| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Quite some time later—three years later!—this message from the LORD came to Elijah: "Go visit Ahab, and I'll send some rain to the surface of the ground." | 1After a long time, the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year: "Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land." |
| 2So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab, right when the famine in Samaria was most severe. | 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. |
| 3Ahab called for Obadiah, his household supervisor. This man, who feared the LORD very much, | 3Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the LORD |
| 4had taken 100 prophets and had hidden them by fifties in a cave, providing them with food and water when Jezebel was trying to destroy the LORD's prophets. | 4and took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD's prophets. |
| 5Ahab had instructed Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to all of the water springs and to all of the valleys. Maybe we'll find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Also, maybe we won't have to kill some of our cattle." | 5Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to every spring of water and to every wadi. Perhaps we'll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle." |
| 6So they divided the land between them so they could conduct their survey. Ahab went off by himself in one direction and Obadiah went off by himself in the other. | 6They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself. |
| 7While Obadiah was on the road, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him and bowed down with his face to the ground. "It's you, isn't it, my master Elijah?" | 7While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell with his face to the ground and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"" |
| 8"I am," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Look! Elijah!'" | 8It is I," he replied. "Go tell your lord, 'Elijah is here!'" |
| 9But Obadiah replied, "What did I do wrong, that you would put me in a position where Ahab would execute me? | 9But Obadiah said, "What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? |
| 10As surely as the LORD your God lives, there isn't a nation or kingdom where my master hasn't tried to find you. Whenever they would say 'He isn't here,' he forced that kingdom or nation to swear that they hadn't seen you. | 10As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you." |
| 11But now you're saying 'Go tell your master, "Elijah is here!"' | 11Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"' |
| 12As soon as I've left you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you off to I don't know where! Then when I go tell Ahab and he can't find you, he'll kill me, even though I have been your servant and have feared the LORD since I was young! | 12But when I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off to some place I don't know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. |
| 13Hasn't anyone told you, my master, what I did when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets? I hid 100 of the LORD's prophets by fifties in a cave and provided food and water for them. | 13Wasn't it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD's prophets? I hid 100 of the prophets of the LORD, 50 men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. |
| 14Now you're saying, 'Go tell your master, "Elijah's here!"' He's sure to kill me!" | 14Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"' He will kill me!" |
| 15But Elijah promised him, "As the LORD of the Heavenly Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, I will appear to Ahab today." | 15Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab." |
| 16So Obadiah went out to meet Ahab and reported to him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. | 16Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. |
| 17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab asked him, "Is it really you, you destroyer of Israel?" | 17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you destroyer of Israel?" |
| 18But Elijah replied, "I'm no destroyer of Israel. But you and your ancestor's household have been doing that, because you have abandoned the LORD's commandments and have followed the Baals. | 18He replied, "I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have abandoned the LORD's commands and followed the Baals. |
| 19So go gather all of Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring along 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who are funded at Jezebel's expense." | 19Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table." |
| 20Ahab sent for the Israelis and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel, | 20So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. |
| 21where Elijah approached all the people and asked them, "How long will you keep hesitating between both sides? If the LORD is God, go after him. If Baal, go after him." But the people didn't say a word. | 21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him." But the people didn't answer him a word. |
| 22So Elijah told the people, "I'm the only one left over as a prophet of the LORD, am I? But Baal's prophets number 450 men? | 22Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. |
| 23So let them provide two oxen. They can choose one ox for themselves. Cut it up, lay it on top of some wood, but don't set fire to it. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on top of some wood, and I won't set fire to it. | 23Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. |
| 24Then you can call on the name of your god, and I'll call on the name of the LORD. Let the God who answers by fire be our God!" "That's a good idea!" all the people shouted. | 24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God." All the people answered, "That sounds good." |
| 25So Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose an ox for yourselves and you prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't set fire to the offering." | 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don't light the fire." |
| 26So they took the ox that was given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from early morning until noon. "Baal! Answer us!" they cried. But there was no response. Nobody answered. So they kept on dancing around the altar that they had made. | 26So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. |
| 27Starting about noon, Elijah began to tease them: "Shout louder! "He's a god, so maybe he's busy. "Maybe he's relieving himself. "Maybe he's busy someplace. "Maybe he's taking a nap and somebody needs to wake him up." | 27At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, "Shout loudly, for he's a god! Maybe he's thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he's on the road. Perhaps he's sleeping and will wake up!" |
| 28So the prophets of Baal cried even louder and slashed themselves with swords and lances until their blood gushed out all over them, as was their custom. | 28They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. |
| 29They kept on raving right through midday and until it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, but there was still no response. Nobody answered, and nobody paid attention. | 29All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention. |
| 30Eventually, Elijah told everybody, "Come here!" So everybody approached him, and he repaired the LORD's altar that had been torn down. | 30Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near me." So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the LORD's altar that had been torn down: |
| 31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob's descendants, to whom the message from the LORD had come that "Israel is to be your name." | 31Elijah took 12 stones--according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel will be your name"-- |
| 32So Elijah used the stones to build an altar to the name of the LORD. But then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures of seed. | 32and he built an altar with the stones in the name of Yahweh. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons. |
| 33Then he laid the wood in order, cut the bull into pieces, and laid them on top of the wood. "Fill four pitchers with water," he ordered. "Then pour them out on the burnt offering and the wood." | 33Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, "Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood." |
| 34"Do it a second time," he ordered. So they did it a second time. "Do it a third time," he said. So they did it a third time. | 34Then he said, "A second time!" and they did it a second time. And then he said, "A third time!" and they did it a third time. |
| 35The water ran down around the altar and completely filled the trench. | 35So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water. |
| 36As the time for the evening offering arrived, Elijah the prophet approached and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I, your servant, have done all of this in obedience to your word. | 36At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, "Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. |
| 37Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning back their hearts again." | 37Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back." |
| 38Right then the LORD's fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water that was in the trench! | 38Then Yahweh's fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. |
| 39When all the people saw what had happened, they fell flat on their faces and cried out "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" | 39When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!" |
| 40But Elijah said, "Arrest the prophets of Baal. Don't let even one of them get away." So the people seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and executed them there. | 40Then Elijah ordered them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape." So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there. |
| 41After this, Elijah told Ahab, "Get up and have something to eat and drink, because there's the sound of a coming rainstorm." | 41Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm." |
| 42So Ahab got up to get something to eat and drink while Elijah went back up to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bowed low to the ground and placed his face between his knees. | 42So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees. |
| 43Then he told his young servant, "Go and look toward the sea." So he went and looked out to sea. "Nothing there," he said. But Elijah told him to go back seven times. | 43Then he said to his servant, "Go up and look toward the sea." So he went up, looked, and said, "There's nothing." Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." |
| 44On the seventh look, he said, "Look! There's a cloud, a small one, about the size of a man's hand. It's coming up out of the sea!" "Get up and find Ahab!" Elijah said. "Tell him, 'Mount your chariot and ride down the mountain so the storm doesn't stop you.'" | 44On the seventh time, he reported, "There's a cloud as small as a man's hand coming from the sea." Then Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn't stop you.'" |
| 45A little while later, the sky turned black with storm clouds and winds, and there was a heavy shower. So Ahab rode off to Jezreel. | 45In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel. |
| 46After Ahab had left, the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his mantle into his belt and outran Ahab in a race to the city gate of Jezreel. | 46The power of the LORD was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. |
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