| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 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." | 1Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth." |
| 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, | 2So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. |
| 3and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. | 3Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; |
| 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.) | 4for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) |
| 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." | 5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle." |
| 6So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. | 6So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another 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?" | 7Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is this you, Elijah my master?" |
| 8"Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" | 8He said to him, "It is I. Go, say to your master, 'Behold, 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? | 9He said, "What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of 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. | 10"As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. |
| 11But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' | 11"And now you are saying, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, 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. | 12"It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although 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. | 13"Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? |
| 14And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!" | 14"And now you are saying, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, Elijah is here"'; he will then kill me." |
| 15Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today." | 15Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today." |
| 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. | 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and 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 this you, you troubler 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 said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have 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." | 19"Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." |
| 20So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. | 20So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together 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. | 21Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not 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 alone am left a 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. | 23"Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. |
| 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." | 24"Then 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 said, "That is a good idea." |
| 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." | 25So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." |
| 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. | 26Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they 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." | 27It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened." |
| 28So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. | 28So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on 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. | 29When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and 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 to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD which 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 twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall 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. | 32So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. |
| 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." | 33Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it 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. | 34And he said, "Fill four pitchers 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. |
| 35The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. | 35The water flowed around the altar and he also 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 of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. |
| 37Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." | 37"Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again." |
| 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 the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and 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 on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God; the LORD, 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 said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. |
| 41And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." | 41Now Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower." |
| 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 up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth 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." | 43He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go back " seven times. |
| 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.'" | 44It came about at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, a cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not 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 black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode 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. | 46Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to 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. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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