1 Kings 18:1-19

Obadiah Meets Elijah

1 Now it happened 1after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and 2I will send rain on the face of the earth."
2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
3 Ahab called Obadiah 3who was over the household. (Now Obadiah 4feared the LORD greatly;
4 for 5when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and 6provided them with bread and water.)
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."
6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, 7and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is this you, Elijah my master?"
8 He said to him, "It is I. Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah is here."'
9 He said, "What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?
10 "8As 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 the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.
11 "And now you are saying, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, Elijah is here."'
12 "It will come about when I leave * you 9that 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.
13 "10Has it not been 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?
14 "And now you are saying, 'Go, say to your master, "Behold, Elijah is here"'; he will then kill me."
15 Elijah said, "11As 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.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, 12Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because 13you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and 14you have followed * the Baals.
19 "Now then send and gather to me all Israel at 15Mount Carmel, 16together with 450 * * prophets of Baal and 400 * prophets of 17the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

Cross References 17

  • 1. 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17
  • 2. Deuteronomy 28:12
  • 3. 1 Kings 16:9
  • 4. Nehemiah 7:2; Job 28:28
  • 5. 1 Kings 18:13
  • 6. Matthew 10:40-42
  • 7. 2 Kings 1:6-8
  • 8. 1 Kings 17:1
  • 9. 2 Kings 2:16; Ezekiel 3:12, 14; Acts 8:39
  • 10. 1 Kings 18:4
  • 11. 1 Kings 17:1
  • 12. Joshua 7:25; 1 Kings 21:20
  • 13. 1 Kings 9:9; 2 Chronicles 15:2
  • 14. 1 Kings 16:31; 1 Kings 21:25, 26
  • 15. Joshua 19:26; 2 Kings 2:25
  • 16. 1 Kings 18:22
  • 17. 1 Kings 16:33

Footnotes 8

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