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<!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 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</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="../">NRSVCE</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 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elijah’s Message to Ahab</span></h3><p class="chapter-2"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>After many days the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought,<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9343a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> greatly; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>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.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab, to kill me? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>As the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>But now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.’ </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> from my youth. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, how I hid a hundred of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>’s prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>Yet now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here’; he will surely kill me.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>Elijah said, “As the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> and followed the Baals. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>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.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elijah’s Triumph over the Priests of Baal</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>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.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>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 <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> that had been thrown down; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">32</span>with the stones he built an altar in the name of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">33</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">34</span>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, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">35</span>so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">36</span>At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, 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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">37</span>Answer me, O <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">38</span>Then the fire of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">39</span>When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> indeed is God; the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> indeed is God.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">40</span>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.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Drought Ends</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">41</span>Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">42</span>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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">43</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">44</span>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.’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">45</span>In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">46</span>But the hand of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 1 Kings 18:1">1 Kings 18:1</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb lacks <i>of the drought</i></span></li></ol></div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. 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