7Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah Lit to meetmet him, 2 Kin 1:6-8and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?”8He said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’”9He said, “What Lit have I sinnedsin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?10“1 Kin 17:1As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.11“And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’12“It will come about when I leave you 2 Kin 2:16; Ezek 3:12, 14; Acts 8:39that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have Or reveredfeared the LORD from my youth.13“1 Kin 18:4Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid Lit a hundred men of the prophetsa hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water?14“And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.”15Elijah said, “1 Kin 17:1As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17When Ahab saw Elijah, Josh 7:25; 1 Kin 21:20Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?”18He said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because 1 Kin 9:9; 2 Chr 15:2you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and 1 Kin 16:31; 21:25, 26you have followed the Baals.19“Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Josh 19:26; 2 Kin 2:25Mount Carmel, 1 Kin 18:22together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of 1 Kin 16:33the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

25So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”26Then they took the ox which Lit he gavewas given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was Ps 115:4, 5; Jer 10:5no voice and no one answered. And they Lit limped; i.e. a type of ceremonial danceleaped about the altar which So some mss and the ancient versions; M.T. hethey made.27It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”28So they cried with a loud voice and Lev 19:28; Deut 14:1cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.29When midday was past, they Lit prophesiedraved Ex 29:39, 41until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no Lit attentivenessone paid attention.

30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And 1 Kin 19:10, 14; 2 Chr 33:16he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.31Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Gen 32:28; 35:10; 2 Kin 17:34Israel shall be your name.”32So with the stones he built an altar in Col 3:17the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two Heb seahs; i.e. one seah equals approx 11 qtsmeasures of seed.33Gen 22:9; Lev 1:7, 8Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.34And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 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.35The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.