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1 Kings 18 New American Bible
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>1 Kings 18 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_kings/18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/1_kings/18-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > 1 Kings 18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_kings/17.htm" title="1 Kings 17">◄</a> 1 Kings 18 <a href="../1_kings/19.htm" title="1 Kings 19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch11018" class="chapter"> <h1 id="cn11018" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">Elijah Ends the Drought.<a id="rfn11018001-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn11018001-1">*</a></span> <span id="v11018001" class="ver">1</span>Long afterward, in the third year, the word of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> came to Elijah: Go, present yourself to Ahab, that I may send rain upon the earth. <span id="v11018002" class="ver">2</span>So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.</p> <p>Now the famine in Samaria was severe, <span id="v11018003" class="ver">3</span>and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, master of his palace, who greatly revered the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. <span id="v11018004" class="ver">4</span>When Jezebel was slaughtering the prophets of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them away by fifties in caves, and supplied them with food and water. <span id="v11018005" class="ver">5</span>Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all sources of water and to all the wadies. We may find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, so that we shall not have to slaughter any of the beasts.” <span id="v11018006" class="ver">6</span>Dividing the land to explore between them, Ahab went one way by himself, Obadiah another way by himself. <span id="v11018007" class="ver">7</span>As Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. Recognizing him, Obadiah fell prostrate and asked, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” <span id="v11018008" class="ver">8</span>He said to him, “Yes. Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’ ”<a id="rfn11018008-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn11018008-1">*</a> <span id="v11018009" class="ver">9</span>But Obadiah said, “What sin has your servant committed, that you are handing me over to Ahab to be killed? <span id="v11018010" class="ver">10</span>As the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, your God, lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent in search of you. When they replied, ‘He is not here,’ he made each kingdom and nation swear they could not find you. <span id="v11018011" class="ver">11</span>And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!’ <span id="v11018012" class="ver">12</span>After I leave you, the spirit of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> will carry you to some place I do not know, and when I go to inform Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me—though your servant has revered the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> from his youth! <span id="v11018013" class="ver">13</span>Have you not been told, my lord, what I did when Jezebel was murdering the prophets of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>—that I hid a hundred of the prophets of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, fifty each in caves, and supplied them with food and water? <span id="v11018014" class="ver">14</span>And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!” <span id="v11018015" class="ver">15</span>Elijah answered, “As the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> of hosts lives, whom I serve, I will present myself to him today.”</p> <p><span id="v11018016" class="ver">16</span>So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and informed him, and Ahab came to meet Elijah. <span id="v11018017" class="ver">17</span>When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is it you, you disturber of Israel?” <span id="v11018018" class="ver">18</span>He answered, “It is not I who disturb Israel, but you and your father’s house, by forsaking the commands of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> and you by following the Baals. <span id="v11018019" class="ver">19</span>Now summon all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” <span id="v11018020" class="ver">20</span>So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and had the prophets gather on Mount Carmel.</p> <p><span id="v11018021" class="ver">21</span>Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him. <span id="v11018022" class="ver">22</span>So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. <span id="v11018023" class="ver">23</span>Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire. <span id="v11018024" class="ver">24</span>You shall call upon the name of your gods, and I will call upon the name of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “We agree!”</p> <p><span id="v11018025" class="ver">25</span>Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.” <span id="v11018026" class="ver">26</span>Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called upon Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared. <span id="v11018027" class="ver">27</span>When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: “Call louder, for he is a god; he may be busy doing his business, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” <span id="v11018028" class="ver">28</span>They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears according to their ritual until blood gushed over them. <span id="v11018029" class="ver">29</span>Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was no sound, no one answering, no one listening.</p> <p><span id="v11018030" class="ver">30</span>Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” When they drew near to him, he repaired the altar of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> which had been destroyed. <span id="v11018031" class="ver">31</span>He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had said: Israel shall be your name. <span id="v11018032" class="ver">32</span>He built the stones into an altar to the name of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two measures of grain. <span id="v11018033" class="ver">33</span>When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood. <span id="v11018034" class="ver">34</span>He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. <span id="v11018035" class="ver">35</span>The water flowed around the altar; even the trench was filled with the water. <span id="v11018036" class="ver">36</span>At the time for offering sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came forward and said, “<span class="tetr">Lord</span>, 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 have done all these things at your command. <span id="v11018037" class="ver">37</span><a id="ren11018037-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en11018037-a">a</a> Answer me, <span class="tetr">Lord</span>! Answer me, that this people may know that you, <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.” <span id="v11018038" class="ver">38</span>The <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench. <span id="v11018039" class="ver">39</span>Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The <span class="tetr">Lord</span> is God! The <span class="tetr">Lord</span> is God!” <span id="v11018040" class="ver">40</span><a id="ren11018040-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en11018040-b">b</a> Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Let none of them escape!” They seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and there he slaughtered them. <span id="v11018041" class="ver">41</span>Elijah then said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” <span id="v11018042" class="ver">42</span>So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between his knees. <span id="v11018043" class="ver">43</span>He said to his servant, “Go up and look out to sea.” He went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.” Seven times he said, “Go look again!” <span id="v11018044" class="ver">44</span>And the seventh time the youth reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab, ‘Harness up and go down the mountain before the rain stops you.’ ” <span id="v11018045" class="ver">45</span>All at once the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. Ahab mounted his chariot and headed for Jezreel. <span id="v11018046" class="ver">46</span>But the hand of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> was on Elijah. He girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.</p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. 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