Lexham English Bible

1 Kings 18:11-25 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

11. Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here.” ’

12. And it will happen that I will go from you and the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you up to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, but he will not find you, and then he will kill me, even though your servant has feared Yahweh from my youth.

13. Has it not been told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred men of the prophets of Yahweh by fifties in the cave, and I sustained them with food and water.

14. Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here,” ’ and he will kill me.”

15. Elijah said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly show myself to him today.”

16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him, so Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17. When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you who throws Israel into confusion?”

18. He said, “I did not throw Israel into confusion; rather you and the house of your father have by forsaking the commands of Yahweh when you went after the Baals!

19. So then, send word and assemble all of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

20. So Ahab sent word among the Israelites, and he assembled the prophets to Mount Carmel.

21. Elijah approached to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping over two opinions? If Yahweh is God, go after him; but if Baal, go after him.” But the people did not answer him a word.

22. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of Yahweh, but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.

23. Let them give us two bulls, and let them choose for themselves one bull, cut him in pieces, and put it on the wood, but don’t let them start a fire on it. I will prepare the other bull and set it on the wood, but I will put no fire on it.

24. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and it shall be that the god who answers by fire, he is God.” Then all the people answered and said, “The word is good!”

25. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but don’t set fire under it.”