4. It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in the cave and sustained them with food and water.)
5. Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find green grass that we may keep horses and mules alive and that we might not lose any of the animals.”
6. So they divided the land for themselves in order to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7. It happened that Obadiah was on the way, and suddenly Elijah was there to meet him. When he recognized him, he fell on his face and said, “Is this you, my lord Elijah?”
8. He said to him, “I am. Go, say to your lord, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”
9. He said, “How have I sinned that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me?
10. As Yahweh your God lives, surely there is not a nation or a kingdom to which my lord has not sent me to seek you. If they would say, ‘He is not here,’ then he would make the kingdom or the nation swear that it could not find you.
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.