1 And after many days, in the third year, the word of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Sender} came to Elijah, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain upon the surface {penei: visible expanse} of the land.”
2 So Elijah {Eliyahu: Israel’s prophet} went to let himself be seen by Ahab, and the famine was severe {khazaq: extremely intense} in Samaria.
3 Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace {bayit: royal residence}; Obadiah was greatly fearing the LORD {YHWH, Revered Sovereign}.
4 And it came about when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of the LORD {YHWH, Provider of the Hidden} that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid fifty in a cave, and provided them with bread {lechem: daily sustenance} and water.
5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the streams. Perhaps we may find grass {chatzir: edible herbage} and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to destroy any livestock {behemah: domestic animal}.”
6 So they divided {vayechalleku: allotted sections} the land among themselves to pass through it; Ahab went by one way by himself {levado: separately}, and Obadiah went by another way by himself.
7 And it happened as Obadiah was on the way that behold Elijah came to meet him; and he recognized him and fell on his face {panim: sign of humility}, and said, “Is it you, my lord {adoni: respectful title} Elijah?”
8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your lord {adon: one in authority}, ‘Behold {hinneh: summons attention}, Elijah is here.’”
9 And he said, “What have I sinned {chatati: committed offense}, that you are giving your servant {avdekha: personal attendant} into the hand of Ahab to put me to death?”
10 As the LORD your God {YHWH Eloheikha, Living Witness} lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to seek you; and when they said, “He is not here,” he made the kingdom and the nation swear that they had not found {yimtza’kha: actually locate} you.
11 And now you are saying, “Go, say to your master {adon: your superior}, ‘Look {hinneh: attention marker}, Elijah is here!’”
12 And it will happen that when I go from you, the Spirit of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Mover} will carry you to a place I do not know. And if I come to tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But your servant has feared the LORD from my youth {ne'uray: early years}.
13 Has it not been told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Defender}? I hid one hundred of the LORD’s prophets {neviʾei: inspired spokesmen}, fifty in the cave, and I provided them with bread and water.
14 And now you {atta: personal addressee} say, "Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah {Eliyahu, My God Is YHWH} is here,’ and he will kill me."
15 And Elijah said, “As the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tsevaot, Divine Commander} lives, before whom I have stood {amadti: faithful service}, surely today I will appear to him.”
16 Obadiah {Ovadyahu: Servant of YHWH} went to meet Ahab and told him, then Ahab went to meet Elijah {Eliyahu: My God Is YHWH}.
17 And it happened {vayhi: narrative marker} when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the troubler {okher: one who brings calamity} of Israel?”
18 And he said, “I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and your father’s house in your forsaking {azav: to abandon} the commandments of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Enforcer} and going after the Baals.”
19 So now, send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel{karmel: fertile vineyard}, and also the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table{shulchan: place of royal provision}.
20 So Ahab{achav: Israel’s king} sent messages throughout all the children of Israel, and he gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel{hakarmel: prominent coastal mountain}.
21 And Elijah drew near to all the people and said, “How long will you continue limping on two branches {seipim: forked divisions}? If the LORD God {YHWH Elohim, Sovereign Ruler} is God, follow Him; but if Baal {baal: Canaanite storm god} is god, then follow Him.” Yet the people gave him no reply.
22 And Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left as a prophet {navi: spokesperson for God} for the LORD {YHWH, Faithful Witness}; but the prophets of Baʿal are four hundred and fifty men.”
23 And let them give us two bulls {parim: sacrificial animals}, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and place it on the wood {etzim: altar fuel}, but let them not put fire on it. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood, but I will not put fire on it.
24 And you will call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Judge}, and the God who answers by fire—He is God. Then all the people answered and said, “The word is good {tov: pleasing, fitting}.”
25 And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal {baʿal: false deity}, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, because you are many, and call on the name of your gods {eloheichem: objects of worship}, but do not put fire to it.”
26 So they took the bull that had been given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from the morning until the noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice or response. Then they limped {pesach: ritual movement} on the altar {mizbe’ach: place of sacrifice} that they had made.
27 And it was at noon, and Elijah mocked them and said, “Call with a loud voice, for he is a god {Elohim, Object of Worship}. For he is meditating {siyach: deep reflection}, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and will awaken.”
28 And they called out with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom {mishpat: ritual practice} with swords and spears, until their blood poured out {shefokh: spilling forth} upon them.
29 And it happened as midday {hatzohorayim: noon period} passed, and they prophesied until the time of the grain offering {minchah: meal sacrifice}, but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
30 And Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people drew near to him. Then he restored the altar of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Restorer} that had been torn down {heharus: violently destroyed}.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones {even: Representative Markers}, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Renewer} had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32 And he built the stones into an altar in the name of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Witness} and made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs {saatayim: ancient dry measure} of seed.
33 He arranged the wood {etzim: altar fuel}, cut the bull {par: offering animal} into pieces, and placed it on the wood.
34 Then he said, “Do it again {shenu: second iteration},” and they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time {shalleshu: third iteration},” and they did it a third time.
35 And the water went around the altar {mizbeach: sacrifice platform}, and it also filled the trench {tealah: surrounding ditch} with water.
36 When the offering time arrived, Elijah the prophet drew near and declared, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel {YHWH Elohei Avraham Yitshaq ve-Yisrael, Ancestral Covenant God}, let it be recognized today that You alone are God in Israel and that I am Your servant {eved: devoted follower}, and by Your word I have carried out all these things.”
37 Answer me, LORD {YHWH, Prayer Hearer}; answer me, so that this people may know that You, LORD, are God {Elohim, True Deity}, and that You have restored their hearts again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Judge} fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench {te‘alah: water-filled channel}.
39 And all the people saw and fell on their faces {peneihem: gesture of reverence} and said, “The LORD {YHWH, Supreme Revealer} is God; the LORD is God.”
40 And Elijah {Eliyahu, My God YHWH} said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape from them.” They seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Brook and slaughtered {shachat: ritual execution} them there.
41 And Elijah {Eliyahu: God’s spokesman} said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for the roaring {hamon: tumultuous noise} of the rain is heard.”
42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and Elijah {Eliyahu: the prophet} went up to the top of Carmel and crouched down to the ground and put his face between his knees {birkav: bent legs}.
43 And he said to his servant {na‘ar: trusted messenger}, “Go up now, look {habet: to gaze intently} toward the way of the sea.” So he went up and looked, and he said, “There is nothing at all.” And he said, “Go back seven times.”
44 And it happened at the seventh that he said, “Behold, a small cloud like the palm of a man is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Hitch {esor: harness chariot} your chariot and go down, so that the rain {geshem: heavy downpour} does not stop you.’”
45 And it happened, meanwhile, that the heavens became dark with clouds {avim: dense water vapor masses} and wind, and there was a great rain {geshem: abundant downpour}; and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the LORD {YHWH, Storm-Governor} was upon Elijah, and he girded up his waist {motnav: tucked for running}, and he ran before Ahab as far as the entrance of Jezreel.