11. Do you really want me to tell him you're here?
12. What if the Lord's Spirit takes you away as soon as I leave? When Ahab comes to get you, he won't find you. Then he will surely kill me.I have worshipped the Lord since I was a boy.
13. I even hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in caves when Jezebel was trying to kill them. I also gave them food and water.
14. Do you really want me to tell Ahab you're here? He will kill me!
15. Elijah said, “I'm a servant of the living Lord All-Powerful, and I swear in his name that I will meet with Ahab today.”
16. Obadiah left and told Ahab where to find Elijah.Ahab went to meet Elijah,
17. and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, “There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!”
18. Elijah answered:You're the troublemaker—not me! You and your family have disobeyed the Lord's commands by worshipping Baal.
19. Call together everyone from Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
20. Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel.
21. Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!”The people did not say a word.
22. Then Elijah continued:I am the Lord's only prophet, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23. Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either.
24. The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the Lord. The one who answers by starting the fire is God.“That's a good idea,” everyone agreed.
25. Elijah said to Baal's prophets, “There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god.”
26. They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no answer.
27. At midday, Elijah began making fun of them. “Pray louder!” he said. “Baal must be a god. Perhaps he's daydreaming or using the toilet or travelling somewhere. Or perhaps he's asleep, and you have to wake him up.”
28. The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshipped,
29. and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind.
30. Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the Lord's altar.