1Kings:18

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* And it lasted many days , when the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year , saying , Go , show thyself unto Achab ; and I will give rain upon the face of the earth . * And Elijah went to show himself unto Achab ; and the famine was grievous in Samaria . * And Achab called ‘Obadiah , who was the superintendent of the house ; ––(now ‘Obadiah feared the Lord greatly ; * And it happened , when Izebel cut off the prophets of the Lord , that ‘Obadiah took a hundred prophets , and hid them fifty each in one cave , and provided them with bread and water ;) * And Achab said unto ‘Obadiah , Go through the land , unto all the springs of water , and unto all the brooks , peradventure we may find grass and keep alive horse and mule , that we lose not all the cattle . * So they divided between them the land to pass through it : Achab went one way by himself alone , and ‘Obadiah went another way by himself alone . * And as ‘Obadiah was on the way , behold , Elijah came toward him ; and he recognized him , and fell on his face , and said , Art thou here indeed , my Lord Elijah ? * And he said unto him , I am : go , say unto thy Lord , Behold , Elijah is here . * And he said , What have I sinned , that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the hand of Achab , to slay me ? * As the Lord thy God liveth , there is not a nation or kingdom whither my Lord hath not sent to seek thee ; and when they said , He is not here : he caused that kingdom and nation to take an oath , that no one could find thee . * And now thou sayest , Go , say unto thy Lord , Behold , here is Elijah . * And it may come to pass , that , when I go from thee , the spirit of the Lord may carry thee whither I know not ; and when I come to inform Achab , and he cannot find thee , he will slay me ; but I thy servant have feared the Lord from my youth . * Hath it not been told unto my Lord what I did when Izebel slew the prophets of the Lord , how I hid a hundred men of the prophets of the Lord , fifty each in one cave , and provided them with bread and water ? * And now thou sayest , Go say to thy lord , Behold , Elijah is here : and he will slay me . * Then said Elijah , As the Lord of hosts liveth , before whom I have stood , surely today will I show myself unto him . * So ‘Ohadiah went to meet Achab , and he told it to him ; and Achab went to meet Elijah . * And it came to pass , when Achab saw Elijah , that Achab said unto him , Art thou he that troubleth Israel ? * And he answered , I have not troubled Israel ; but thou , and thy father ’s house , through your forsaking the commandments of the Lord , and because thou hast followed the Be ’alim . * And now send , assemble unto me all Israel at Mount Carmel , and the prophets of Ba ’al four hundred and fifty , and the prophets of the grove four hundred , who eat at the table of Izebel . * And Achab sent round among all the children of Israel , and he assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel . * And Elijah approached unto all the people , and said , How long halt ye between the two opinions ? if the Lord be the God , follow him ; and if Ba ’al ––follow him . And the people answered him not a word . * And Elijah said unto the people , I have been left a prophet of the Lord by myself alone ; but the prophets of Ba ’al are four hundred and fifty men . * Therefore let there be given unto us two bullocks ; and let them choose for themselves the one bullock , and cut it in pieces , and lay it on wood , and put no fire to it : and I will prepare the other bullock , and lay it on wood , and put no fire to it . * And do ye call on the name of your god , and I will call on the name of the Lord : and it shall be that the God who answereth by fire , he shall be the God . And all the people answered and said , The proposal is good . * And Elijah said unto the prophets of Ba ’al , Choose you for yourselves the one bullock , and prepare it first ; for ye are the many ; and call on the name of your god , but put no fire to it . * And they took the bullock which he had given to them , and they prepared it ; and they called on the name of Ba ’al from morning even until noon , saying , O Ba ’al , answer us ; but there was no voice , nor any answer : and they danced about the altar which had been made . * And it came to pass at noon , that Elijah mocked at them , and said , Call with a loud voice ; for he is a god ; either he is holding council , or he is busy in some pursuit , or he is on a journey ; or peradventure he sleepeth , and may thus awaken . * And they called with a loud voice and cut themselves after their custom with knives and spears , till the blood gushed out over them . * And it came to pass , when midday was past , that they practised their follies until near the offering of the evening –sacrifice ; but there was neither voice , nor any answer , nor any perceptible sound . * 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 had been torn down . * And Elijah took twelve stones , according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob , unto whom the word of the Lord was come , saying , Israel shall be thy name . * And he built of the stones an altar in the name of the Lord ; and he made a trench as great as would contain two seahs of seed round about the altar . * And he put in order the wood , and cut the bullock in pieces , and laid them on the wood , * And he said . Fill four jars with water ; and they had to pour it on the burnt –offering , and on the wood : 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 . * And the water ran round about the altar ; and the trench also he filled with water . * And it came to pass , at the offering of the evening –sacrifice , that Elijah the prophet came near , and said , O Lord , God of Abraham , of Isaac , and of Israel , this day let it be known that thou art God in Israel , and that I am thy servant , and that at thy word I have done all these things . * Answer me , O Lord , answer me , and let all this people know that thou , O Lord , art the God , and thou wilt have turned their heart back again . * And there fell a fire of the Lord , and consumed the burnt –offering , and the wood , and the stones , and the dust ; and the water also that was in the trench did it lick up . * And when all the people saw this , they fell on their faces ; and they said , the Lord ––he is the God ; the Lord ––he is the God . * And Elijah said unto them , Seize the prophets of Ba ’al ; not one of them must escape ; and they seized them : and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon , and slaughtered them there . * And Elijah said unto Achab , Go up , eat and drink ; for there is a sound of abundance of rain . * So Achab went up to eat and to drink . And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ; and he cast himself down toward the earth , and put his face between his knees ; * And he said to his servant , Go up , I pray thee , look in the direction of the sea . And he went up , and looked , and said , Not the least . And he said , Go again , seven times . * And it came to pass at the seventh time , that he said , Behold , there is a little cloud like a man ’s hand arising out of the sea . And he said , Go up , say unto Achab , Harness up , and come down , that the rain may not detain thee . * And it came to pass in the mean while , that the heavens were blackened with clouds and wind , and there was a great rain . And Achab rode , and went to Yizre ’el . * And the inspiration of the Lord came over Elijah , and he girded up his loins ; and he ran before Achab up to the entrance of Yizre ’el .

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