1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 2 And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly, 4 for when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in groups of fifty in caves and sustained them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land to all the fountains of water and to all the brooks; peradventure we may find herbage to save the horses and mules alive that we not lose all the beasts. 6 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 as Obadiah was in the way, Elijah met him; and when he recognized him, he fell on his face, and said, Art thou not my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, I am; go, tell thy lord, Behold Elijah. {Heb. The LORD is God} 9 And he said, In what have I sinned that thou should deliver thy slave into the hand of Ahab, for him to slay me? 10 As the LORD thy God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek thee; and when they all said, He is not here; he has caused kingdoms and nations to swear an oath if they have found thee or not. 11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold Elijah. 12 And it shall come to pass as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee where I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me; but I, thy slave, fear the LORD from my youth. 13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets in groups of fifty in caves and sustained them with bread and water? 14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold Elijah; and he shall slay me. 15 And Elijah said unto him, As the LORD of the hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today. 16 Then Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab came to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubles Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. 19 Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the groves, who eat at Jezebel’s table.