Parallel Bible results for "1 kings 18"

1 Kings 18

Common English Bible CEB

1 After many days, the LORD's word came to Elijah (it was the third year of the drought): Go! Appear before Ahab. I will then send rain on the earth.

2 So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Now the famine had become especially bad in Samaria.

3 Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace affairs. (Obadiah greatly feared the LORD.

4 When Jezebel killed the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took one hundred of them and hid them, fifty each in two caves. He supplied them with food and water.)

5 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go throughout the land and check every spring of water and every brook. Perhaps we can find some grass to keep our horses and mules alive so we don't have to kill any of them."

6 To search, they divided the land between themselves. Ahab went one way by himself, while Obadiah went a different way by himself.

7 While Obadiah was out searching, suddenly Elijah met up with him. When Obadiah saw him, he fell on his face. "My master!" he said. "Are you Elijah?"

8 Elijah replied, "I am. Go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is here!'"

9 Then Obadiah said, "How have I sinned that you are handing me, your servant, over to Ahab so he can kill me?

10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there's no nation or kingdom where my master Ahab hasn't looked for you. They would insist, ‘He's not here,' but Ahab would make them swear that they couldn't find you.

11 And now you are commanding me: ‘Go and say to your master, 'Elijah is here'?'

12 But here's what will happen: As soon as I leave you, the LORD's spirit will carry you off somewhere—I don't know where—then I'll report to Ahab, but he won't be able to find you. Then he will kill me! But your servant has feared the LORD from my youth.

13 Wasn't my master told what I did when Jezebel killed the LORD's prophets? I hid one hundred of the LORD's prophets, fifty each in two caves. I also supplied them with food and water.

14 But even after all that, you tell me, ‘Say to your master, 'Elijah is here!'' Ahab will kill me!"

15 Elijah said, "As surely as the LORD of heavenly forces lives, the one I serve, I will appear before Ahab today."

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab. He told him what had happened. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, the one who troubles Israel?"

18 Elijah answered, "I haven't troubled Israel; you and your father's house have! You did as much when you deserted the LORD's commands and followed the Baals.

19 Now send a message and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel. Gather the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."

20 Ahab sent the message to all the Israelites. He gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

21 Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you hobble back and forth between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow God. If Baal is God, follow Baal." The people gave no answer.

22 Elijah said to the people, "I am the last of the LORD's prophets, but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty.

23 Give us two bulls. Let Baal's prophets choose one. Let them cut it apart and set it on the wood, but don't add fire. I'll prepare the other bull, put it on the wood, but won't add fire.

24 Then all of you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers with fire—that's the real God!" All the people answered, "That's an excellent idea."

25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of these bulls. Prepare it first since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't add fire."

26 So they took one of the bulls that had been brought to them. They prepared it and called on Baal's name from morning to midday. They said, "Great Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound or answer. They performed a hopping dance around the altar that had been set up.

27 Around noon, Elijah started making fun of them: "Shout louder! Certainly he's a god! Perhaps he is lost in thought or wandering or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he is asleep and must wake up!"

28 So the prophets of Baal cried with a louder voice and cut themselves with swords and knives as was their custom. Their blood flowed all over them.

29 As noon passed they went crazy with their ritual until it was time for the evening offering. Still there was no sound or answer, no response whatsoever.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here!" All the people closed in, and he repaired the LORD's altar that had been damaged.

31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob—to whom the LORD's word came: "Your name will be Israel."

32 He built the stones into an altar in the LORD's name, and he dug a trench around the altar big enough to hold two seahs of dry grain.

33 He put the wood in order, butchered the bull, and placed the bull on the wood. "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the sacrifice and on the wood," he commanded.

34 "Do it a second time!" he said. So they did it a second time. "Do it a third time!" And so they did it a third time.

35 The water flowed around the altar, and even the trench filled with water.

36 At the time of the evening offering, the prophet Elijah drew near and prayed: "LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. I have done all these things at your instructions.

37 Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that you, LORD, are the real God and that you can change their hearts."

38 Then the LORD's fire fell; it consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up the water in the trench!

39 All the people saw this and fell on their faces. "The LORD is the real God! The LORD is the real God!" they exclaimed.

40 Elijah said to them, "Seize Baal's prophets! Don't let any escape!" The people seized the prophets, and Elijah brought them to the Kishon Brook and killed them there.

41 Elijah then said to Ahab, "Get up! Celebrate with food and drink because I hear the sound of a rainstorm coming."

42 So Ahab got up to celebrate with food and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. He bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 He said to his assistant, "Please get up and look toward the sea." So the assistant did so. He said, "I don't see anything." Seven times Elijah said, "Do it again."

44 The seventh time the assistant said, "I see a small cloud the size of a human hand coming up from the sea." Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, ‘Pull yourself together, go down the mountain, and don't let the rain hold you back.'"

45 After a little while, the sky became dark with clouds, and a wind came up with a huge rainstorm. Ahab was already riding on his way to Jezreel,

46 but the LORD's power strengthened Elijah. He gathered up his clothes and ran in front of Ahab until he came to Jezreel.

English Standard Version ESV

1 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. ”

2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.

3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly,

4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water. )

5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals. ”

6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

7 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah? ”

8 And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here. ’”

9 And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give 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 lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here, ’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you.

11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here. ”’

12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And 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 Has it not been told 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 fed them with bread and water?

14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; and he will kill me. ”

15 And Elijah said, “As 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, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel? ”

18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.

19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table. ”

20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. ” And the people did not answer him a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are men.

23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.

24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God. ” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken. ”

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it. ”

26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they 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 limped around the altar that they had made.

27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. ”

28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.

29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me. ” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.

31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name, ”

32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood. ”

34 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.

35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.

37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back. ”

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 was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God. ”

40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. ” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. ”

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.

43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea. ” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing. ” And he said, “Go again, ” seven times.

44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea. ” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. ’”

45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.