I Kings 18

vayehi yamim rabbim udevar-Adonai hayah el-eliyyahu bashanah hashelishit lemor lekh hera'eh el-akhav ve'ettenah matar al-pene ha'adamah

Much later, in the third year, the word of GOD came to Elijah: “Go, appear before Ahab; then I will send rain upon the earth.”

vayyelekh eliyyahu lehera'ot el-akhav vehara'av khazaq beshomeron

Thereupon Elijah set out to appear before Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

vayyiqra akhav el-ovadyahu asher al-habbayit ve'ovadyahu hayah yare et-Adonai me'od

Ahab had summoned Obadiah, the steward of the palace. (Obadiah revered GOD greatly.

vayehi behakhrit izevel et nevi'e Adonai vayyiqqakh ovadyahu me'ah nevi'im vayyakhbi'em khamishim ish bamme'arah vekhilkelam lekhem vamayim

When Jezebel was killing off the prophets of GOD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and provided them with food and drink.)

vayyomer akhav el-ovadyahu lekh ba'arets el-kol-mayene hammayim ve'el kol-hannekhalim ulay nimtsa khatsir unekhayyeh sus vafered velo nakhrit mehabbehemah

And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we shall find some grass to keep horses and mules alive, so that we are not left without beasts.”

vayekhallequ lahem et-ha'arets la'avor-bah akhav halakh bederekh ekhad levaddo ve'ovadyahu halakh bederekh-ekhad levaddo

They divided the country between them to explore it, Ahab going alone in one direction and Obadiah going alone in another direction.

vayehi ovadyahu badderekh vehinneh eliyyahu liqrato vayyakkirehu vayyippol al-panayw vayyomer ha'attah zeh adoni eliyyahu

Obadiah was on the road, when Elijah suddenly confronted him. [Obadiah] recognized him and flung himself on his face, saying, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”

vayyomer lo ani lekh emor ladonekha hinneh eliyyahu

“Yes, it is I,” he answered. “Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!”

vayyomer meh khatati ki-attah noten et-avdekha beyad-akhav lahamiteni

But he said, “What wrong have I done, that you should hand your servant over to Ahab to be killed?

khay Adonai elohekha im-yesh-goy umamlakhah asher lo-shalakh adoni sham levaqqeshkha ve'ameru ayin vehishbia et-hammamlakhah ve'et-haggoy ki lo yimtsa'ekkah

As the ETERNAL your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to look for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that you could not be found.

ve'attah attah omer lekh emor ladonekha hinneh eliyyahu

And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!’

vehayah ani elekh me'ittakh veruakh Adonai yissa'akha al asher lo-eda uvati lehaggid le'akhav velo yimtsa'akha vaharagani ve'avdekha yare et-Adonai minne'uray

When I leave you, the spirit of GOD will carry you off I don’t know where; and when I come and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has revered GOD from my youth.

halo-huggad ladoni et asher-asiti baharog izevel et nevi'e Adonai va'akhbi minnevi'e Adonai me'ah ish khamishim khamishim ish bamme'arah va'akhalkelem lekhem vamayim

My lord has surely been told what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of GOD, how I hid a hundred of the prophets of GOD, fifty to a cave, and provided them with food and drink.

ve'attah attah omer lekh emor ladonekha hinneh eliyyahu vaharagani

And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here.’ Why, he will kill me!”

vayyomer eliyyahu khay Adonai tseva'ot asher amadti lefanayw ki hayyom era'eh elayw

Elijah replied, “As GOD of Hosts lives, whom I serve, I will appear before him this very day.”

vayyelekh ovadyahu liqrat akhav vayyagged-lo vayyelekh akhav liqrat eliyyahu

Obadiah went to find Ahab, and informed him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

vayehi kirot akhav et-eliyyahu vayyomer akhav elayw ha'attah zeh okher yisra'el

When Ahab caught sight of Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

vayyomer lo akharti et-yisra'el ki im-attah uvet avikha ba'azovkhem et-mitsvot Adonai vattelekh akhare habbe'alim

He retorted, “It is not I who have brought trouble on Israel, but you and your father’s House, by forsaking the commandments of GOD and going after the Baalim.

ve'attah shelakh qevots elay et-kol-yisra'el el-har hakkarmel ve'et-nevi'e habba'al arba me'ot vakhamishim unevi'e ha'asherah arba me'ot okhele shulkhan izavel

Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, together with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

vayyishlakh akhav bekhol-bene yisra'el vayyiqbots et-hannevi'im el-har hakkarmel

Ahab sent orders to all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

vayyiggash eliyyahu el-kol-ha'am vayyomer ad-matay attem posekhim al-shete hasse'ippim im-Adonai ha'elohim lekhu akharayw ve'im-habba'al lekhu akharayw velo-anu ha'am oto davar

Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you keep hopping between two opinions? If the ETERNAL is God, then follow [the ETERNAL]; and if Baal, follow [Baal]!” But the people answered him not a word.

vayyomer eliyyahu el-ha'am ani notarti navi la-Adonai levaddi unevi'e habba'al arba-me'ot vakhamishim ish

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only prophet of GOD left, while the prophets of Baal number four hundred and fifty.

veyittenu-lanu shenayim parim veyivkharu lahem happar ha'ekhad vinattekhuhu veyasimu al-ha'etsim ve'esh lo yasimu va'ani e'eseh et-happar ha'ekhad venatatti al-ha'etsim ve'esh lo asim

Let two young bulls be given to us. Let them choose one bull, cut it up, and lay it on the wood, but let them not apply fire; I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and will not apply fire.

uqeratem beshem elohekhem va'ani eqra veshem-Adonai vehayah ha'elohim asher-ya'aneh va'esh hu ha'elohim vayya'an kol-ha'am vayyomeru tov haddavar

You will then invoke your god by name, and I will invoke GOD by name; and let us agree: the god who responds with fire, that one is God.” And all the people answered, “Very good!”

vayyomer eliyyahu linvi'e habba'al bakharu lakhem happar ha'ekhad va'asu rishonah ki attem harabbim veqiru beshem elohekhem ve'esh lo tasimu

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull and prepare it first, for you are the majority; invoke your god by name, but apply no fire.”

vayyiqkhu et-happar asher-natan lahem vayya'asu vayyiqre'u veshem-habba'al mehabboqer ve'ad-hatsohorayim lemor habba'al anenu ve'en qol ve'en oneh vayefassekhu al-hammizbeakh asher asah

They took the bull that was given them; they prepared it, and invoked Baal by name from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one who responded; so they performed a hopping dance about the altar that had been set up.

vayehi vatsohorayim vayehattel bahem eliyyahu vayyomer qiru veqol-gadol ki-elohim hu ki siakh vekhi-sig lo vekhi-derekh lo ulay yashen hu veyiqats

When noon came, Elijah mocked them, saying, “Shout louder! After all, he is a god. But he may be in conversation, he may be detained, or he may be on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and will wake up.”

vayyiqre'u beqol gadol vayyitgodedu kemishpatam bakharavot uvaremakhim ad-shefokh-dam alehem

So they shouted louder, and gashed themselves with knives and spears, according to their practice, until the blood streamed over them.

vayehi ka'avor hatsohorayim vayyitnabbe'u ad la'alot hamminkhah ve'en-qol ve'en-oneh ve'en qashev

When noon passed, they kept raving until the hour of presenting the grain offering. Still there was no sound, and no one who responded or heeded.

vayyomer eliyyahu lekhol-ha'am geshu elay vayyiggeshu khol-ha'am elayw vayerappe et-mizbakh Adonai heharus

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. He repaired the damaged altar of GOD.

vayyiqqakh eliyyahu shetem esreh avanim kemispar shivte vene-ya'aqov asher hayah devar-Adonai elayw lemor yisra'el yihyeh shemekha

Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob—to whom the word of GOD had come: “Israel shall be your name”—

vayyivneh et-ha'avanim mizbeakh beshem Adonai vayya'as te'alah kevet satayim zera saviv lammizbeakh

and with the stones he built an altar in the name of GOD. Around the altar he made a trench large enough for two seahs of seed.

vayya'arokh et-ha'etsim vayenattakh et-happar vayyasem al-ha'etsim

He laid out the wood, and he cut up the bull and laid it on the wood.

vayyomer milu arba'ah khaddim mayim veyitsqu al-ha'olah ve'al-ha'etsim vayyomer shenu vayyishnu vayyomer shalleshu vayeshalleshu

And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said; and they did it a third time.

vayyelekhu hammayim saviv lammizbeakh vegam et-hatte'alah mille-mayim

The water ran down around the altar, and even the trench was filled with water.

vayehi ba'alot hamminkhah vayyiggash eliyyahu hannavi vayyomar Adonai elohe avraham yitskhaq veyisra'el hayyom yivvada ki-attah elohim beyisra'el va'ani avdekha (vvdvrykh) [uvidvarekha] asiti et kol-haddevarim ha'elleh

When it was time to present the grain offering, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, “O ETERNAL One, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! Let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding.

aneni Adonai aneni veyede'u ha'am hazzeh ki-attah Adonai ha'elohim ve'attah hasibbota et-libbam akhorannit

Answer me, O ETERNAL One, answer me, that this people may know that You, O ETERNAL One, are God; for You have turned their hearts backward.”

vattippol esh-Adonai vattokhal et-ha'olah ve'et-ha'etsim ve'et-ha'avanim ve'et-he'afar ve'et-hammayim asher-batte'alah likhekhah

Then fire from GOD descended and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the earth; and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

vayyar kol-ha'am vayyippelu al-penehem vayyomeru Adonai hu ha'elohim Adonai hu ha'elohim

When they saw this, all the people flung themselves on their faces and cried out: “the ETERNAL One alone is God, the ETERNAL One alone is God!”

vayyomer eliyyahu lahem tifsu et-nevi'e habba'al ish al-yimmalet mehem vayyitpesum vayyoridem eliyyahu el-nakhal qishon vayyishkhatem sham

Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal, let not a single one of them get away.” They seized them, and Elijah took them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

vayyomer eliyyahu le'akhav aleh ekhol usheteh ki-qol hamon haggashem

Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a rumbling of [approaching] rain,”

vayya'aleh akhav le'ekhol velishtot ve'eliyyahu alah el-rosh hakkarmel vayyighar artsah vayyasem panayw ben birkav

and Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah meanwhile climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, crouched on the ground, and put his face between his knees.

vayyomer el-na'aro aleh-na habbet derekh-yam vayya'al vayyabbet vayyomer en me'umah vayyomer shuv sheva pe'amim

And he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the Sea.” He went up and looked and reported, “There is nothing.” Seven times [Elijah] said, “Go back,”

vayehi bashevi'it vayyomer hinneh-av qetannah kekhaf-ish olah miyyam vayyomer aleh emor el-akhav esor vared velo ya'atsorkhah haggashem

and the seventh time, [the servant] reported, “A cloud as small as a person’s hand is rising in the west.” Then [Elijah] said, “Go say to Ahab, ‘Hitch up [your chariot] and go down before the rain stops you.’”

vayehi ad-koh ve'ad-koh vehashamayim hitqadderu avim veruakh vayehi geshem gadol vayyirkav akhav vayyelekh yizre'elah

Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds; there was wind, and a heavy downpour fell; Ahab mounted his chariot and drove off to Jezreel.

veyad-Adonai hayetah el-eliyyahu vayeshannes motnayw vayyarots lifne akhav ad-bo'akhah yizre'elah

GOD’s hand had come upon Elijah. He tied up his skirts and ran in front of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.