War between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

18 It happened many days later that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab so that I may give rain on the surface of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab summoned Obadiah who was over the house. (Now Obadiah was fearing Yahweh greatly. 4 It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them ⌊by fifties⌋a 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.b 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⌋,c 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⌋d 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⌋,e 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.