Parallel Bible results for "1 kings 18"

1 Kings 18

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 A long time passed. Then, in the third year, the word of ADONAI came to Eliyahu: "Go, present yourself to Ach'av, and I will send rain down on the land."

2 When Eliyahu went to present himself to Ach'av, the famine in Shomron had become severe.

3 Ach'av called 'Ovadyah, who was in charge of the palace. Now 'Ovadyah greatly revered ADONAI;

4 for example, when Izevel was murdering ADONAI's prophets, 'Ovadyah took a hundred prophets, hid them in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water.

5 Ach'av said to 'Ovadyah, "Go throughout the land, and check all the springs and vadis; maybe we can find grass somewhere, so that we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose all the animals."

6 So they divided between them the territory to be visited; Ach'av went one way by himself, and 'Ovadyah went another way by himself.

7 'Ovadyah was on the road when suddenly Eliyahu encountered him. 'Ovadyah recognized him, fell on his face and said, "Is it really you, my lord Eliyahu?"

8 He answered, "Yes, it is I; go, tell your master, 'Eliyahu is here.'"

9 'Ovadyah replied, "How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ach'av to kill me?

10 As ADONAI your God lives, there can't be a single nation or kingdom where my master hasn't sent to search you out; and in each kingdom or nation where they said, 'He isn't here,' he made them take an oath that they hadn't found you.

11 Now you say, 'Go tell your master, "Eliyahu is here."'

12 But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of ADONAI will carry you off to I don't know where; so that when I come and tell Ach'av, and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have revered ADONAI from my youth -

13 wasn't my lord told what I did when Izevel killed ADONAI's prophets, how I hid a hundred of ADONAI's prophets by fifties in caves and supplied their food and water?

14 Now you say, 'Go tell your master, "Look, Eliyahu is here."' Why, he'll kill me!"

15 Eliyahu said, "As ADONAI-Tzva'ot lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to him today."

16 So 'Ovadyah went, found Ach'av and told him; and Ach'av went to meet Eliyahu.

17 When Ach'av saw Eliyahu, Ach'av said to him, "Is it really you, you troubler of Isra'el?"

18 He answered, "I haven't troubled Isra'el, you have, you and your father's house, by abandoning ADONAI's mitzvot and following the ba'alim.

19 Now order all Isra'el to assemble before me on Mount Karmel, along with the 450 prophets of Ba'al and the 400 prophets of the asherah who eat at Izevel's table."

20 Ach'av sent word to all the people of Isra'el and assembled the prophets together on Mount Karmel.

21 Eliyahu stepped forward before all the people and said, "How long are you going to jump back and forth between two positions? If ADONAI is God, follow him; but if it's Ba'al, follow him!" The people answered him not a word.

22 Then Eliyahu said to the people, "I, I alone, am the only prophet of ADONAI who is left, while Ba'al's prophets number 450.

23 Let them give us two young bulls, and they can choose the bull they want for themselves. Then let them cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other bull, lay it on the wood and put no fire under it.

24 Then, you, call on the name of your god; and I will call on the name of ADONAI; and the God who answers with fire, let him be God!" All the people answered, "Good idea! Agreed!"

25 Then Eliyahu said to the prophets of Ba'al, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first; because there are many of you. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

26 They took the bull that was given to them, prepared it and called on the name of Ba'al from morning till noon - "Ba'al! Answer us!" But no voice was heard; and no one answered, as they jumped around on the altar they had made.

27 Around noon Eliyahu began ridiculing them: "Shout louder! After all, he's a god, isn't he? Maybe he's daydreaming, or he's on the potty, or he's away on a trip. Maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up."

28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and knives, as their custom was, until blood gushed out all over them.

29 By now it was afternoon, and they went on ranting and raving until it was time for the evening offering. But no voice came, no one answered, no one paid any attention.

30 Then Eliyahu said to all the people, "Come here to me." All the people came up to him, as he set about repairing the altar of ADONAI that had been broken down.

31 Eliyahu took twelve stones, in keeping with the number of tribes of the sons of Ya'akov, to whom the word of ADONAI had come, saying, "Your name is to be Isra'el."

32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of ADONAI. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough for half a bushel of grain.

33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull and laid it on the wood.

34 Then he said, "Fill four pots with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." They did it. "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said, and they did it a third time.

35 By now the water was flowing around the altar, and it had filled the trench.

36 Then, when it came time for offering the evening offering, Eliyahu the prophet approached and said, "ADONAI, God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Isra'el, let it be known today that you are God in Isra'el, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.

37 Hear me, ADONAI, hear me, so that this people may know that you, ADONAI, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back to you."

38 Then the fire of ADONAI fell. It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "ADONAI is God! ADONAI is God!"

40 Eliyahu said to them, "Seize the prophets of Ba'al! Don't let one of them escape!" They seized them; and Eliyahu brought them down to Vadi Kishon and killed them there.

41 Then Eliyahu said to Ach'av, "Get up, eat, and drink, because I hear the sound of heavy rain."

42 Ach'av went up to eat and drink, while Eliyahu went up to the top of the Karmel. He bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 "Now," he said to his servant, "go up, and look out toward the sea." He went up, looked, and said, "There's nothing there." Seven times he said, "Go again."

44 The seventh time, the servant said, "Now there's a cloud coming up out of the sea, no bigger than a man's hand." Eliyahu said, "Go up, and say to Ach'av, 'Prepare your chariot, and get down the mountain before the rain stops you!"

45 A little later, the sky grew black with clouds and wind; and heavy rain began falling; as Ach'av, riding in his chariot, made for Yizre'el.

46 The hand of ADONAI was on Eliyahu; he tucked up his clothing and ran ahead of Ach'av to the entrance of Yizre'el.

The Bible in Basic English BBE

1 Now after a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go and let Ahab see you, so that I may send rain on the earth.

2 So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. Now there was no food to be had in Samaria.

3 And Ahab sent for Obadiah, the controller of the king's house. (Now Obadiah had the fear of the Lord before him greatly;

4 For when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred of them, and kept them secretly in a hole in the rock, fifty at a time, and gave them bread and water.)

5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Come, let us go through all the country, to all the fountains of water and all the rivers, and see if there is any grass to be had for the horses and the transport beasts, so that we may be able to keep some of the beasts from destruction.

6 So they went through all the country, covering it between them; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another by himself.

7 And while Obadiah was on his way, he came face to face with Elijah; and seeing who it was, he went down on his face and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah?

8 And Elijah in answer said, It is I; now go and say to your lord, Elijah is here.

9 And he said, What sin have I done, that you would give up your servant into the hand of Ahab, and be the cause of my death?

10 By the life of the Lord your God, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent in search of you; and when they said, He is not here; he made them take an oath that they had not seen you.

11 And now you say, Go, say to your lord, Elijah is here.

12 And straight away, when I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will take you away, I have no idea where, so that when I come and give word to Ahab, and he sees you not, he will put me to death: though I, your servant, have been a worshipper of the Lord from my earliest years.

13 Has my lord not had word of what I did when Jezebel was putting the Lord's prophets to death? how I kept a hundred of them in a secret hole in the rock, fifty at a time, and gave them bread and water?

14 And now you say, Go and say to your Lord, Elijah is here; and he will put me to death.

15 And Elijah said, By the life of the Lord of armies, whose servant I am, I will certainly let him see me today.

16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and gave him the news; and Ahab went to see Elijah.

17 And when he saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Is it you, you troubler of Israel?

18 Then he said in answer, I have not been troubling Israel, but you and your family; because, turning away from the orders of the Lord, you have gone after the Baals.

19 Now send, and get Israel together before me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who get their food at Jezebel's table.

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and got the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go on balancing between two opinions? if the Lord is God, then give worship to him; but if Baal, give worship to him. And the people said not a word in answer.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, I, even I, am the only living prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

23 Now, let them give us two oxen; and let them take one for themselves, and have it cut up, and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it; I will get the other ox ready, and put it on the wood, and put no fire under it.

24 And do you make prayers to your god, and I will make a prayer to the Lord: and it will be clear that the one who gives an answer by fire is God. And all the people in answer said, It is well said.

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Take one ox for yourselves and get it ready first, for there are more of you; and make your prayers to your god, but put no fire under.

26 So they took the ox which was given them, and made it ready, crying out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day, and saying, O Baal, give ear to us. But there was no voice and no answer. And they were jumping up and down before the altar they had made.

27 And in the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying, Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or he may have gone away for some purpose, or he may be on a journey, or by chance he is sleeping and has to be made awake.

28 So they gave loud cries, cutting themselves with knives and swords, as was their way, till the blood came streaming out all over them.

29 And from the middle of the day they went on with their prayers till the time of the offering; but there was no voice, or any answer, or any who gave attention to them.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me; and all the people came near. And he put up again the altar of the Lord which had been broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, Israel will be your name:

32 And with the stones he made an altar to the name of the Lord; and he made a deep drain all round the altar, great enough to take two measures of seed.

33 And he put the wood in order, and, cutting up the ox, put it on the wood. Then he said, Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. And he said, Do it a second time, and they did it a second time;

34 And he said, Do it a third time, and they did it a third time.

35 And the water went all round the altar, till the drain was full.

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

37 Give me an answer, O Lord, give me an answer, so that this people may see that you are God, and that you have made their hearts come back again.

38 Then the fire of the Lord came down, burning up the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and drinking up the water in the drain.

39 And when the people saw it, they all went down on their faces, and said, The Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God.

40 And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them get away. So they took them, and Elijah made them go down to the stream Kishon, and put them to death there.

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, Up! take food and drink, for there is a sound of much rain.

42 So Ahab went up to have food and drink, while Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he went down on the earth, putting his face between his knees.

43 And he said to his servant, Go now, and take a look in the direction of the sea. And he went up, and after looking said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times; and he went seven times.

44 And the seventh time he said, I see a cloud coming up out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. Then he said, Go up and say to Ahab, Get your carriage ready and go down or the rain will keep you back.

45 And after a very little time, the heaven became black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab went in his carriage to Jezreel.

46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he made himself strong, and went running before Ahab till they came to Jezreel.