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1 Kings 18:1-46 — Elijah on Mount Carmel

1Kgs.18.1-46

¹After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah, saying, “Go, present 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. ³And Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; ⁴for when Jezebel slaughtered 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 said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to destroy any of the livestock.” ⁶So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. ⁷As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'” ⁹And he said, "How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to kill me? ¹⁰As 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 that kingdom and nation swear that they could not find you. ¹¹And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”' ¹²And it will happen that as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, and when he cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. ¹³Was it not told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? ¹⁴And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”'; and he will kill me!" ¹⁵Elijah said, “As the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.” ¹⁶So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸He answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." ²⁰So Ahab sent word among all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver 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 the people, "I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. ²³Let two bulls be given to us. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. ²⁴Then you prophets of Baal call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, he is God.“ And all the people answered and said, ”The word is good." ²⁵Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many. And call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” ²⁶So they took the bull that was given to them, prepared it, and called upon 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 around the altar that they had made. ²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry out with a loud voice, for he is a god! Either he is deep in thought, or he is occupied , or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸So they cried out with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances, until blood gushed out over them. ²⁹When midday had passed, they prophesied 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 near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. 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 made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two seahs of seed. ³³He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and laid it on the wood. ³⁴Then he said, “Fill four jars 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 all around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water. ³⁶At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and 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. ³⁷Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back again." ³⁸Then the fire of the LORD 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 it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!” ⁴⁰Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. ⁴¹And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees. 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. ⁴⁴On the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a little cloud as small as a man's hand is rising out of the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.'” ⁴⁵In a little while, the heavens grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶And the power of the LORD was on Elijah, and he tucked up his garments at his waist and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

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4/11/2026

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