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1Ki 18:1 And it came to
pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the
third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon
the earth.
1Ki 18:2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore
famine in Samaria.
1Ki 18:3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house.
(Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:
1Ki 18:4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord,
that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave,
and fed them with bread and water.)
1Ki 18:5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains
of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the
horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
1Ki 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab
went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
1Ki 18:7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he
knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
1Ki 18:8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is
here.
1Ki 18:9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy
servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
1Ki 18:10 As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom,
whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not
there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee
not.
1Ki 18:11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
1Ki 18:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that
the spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I
come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy
servant fear the Lord from my youth.
1Ki 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the
prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by
fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
1Ki 18:14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here:
and he shall slay me.
1Ki 18:15 And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I
stand, I will surely shew myself unto him today.
1Ki 18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to
meet Elijah.
1Ki 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto
him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
1Ki 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy
father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and
thou hast followed Baalim.
1Ki 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount
Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets
of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
1Ki 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the
prophets together unto mount Carmel.
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then
follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
1Ki 18:22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a
prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
1Ki 18:23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put
no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and
put no fire under:
1Ki 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the
name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And
all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
1Ki 18:25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one
bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on
the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
1Ki 18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed
it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O
Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they
leaped upon the altar which was made.
1Ki 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said,
Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he
is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
1Ki 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with
knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
1Ki 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied
until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was
neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
1Ki 18:30 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
was broken down.
1Ki 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the
tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying,
Israel shall be thy name:
1Ki 18:32 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.
1Ki 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and
laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it
on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
1Ki 18:34 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.
1Ki 18:35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the
trench also with water.
1Ki 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac, and of 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.
1Ki 18:37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou
art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1Ki 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench.
1Ki 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and
they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
1Ki 18:40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not
one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to
the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
1Ki 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there
is a sound of abundance of rain.
1Ki 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the
top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face
between his knees,
1Ki 18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he
went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again
seven times.
1Ki 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold,
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he
said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that
the rain stop thee not.
1Ki 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black
with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went
to Jezreel.
1Ki 18:46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his
loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. |