prepare him first, (for ye are many) and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire vnder.
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
26 So they tooke the one bullocke, that was giuen them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal, from morning to noone, saying, O Baal, heare vs: but there was no voyce, nor any to answere: and they leapt vpon the altar that was made.
And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no voice, nor any who answered. And they limped about the altar they had made.
27 And at noone Eliiah mocked them, and said, Crye loude: for he is a god: either he talketh or pursueth his enemies, or is in his iourney, or it may be that he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
And it came about, at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Maybe he is thinking about it, or he is busy, or he is on a trip, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."
28 And they cryed loude, and cut them selues as their maner was, with kniues and launcers, till the blood gushed out vpon them.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with swords and spears, until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And when midday was passed, and they had prophecied vntil the offring of the euening sacrifice, there was neither voyce, nor one to answere, nor any that regarded.
And when midday was past, they prophesied until the offering up of the offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.
30 And Eliiah said vnto all the people, Come to me. And all the people came to him. And he repayred the altar of the Lord that was broken downe.
Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me"; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
31 And Eliiah tooke twelue stones, according to the nomber of the tribes of the sonnes of Iaakob, (vnto whome the worde of the Lord came, saying, Israel shalbe thy name)
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."
32 And with the stones he buylt an altar in the Name of the Lord: and he made a ditch round about the altar, as great as woulde conteine two measures of seede.
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and hewed the bullocke in pieces, and layd him on the wood,
And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood.
34 And said, Fill foure barrels with water, and powre it on the burnt offring and on the wood. Againe he said, Doe so againe. And they did so the second time. And he sayde, Doe it the third time. And they did it the third time.
And he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood." And they did so. And he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it the second time. And he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar: and he filled the ditch with water also.
And the water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And when they should offer the euening sacrifice, Eliiah the Prophet came, and sayd, Lord God of Abraham, Izhak and of Israel, let it be knowen this day, that thou art the God of Israel, and that I am thy seruant, and that I haue done all these things at thy commandement.
It happened at the time of the offering up of the offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "LORD, the God of Abraham, of 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.
37 Heare me, O Lord, heare me, and let this people know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart againe at the last.
Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again."
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offring, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked vp the water that was in the ditche.
Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, 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 sawe it, they fell on their faces, and saide, The Lord is God, the Lord is God.
And when all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "The LORD, he is God. The LORD, he is God."
40 And Elijah said vnto them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not a man of them escape. and they tooke them, and Eliiah brought them to the brooke Kishon, and slewe them there.
And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.
41 And Eliiah sayde vnto Ahab, Get thee vp, eate and drinke, for there is a sound of much rayne.
And Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of a heavy rain."
42 So Ahab went vp to eate and to drinke, and Eliiah went vp to the top of Carmel: and he crouched vnto the earth, and put his face betweene his knees,
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down toward the ground, and put his face between his knees.
43 And sayde to his seruant, Goe vp now and looke towarde the way of the Sea. And he went vp, and looked, and sayde, There is nothing. Againe he sayd, Goe againe seuen times.
And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up, and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again" seven times. And the servant went again seven times.
44 And at the seuenth time he sayd, Behold, there ariseth a litle cloude out of the sea like a mans hand. Then he sayd, Vp, and say vnto Ahab, Make readie thy charet, and get thee downe, that the raine stay thee not.
It happened at the seventh time, that he said, "Look, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, "Go up, tell Ahab, 'Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn't stop you.'"
45 And in the meane while the heauen was blacke with cloudes and winde, and there was a great rayne. Then Ahab went vp and came to Izreel.
It happened in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the Lord was on Eliiah, and he girded vp his Ioynes, and ran before Ahab till he came to Izreel.
The hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.