1 Kings 18
1
And it came to pass after a many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and b I will send rain on the earth."
2
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
3
And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.
4
For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)
5
And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock."
6
So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7
Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he c recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah?"
8
And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' "
9
So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
10
"As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you.
11
"And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here" '!
12
"And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that d the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.
13
"Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14
"And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here." ' He will kill me!"
15
Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."
16
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17
Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, e "Is that you, O f troubler of Israel?"
18
And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, g in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
19
"Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on h Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, i and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and j gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
21
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, l follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
22
Then Elijah said to the people, m "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; n but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23
"Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.
24
"Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who o answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."
25
Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare 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 bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was p no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
27
And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."
28
So they cried aloud, and q cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
29
And when midday was past, r they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was s no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30
Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. t And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
31
And 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, u "Israel shall be your name."
32
Then with the stones he built an altar v in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33
And he w put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and x pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood."
34
Then 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.
35
So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled y the trench with water.
36
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD z God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, a let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that b I have done all these things at Your word.
37
"Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
38
Then c the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
39
Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, d "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"
40
And Elijah said to them, e "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook f Kishon and g executed them there.
41
Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain."
42
So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; h then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
43
and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."
44
Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' "
45
Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
46
Then the i hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he j girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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Cross References
1 Kings 17:1
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, " As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.
Luke 4:25
But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land.
James 5:17
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:12
The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
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Cross References
2 Kings 1:6 - 8
So they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: ' Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of BaalZebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' " '
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Cross References
2 Kings 2:16
Then they said to him, "Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send anyone.
Ezekiel 3:12
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!
Ezekiel 3:14
So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Acts 8:39
Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
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Cross References
1 Kings 21:20
So Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD:
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Cross References
Joshua 7:25
And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
Acts 16:20
And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city.
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Cross References
1 Kings 16:30 - 33
Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.
2 Chronicles 15:2
And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
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Cross References
Joshua 19:26
Alammelech, Amad, and Mishal; it reached to Mount Carmel westward, along the Brook Shihor Libnath.
2 Kings 2:25
Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
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Cross References
1 Kings 16:33
And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
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Cross References
1 Kings 22:6
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?" So they said, "Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
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Cross References
2 Kings 17:41
So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children's children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
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Cross References
Joshua 24:15
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
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Cross References
1 Kings 19:10
So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.
1 Kings 19:14
And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:19
"Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:38
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
1 Chronicles 21:26
And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
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Cross References
Psalms 115:5
They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see.
Jeremiah 10:5
They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.
1 Corinthians 8:4
Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
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Cross References
Leviticus 19:28
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 14:1
You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.
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Cross References
Exodus 29:39
One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
Exodus 29:41
And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:26
So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
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Cross References
1 Kings 19:10
So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.
1 Kings 19:14
And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.
2 Chronicles 33:16
He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
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Cross References
Genesis 32:28
And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.
Genesis 35:10
And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel.
2 Kings 17:34
To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
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Cross References
Exodus 20:25
And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
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Cross References
Genesis 22:9
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
Leviticus 1:6 - 8
And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.
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Cross References
Judges 6:20
The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:32
Then 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 seahs of seed.
1 Kings 18:38
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
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Cross References
Genesis 28:13
And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
Exodus 3:6
Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 4:5
"that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."
Matthew 22:32
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
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Cross References
1 Kings 8:43
Hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
2 Kings 19:19
"Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."
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Cross References
Numbers 16:28
And Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.
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Cross References
Genesis 15:17
And it came to pass, when the sun went down and...
Leviticus 9:24
And fire came out from before the LORD and cons...
Leviticus 10:1
Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each t...
Leviticus 10:2
So fire went out from the LORD and devoured the...
Judges 6:21
Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of t...
2 Kings 1:12
So Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a...
1 Chronicles 21:26
And David built there an altar to the LORD, and...
2 Chronicles 7:1
When Solomon had finished praying, fire came do...
Job 1:16
While he was still speaking, another also came ...
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
1 Kings 18:24
"Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."
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Cross References
2 Kings 10:25
Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, "Go in and kill them; let no one come out!" And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
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Cross References
Judges 4:7
'and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"
Judges 5:21
The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength!
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:5
But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 18:20
'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'
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Cross References
James 5:17
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
James 5:18
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
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Cross References
2 Kings 3:15
But now bring me a musician." Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
Isaiah 8:11
For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
Ezekiel 3:14
So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
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Cross References
2 Kings 4:29
Then he said to Gehazi, "Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.
2 Kings 9:1
And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, "Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
Jeremiah 1:17
Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them.
1 Peter 1:13
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.