18:1  Now 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."

18:2  So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine grew severe in Samaria.

18:3  Ahab called Obadiah who presided over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly;

18:4  for 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.)

18:5  Then 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."

18:6  So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

18:7  Now as Obadiah went on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Do I see you, Elijah my master?"

18:8  He said to him, "You do. Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah has come here.'"

18:9  He said, "What sin have I committed, that you give your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?

18:10  "As the LORD your God lives, no nation or kingdom exists where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, 'He has not come here,' he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.

18:11  "And now you say, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, Elijah has come here."'

18:12  "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.

18:13  "Have people not 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?

18:14  "And now you say, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, Elijah has come here"'; he will then kill me."

18:15  Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today."

18:16  So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

18:17  When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Have you come, you troubler of Israel?"

18:18  He 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.

18:19  "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."

18:20  So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

18:21  Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If you acknowledge the LORD as God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.

18:22  Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone remain left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets number 450 men.

18:23  "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.

18:24  "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 constitutes the true God." And all the people said, "That seems a good idea."

18:25  So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you have great numbers, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

18:26  Then they took the ox which they gave them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But they could hear no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.

18:27  It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he surely serves as a god; either he has occupied himself or gone aside, or has gone on a journey, or perhaps he fell asleep and needs to have a wake up call."

18:28  So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.

18:29  When midday passed, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but they heard no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

18:30  Then 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 enemies had torn down.

18:31  Elijah 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 we shall call your name."

18:32  So 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.

18:33  Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

18:34  And 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.

18:35  The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

18:36  At 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 people know that You rule as God in Israel and that I serve as Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.

18:37  "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that we acknowledge You as God, and that You have turned their heart back again."

18:38  Then 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 had accumulated in the trench.

18:39  When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, we acknowledge Him as God; the LORD, we acknowledge Him as God."

18:40  Then 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.

18:41  Now Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there we hear the sound of the roar of a heavy shower."

18:42  So 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.

18:43  He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked and said, "I see nothing." And he said, "Go back" seven times.

18:44  It came about at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, a cloud as small as a man's hand comes 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.'"

18:45  In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there fell a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

18:46  Then the hand of the LORD fell on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.