1Kings 18 - Prayer Tents



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1Kings 18
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The Contest on Mount Carmel

18Later on, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!"H7227H3117H1697H3068H452H7992H8141H559H3212H7200H256H5414H4306H6440H127 2So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.H452H3212H7200H256H2389H7458H8111 3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the LORD.H256H7121H5662H1004H5662H3373H3068H3966 4Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)H348H3772H5030H3068H5662H3947H3967H5030H2244H376H2572H4631H3557H3899H4325 5Ahab said to Obadiah, "We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules."H256H559H5662H3212H776H4599H4325H5158H194H4672H2682H2421H5483H6505H2421H3772H929 6So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.H2505H776H5674H256H1980H259H1870H5662H1980H259H1870 7As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" he asked.H5662H1870H452H7125H5234H5307H6440H559H113H452 8"Yes, it is," Elijah replied. "Now go and tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"H559H3212H559H113H452 9"Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab?H559H2398H5414H5650H3027H256H4191 10For I swear by the LORD your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, 'Elijah isn't here,' King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim.H3068H430H2416H3426H1471H4467H834H113H7971H1245H559H7650H4467H1471H4672 11And now you say, 'Go and tell your master, "Elijah is here."'H559H3212H559H113H452 12But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the LORD all my life.H3212H7307H3068H5375H3045H935H5046H256H4672H2026H5650H3372H3068H5271 13Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water.H5046H113H6213H348H2026H5030H3068H2244H3967H376H3068H5030H2572H4631H3557H3899H4325 14And now you say, 'Go and tell your master, "Elijah is here."' Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me."H559H3212H559H113H452H2026 15But Elijah said, "I swear by the LORD Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day."H452H559H3068H6635H2416H6440H5975H7200H3117 16So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.H5662H3212H7125H256H5046H256H3212H7125H452 17When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, "So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?"H256H7200H452H256H559H5916H3478 18"I have made no trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.H559H5916H3478H1H1004H5800H4687H3068H3212H310H1168 19Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel."H7971H6908H3478H2022H3760H5030H1168H702H3967H2572H5030H842H702H3967H398H348H7979 20So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.H256H7971H1121H3478H6908H5030H6908H2022H3760 21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.H452H5066H5971H559H5921H6452H8147H5587H3068H430H1168H3212H310H5971H6030H1697 22Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.H559H452H5971H3498H5030H3068H1168H5030H702H3967H2572H376 23Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it.H5414H8147H6499H977H259H6499H5408H7760H6086H7760H784H6213H259H6499H5414H6086H7760H784 24Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed.H7121H8034H430H7121H8034H3068H430H6030H784H430H5971H6030H559H2896H1697 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood."H452H559H5030H1168H977H259H6499H6213H7223H7227H7121H8034H430H7760H784 26So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.H3947H6499H5414H6213H7121H8034H1168H1242H6672H559H1168H6030H369H6963H6030H6452H4196H6213 27About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!"H6672H452H2048H559H7121H1419H6963H430H7879H7873H1870H194H3463H3364 28So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.H7121H6963H1419H1413H4941H2719H7420H1818H8210 29They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.H6672H5674H5012H5927H4503H6963H6030H7182 30Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.H452H559H5971H5066H5971H5066H7495H4196H3068H2040 31He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,H452H3947H8147H6240H68H4557H7626H1121H3290H1697H3068H559H3478H8034 32and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.H68H1129H4196H8034H3068H6213H8585H5439H4196H1004H5429H2233 33He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood."H6186H6086H6186H5408H6499H7760H6086H559H4390H702H3537H4325H3332H5930H6086 34After they had done this, he said, "Do the same thing again!" And when they were finished, he said, "Now do it a third time!" So they did as he said,H559H8138H8138H559H8027H8027 35and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.H4325H3212H5439H4196H4390H8585H4325 36At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.H5927H4503H452H5030H5066H559H3068H430H85H3327H3478H3045H3117H430H3478H5650H6213H1697 37O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."H6030H3068H6030H5971H3045H3068H430H5437H3820H5437H322 38Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!H784H3068H5307H398H5930H6086H68H6083H3897H4325H8585 39And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, "The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!"H5971H7200H5307H6440H559H3068H430H3068H430 40Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.H452H559H8610H5030H1168H376H4422H8610H452H3381H5158H7028H7819

Elijah Prays for Rain

41Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!"H452H559H256H5927H398H8354H6963H1995H1653 42So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.H256H5927H398H8354H452H5927H7218H3760H1457H776H7760H6440H1290 43Then he said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the sea." The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, "I didn't see anything." Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.H559H5288H5927H5027H1870H3220H5927H5027H559H3972H559H7725H7651H6471 44Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea." Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him, 'Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don't hurry, the rain will stop you!'"H7637H559H5927H6996H5645H3220H376H3709H559H5927H559H256H631H3381H1653H6113 45And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.H3541H8064H6937H5645H7307H1419H1653H256H7392H3212H3157 46Then the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.H3027H3068H452H8151H4975H7323H6440H256H935H3157


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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