| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." | 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 present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, | 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. |
| 3and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. | 3Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the LORD |
| 4While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) | 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 said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." | 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 they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. | 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. |
| 7As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord 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"Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" | 8It is I," he replied. "Go tell your lord, 'Elijah is here!'" |
| 9"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? | 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 is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find 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 tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' | 11Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"' |
| 12I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. | 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. |
| 13Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. | 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. |
| 14And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!" | 14Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!"' He will kill me!" |
| 15Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself 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 to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. | 16Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. |
| 17When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" | 17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you destroyer of Israel?" |
| 18"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands 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. |
| 19Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." | 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." |
| 20So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. | 20So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. |
| 21Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. | 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. |
| 22Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. | 22Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. |
| 23Get two bulls for us. Let Baal's prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not 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 call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good." | 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." |
| 25Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." | 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 bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar 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. |
| 27At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." | 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 they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. | 28They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. |
| 29Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one 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. |
| 30Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which 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 descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." | 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"-- |
| 32With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs 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. |
| 33He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on 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 again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the 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 even filled the trench. | 35So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water. |
| 36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. | 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 these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back 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." |
| 38Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water 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 this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!" | 39When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!" |
| 40Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered 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. |
| 41And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." | 41Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm." |
| 42So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put 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. |
| 43"Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." | 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." |
| 44The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops 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.'" |
| 45Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and 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. |
| 46The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to 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. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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