1Kings:18:1-36-39
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After many days the word of the LORD came to Eli '
jah ,
in the third year ,
saying , "
Go ,
show yourself to Ahab ;
and I will send rain upon the earth ."
*
So Eli '
jah went to show himself to Ahab .
Now the famine was severe in Sama '
ria .
*
And Ahab called Obadi '
ah ,
who was over the household . (
Now Obadi '
ah revered the LORD greatly ;
*
and when Jez '
ebel cut off the prophets of the LORD ,
Obadi '
ah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave ,
and fed them with bread and water .)
*
And Ahab said to Obadi '
ah , "
Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys ;
perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive ,
and not lose some of the animals ."
*
So they divided the land between them to pass through it ;
Ahab went in one direction by himself ,
and Obadi '
ah went in another direction by himself .
*
And as Obadi '
ah was on the way ,
behold ,
Eli '
jah met him ;
and Obadi '
ah recognized him ,
and fell on his face ,
and said , "
Is it you ,
my lord Eli '
jah ?"
*
And he answered him , "
It is I .
Go ,
tell your lord , `
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here .'"
*
And he said , "
Wherein have I sinned ,
that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab ,
to kill me ?
*
As the LORD your God lives ,
there is no nation or kingdom whither my lord has not sent to seek you ;
and when they would say , `
He is not here ,'
he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation ,
that they had not found you .
*
And now you say , `
Go ,
tell your lord , "
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here ."'
*
And as soon as I have gone from you ,
the Spirit of the LORD will carry you whither I know not ;
and so ,
when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you ,
he will kill me ,
although I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth .
*
Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jez '
ebel killed the prophets of the LORD ,
how I hid a hundred men of the LORD '
S prophets by fifties in a cave ,
and fed them with bread and water ?
*
And now you say , `
Go ,
tell your lord , "
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here "';
and he will kill me ."
*
And Eli '
jah said , "
As the LORD of hosts lives ,
before whom I stand ,
I will surely show myself to him today ."
*
So Obadi '
ah went to meet Ahab ,
and told him ;
and Ahab went to meet Eli '
jah .
*
When Ahab saw Eli '
jah ,
Ahab said to him , "
Is it you ,
you troubler of Israel ?"
*
And he answered , "
I have not troubled Israel ;
but you have ,
and your father '
s house ,
because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and followed the Ba '
als .
*
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel ,
and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba '
al and the four hundred prophets of Ashe '
rah ,
who eat at Jez '
ebel '
s table ."
*
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel ,
and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel .
*
And Eli '
jah came near to all the people ,
and said , "
How long will you go limping with two different opinions ?
If the LORD is God ,
follow him ;
but if Ba '
al ,
then follow him ."
And the people did not answer him a word .
*
Then Eli '
jah said to the people , "
I ,
even I only ,
am left a prophet of the LORD ;
but Ba '
al '
s prophets are four hundred and fifty men .
*
Let two bulls be given to us ;
and let them choose one bull for themselves ,
and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood ,
but put no fire to it ;
and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood ,
and put no fire to it .
*
And 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 ."
And all the people answered , "
It is well spoken ."
*
Then Eli '
jah said to the prophets of Ba '
al , "
Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first ,
for you are many ;
and call on the name of your god ,
but put no fire to it ."
*
And they took the bull which was given them ,
and they prepared it ,
and called on the name of Ba '
al from morning until noon ,
saying , "
O Ba '
al ,
answer us !"
But there was no voice ,
and no one answered .
And they limped about the altar which they had made .
*
And at noon Eli '
jah mocked them ,
saying , "
Cry aloud ,
for he is a god ;
either he is musing ,
or he has gone aside ,
or he is on a journey ,
or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened ."
*
And they cried aloud ,
and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances ,
until the blood gushed out upon them .
*
And as midday passed ,
they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation ,
but there was no voice ;
no one answered ,
no one heeded .
*
Then Eli '
jah 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 had been thrown down ;
*
Eli '
jah 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 ";
*
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 .
*
And he put the wood in order ,
and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood .
And he said , "
Fill four jars with water ,
and pour it on the burnt offering ,
and on the wood ."
*
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 .
*
And the water ran round about the altar ,
and filled the trench also with water .
*
And at the time of the offering of the oblation ,
Eli '
jah the prophet came near and said , "
O LORD ,
God of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and Israel ,
let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel ,
and that I am thy servant ,
and that I have done all these things at thy word .
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