17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, e“Is that you, O ftroubler of Israel?”

18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, gin that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on hMount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, iand the four hundred prophets of 3Asherah, who 4eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and jgathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, lfollow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, m“I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; nbut Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who oanswers by fire, He is God.”

So all the people answered and said, 5“It is well spoken.”

25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, 6hear us!” But there was pno voice; no one answered. Then they 7leaped about the altar which they had made.

27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry 8aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and qcut themselves, as was their custom, with 9knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, rthey prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was sno voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. tAnd he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, u“Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar vin the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he wput the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and xpour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled ythe trench with water.

36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord zGod of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, alet it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that bI have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

38 Then cthe fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, d“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

40 And Elijah said to them, e“Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook fKishon and gexecuted them there.

The Drought Ends

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; hthen he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, 1‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the ihand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he jgirded 2up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.