1 Kings 18
1 And it came to pass, after many days, that, the word of Yahweh, came unto Elijah, in the third year, saying, —Go, shew thyself unto Ahab, that I may send rain upon the face of the ground.
After many days, the LORD’s word came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth.”
2 And Elijah went, to show himself unto Ahab. Now, the famine, was severe in Samaria.
Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.
3 And Ahab had called for Obadiah, who was over his house. Now, Obadiah, was one who revered Yahweh, exceedingly.
Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly;
4 And so it came to pass, when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in caves, and sustained them, with bread and water.
for when Jezebel cut off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5 So then Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go, and let us pass throughout the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the ravines, peradventure we may find grass, and save alive horse and mule, and not have more of the beasts cut off.
Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.”
6 So they divided to them the land, to pass through it, —Ahab, went one way, by himself, and, Obadiah, went another way, by himself.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 And so it was, as Obadiah was on the road, that lo! Elijah, met him, —and he recognised him, and fell upon his face, and said—Now art, thou, my lord Elijah?
As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognised him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
8 And he said to him—I, am! Go, say to thy lord: Here, is, Elijah!
He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here!’”
9 And he said—How have I sinned, —that, thou, art delivering thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death?
He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
10 By the life of Yahweh thy God, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee, and, when they have said—Nay! he hath taken an oath of the kingdom or the nation, that no one could find thee;
As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they didn’t find you.
11 and, now, thou, art saying, —Go say to thy lord, Here, is, Elijah;
Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’
12 so shall it come to pass, as soon as, I, go from thee, that, the spirit of Yahweh, shall carry thee away—whither I know not, and so, when I go in to tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, then will he slay me, —and yet, thy servant, hath revered Yahweh, from my youth.
It will happen, as soon as I leave you, that the LORD’s Spirit will carry you I don’t know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
13 Was it not told my lord, what I did when Jezebel was slaying the prophets of Yahweh, —how I hid, of the prophets of Yahweh, a hundred men—by fifties—in caves, and sustained them with bread and water?
Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the LORD’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 and yet, now, thou, art saying, Go, tell thy lord—Here, is, Elijah; and so he will slay me!
Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”.’ He will kill me.”
15 Then said Elijah—By the life of Yahweh of hosts, before whom I stand, to-day, will I show myself unto him.
Elijah said, “As the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him, —and, Ahab, went to meet, Elijah.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Now, art, thou, troubling Israel?
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
18 And he said—I have not troubled Israel, but, thou and the house of thy father, —in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh, and followed Baal.
He answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the LORD’s commandments and you have followed the Baals.
19 Now, therefore, send, gather unto me all Israel, unto Mount Carmel, —and the prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Sacred Stem, four hundred, who do eat at the table of Jezebel.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab sent among all the sons of Israel, —and gathered the prophets unto Mount Carmel.
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah drew near unto all the people, and said—How long are ye limping on the two divided opinions? If, Yahweh, be GOD, follow, him, but, if, Baal, follow, him. But the people answered him, not a word.
Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people—I, am left, Yahweh’s, only, prophet, —but, the prophets of Baal, are four hundred and fifty men.
Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let there be given us, therefore, two bullocks, and let them choose for themselves one bullock, and cut it in pieces, and lay it upon the wood, but, fire, shall they not put, —then, I, will make ready the other bullock, and place upon the wood, but, fire, will I not put.
Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it.
24 Then shall ye call on the name of your god, and, I, will call on the name of Yahweh, and it shall be, the God that respondeth by fire, he, is GOD. And all the people responded—Well spoken!
You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the LORD’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.” All the people answered, “What you say is good.”
25 Then said Elijah to the prophets of Baal—Choose for yourselves one bullock, and make ye ready, first, for, ye, are many, —and call ye on the name of your god, but, fire, shall ye not put.
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26 So they took the bullock which was given them, and made ready, and called on the name of Baal—from the morning even until the noon, saying—O Baal! answer us. But them was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about by the altar which had been made.
They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leapt about the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass, at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said—Cry with a loud voice, for, a god, he is, either he hath, a meditation, or an occasion to retire, or he hath, a journey, —peradventure, he, sleepeth, and must be awaked.
At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.”
28 And they cried, with a loud voice, and cut themselves, after their custom, with swords, and with lances, —until the blood gushed out upon them.
They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And so it was, when noon was passed, that although they prophesied until the offering up of the evening gift, yet was there no voice nor any that answered, nor any that hearkened.
When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention.
30 Then said Elijah unto all the people: Draw near unto, me. And all the people drew near unto, him. Then repaired he the broken-down altar of Yahweh; yea Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, —
Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me!”; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the LORD’s altar that had been thrown down.
31 unto whom the word of Yahweh came, saying—Israel, shall be thy name;
Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD’s word came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32 and built, with the stones, an altar, in the name of Yahweh, —and he made a trench, as large as would contain two measures of seed, round about the altar;
With the stones he built an altar in the LORD’s name. He made a trench around the altar large enough to contain two seahs of seed.
33 and he put in order the wood, —and cut in pieces the bullock, and laid upon the wood. Then said he—Fill four pitchers with water, and pour out upon the ascending-sacrifice, and upon the wood. And they did so.
He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”
34 And he said—Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said—Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
He said, “Do it a second time;” and they did it the second time. He said, “Do it a third time;” and they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar, —moreover also, the trench, filled he with water.
The water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the gift, that Elijah the prophet drew near, and said, O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel! To-day, let it be known—That, thou, art God in Israel, and that, I, am thy servant, —and that, by thy word, have I done all these things.
At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
37 Answer me, O Yahweh! answer me, That this people may know, that, thou—Yahweh, art GOD, —so shalt, thou thyself, have turned their heart back again.
Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.”
38 Then fell fire from Yahweh, and consumed the ascending-sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, —even the water that was in the trench, it licked up.
Then the LORD’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.
39 And, when all the people saw it, they fell upon their faces, —and said, Yahweh, he, is GOD, Yahweh, he, is GOD.
When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!”
40 And Elijah said unto them—Seize ye the prophets of Baal—let not, a man, of them escape. So they seized them. And Elijah took them down unto the ravine of Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!” They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
41 Then said Elijah unto Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, —for there is a sound of a downpour of rain.
Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
42 So Ahab went up, to eat and to drink, —but, Elijah, went up to the top of Carmel, and bowed himself to the earth, and put his face between his knees.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees.
43 Then said he unto his young man—Go up, I pray thee, and look about in the direction of the sea. So he went up, and looked about, and said—There is, nothing whatever. Then said he—Go again, seven times.
He said to his servant, “Go up now and look towards the sea.” He went up and looked, then said, “There is nothing.” He said, “Go again” seven times.
44 And it came to pass, at the seventh time, that he said, Lo! a little cloud, like a man’s hand coming up from the sea. Then he said—Go up, say unto Ahab—Harness, and get thee down, lest the rain shut thee in.
On the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a small cloud, like a man’s hand, is rising out of the sea.” He said, “Go up, tell Ahab, ‘Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn’t stop you.’”
45 And it came to pass, meanwhile, that, the heavens, had enshrouded themselves with clouds and wind, and there came a great rain, and Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel;
In a little while, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 but, the hand of Yahweh, came upon Elijah, so he girded his loins, —and ran before Ahab, until thou enterest Jezreel.
The LORD’s hand was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
