I Kings 18:16-46
So
Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
When
Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel ?"
He answered, "I have not troubled Israel ; but you have, and your father's
house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the
Baals. Now therefore have all Israel
assemble for me at Mount Carmel , with the four
hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who
eat at Jezebel's table."
So
Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel . Elijah then came near to all the people,
and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If
the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did
not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am
left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. Let
two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in
pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other
bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. Then you call on the name
of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by
fire is indeed God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!"
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull
and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but
put no fire to it." So they took the bull that was given them, prepared
it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O
Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about
the altar that they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry
aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or
he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." Then
they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and
lances until the blood gushed out over them. As midday passed, they raved on
until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no
answer, and no response.
Then
Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me"; and all the
people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had
been thrown down; 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"; with the stones he built an altar in the
name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to
contain two measures of seed. Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in
pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and
pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." Then he said, "Do it
a second time"; and they did it a second time. Again he said, "Do it
a third time"; and they did it a third time, so that the water ran all
around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.
At
the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and
said, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day
that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all
these things at your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people
may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts
back." Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the
wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the
trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said,
"The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God." Elijah said to
them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape."
Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and
killed them there.
Elijah
said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing
rain." So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ; there he bowed
himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his
servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." He went up and looked, and
said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again seven
times." At the seventh time he said, "Look, a little cloud no bigger
than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." Then he said, "Go say
to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' "
In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a
heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. But the hand of the Lord was on
Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of
Jezreel. (NRSV)
This
reading is taken from 30 Scripture Readings
NEW
REVISED STANDARD VERSION BIBLE, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America .
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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