| New International Version | NET 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." | 1Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the LORD told Elijah, "Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground." |
| 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, | 2So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. |
| 3and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. | 3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of 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.) | 4When Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food 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." | 5Ahab told Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the animals." |
| 6So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. | 6They divided up the land between them; Ahab went one way and Obadiah went the other. |
| 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?" | 7As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, "Is it really you, my master, Elijah?" |
| 8"Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" | 8He replied, "Yes, go and say to your master, 'Elijah is back.'" |
| 9"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? | 9Obadiah said, "What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? |
| 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 certainly as the LORD your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, 'He's not here,' he makes them swear an oath that they could not find you. |
| 11But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' | 11Now you say, 'Go and say to your master, "Elijah is back."' |
| 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 LORD's spirit will carry you away so I can't find you. If I go tell Ahab I've seen you, he won't be able to find you and he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal follower of 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. | 13Certainly my master is aware of what I did when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets. I hid one hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them 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 and say to your master, "Elijah is back,"' but he will kill me." |
| 15Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today." | 15But Elijah said, "As certainly as the LORD who rules over all lives (whom I serve), I will make an appearance before him today." |
| 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. | 16When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. |
| 17When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" | 17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on 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. | 18Elijah replied, "I have not brought disaster on Israel. But you and your father's dynasty have, by abandoning the LORD's commandments and following 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 send out messengers and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. |
| 20So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. | 20Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble 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 approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say 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. | 22Elijah said to them: "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. |
| 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 them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on 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 will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the LORD. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God." All the people responded, "This will be a fair test." |
| 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." | 25Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a 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 a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on 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, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping 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 yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. |
| 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. | 29Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. |
| 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. | 30Elijah then told all the people, "Approach me." So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the LORD 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." | 31Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the LORD had said, "Israel will be your new 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. | 32With the stones he constructed an altar for the LORD. Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs 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." | 33He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed 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. | 34Then he said, "Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood." When they had done so, he said, "Do it again." So they did it again. Then he said, "Do it a third time." So they did it a third time. |
| 35The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. | 35The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. |
| 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. | 36When it was time for the evening offering, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and prayed: "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. |
| 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, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are the true God and that you are winning back their allegiance." |
| 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 fire from the LORD fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water 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 this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, "The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true 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. | 40Elijah told them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Don't let even one of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed them there. |
| 41And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." | 41Then Elijah told Ahab, "Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard." |
| 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 on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward 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." | 43He told his servant, "Go on up and look in the direction of the sea." So he went on up, looked, and reported, "There is nothing." Seven times Elijah sent him to look. |
| 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.'" | 44The seventh time the servant said, "Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man's hand, is rising up from the sea." Elijah then said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won't overtake you.'" |
| 45Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. | 45Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward 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. | 46Now the LORD energized Elijah with power; he tucked his robe into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. |
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