1 Kings 18
How Long Will You Limp Between Two Opinions?
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Elijah Goes to Show Himself to Ahab
18:1After many days, the Lord’s word came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go and show yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain on the face of the land.”
18:2Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.
18:3Ahab called Obadiah the steward. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.
18:4When Jezebel was striking the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took a hundred men who were prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and sustained them with bread and water.
18:5Ahab said to Obadiah, “Come, let us pass through the land to water springs and wadis. Perhaps we will find grass and preserve horses and mules, so they are not destroyed from among the livestock.”
18:6They divided the route between them to pass through it. Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way alone.
Obadiah Meets Elijah
18:7Obadiah was on the way alone, and Elijah came to meet him alone. Obadiah hurried, fell on his face, and said, “Is it you yourself, my lord Elijah?”
18:8Elijah said to him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Look, Elijah is here.’”
18:9Obadiah said, “How have I sinned, that you are giving your servant into Ahab’s hand to put me to death?
18:10As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he burned the kingdom and its territories, because he had not found you.
18:11Now you say, ‘Go, report to your lord, “Look, Elijah is here.”’
18:12If I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will carry you to a land I do not know. I will come to report to Ahab, and he will kill me. Yet your servant has feared the Lord from his youth.
18:13Have you, my lord, not been told what I did when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets—how I hid a hundred men from the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
18:14Now you say to me, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Look, Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me!”
18:15Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
18:16Obadiah went to meet Ahab and reported to him. Ahab ran out and went to meet Elijah.
Elijah Summons Israel to Carmel
18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to Elijah, “Is it you yourself, the one perverting Israel?”
18:18Elijah said, “I am not perverting Israel, but you and your father’s house are, by abandoning the Lord your God; you have followed the Baalim.
18:19Now send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred fifty prophets of shame and the four hundred prophets of the groves who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
18:20Ahab sent throughout all Israel and gathered all the prophets at Mount Carmel.
18:21Elijah came near them all and said to them, “How long will you limp on both your knees? If the Lord is God, follow Him; if Baal is, follow him.” The people did not answer a word.
18:22Elijah said to the people, “I remain as the Lord’s prophet utterly alone, but Baal’s prophets are four hundred fifty men, and the grove’s prophets are four hundred.
18:23Let them give us two oxen. Let them choose one for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other ox, but I will certainly put no fire under it.
18:24Cry out in the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord my God. The God who answers by fire—He is God.” All the people answered, “The proposal you have spoken is good.”
The Prophets of Baal Call in Vain
18:25Elijah said to the prophets of shame, “Choose one young bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many. Call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
18:26They took the young bull and prepared it. They called on Baal’s name from morning until noon, saying, “Hear us, Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice and no hearing. They ran about on the altar they had made.
18:27At noon Elijah the Tishbite mocked them and said, “Call with a loud voice, for he is a god! He has chattering to do; perhaps he is also conducting business, or perhaps he is asleep and will get up!”
18:28They called with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with knives and lances, until blood poured over them.
18:29They prophesied until the late afternoon had passed. When it was time for the sacrifice to go up and there was no voice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of offenses: “Move away now, and I will prepare my burnt offering.” They moved away and departed.
Elijah Repairs the Altar of the Lord
18:30Elijah said to the people, “Come near me.” All the people came near him.
18:31Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of Israel’s tribes, as the Lord had spoken to him, saying, “Israel will be your name.”
18:32He built the stones in the Lord’s name and repaired the altar that had been demolished. He made a trench around the altar, holding two metretes of seed.
18:33He piled the split wood on the altar he had made, cut the burnt offering in pieces, placed it on the split wood, and piled it on the altar.
18:34He said, “Bring me four water jars of water and pour it on the burnt offering and the split wood.” They did so. He said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. He said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
18:35The water ran around the altar, and they filled the trench with water.
Fire Falls from Heaven
18:36Elijah cried out to heaven and said, “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, hear me, Lord! Hear me today with fire, and let all this people know that You are the Lord, the God of Israel, and I am Your servant, and that I have done these works because of You.
18:37Hear me, Lord! Hear me with fire, and let this people know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned this people’s heart backward.”
18:38Fire from the Lord fell from heaven and consumed the burnt offering, the split wood, and the water in the trench; the fire licked up the stones and the dust.
18:39All the people fell on their faces and said, “Truly the Lord is God! He is God!”
18:40Elijah said to the people, “Seize Baal’s prophets! Let none of them be spared.” They seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon wadi and slaughtered them there.
The Sound of the Rain
18:41Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the rain’s footsteps.”
18:42Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah went up onto Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees.
18:43He said to his young attendant, “Go up and look toward the sea.” The young attendant looked and said, “There is nothing.” Elijah said, “Go back seven times.” The young attendant went back seven times.
18:44At the seventh time, look, a little cloud like a man’s footprint was bringing up water. He said, “Go up, tell Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot and go down, so the rain does not overtake you.’”
18:45Meanwhile the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Ahab wept and went to Jezreel.
18:46The Lord’s hand was upon Elijah. He bound up his waist and ran before Ahab as far as Jezreel.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.