1st Kings — 18

The Contest on Mount Carmel

1 Later on, in the third year of the drought,  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar to AliYahu, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab, and tell him that I will soon send rain!” 

2 So AliYahu went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria. 

3 So Ahab summoned Ubadyahu, who was in charge of the palace. (Ubadyahu was a devoted follower of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. 

4 Once when Yazabaal had tried to kill all 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Nabym, Ubadyahu had hidden one hundred of them in two caves, he put fifty Nabym in each cave and supplied them with food and water.) 

5 Ahab said to Ubadyahu, “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.” 

6 So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Ubadyahu went another way by himself.

7 As Ubadyahu was walking along, he suddenly saw AliYahu coming toward him. Ubadyahu recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. “Is it really you, my master AliYahu?” he asked.

8 “Yes, it is,” AliYahu replied. “Now go and tell your master Ahab, AliYahu is here.’”

9 “Oh, sir,” Ubadyahu protested, “what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? 

10 For I swear by 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH your  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on Arath from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, AliYahu is not here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. 

11 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, AliYahu is here.”’ 

12 But as soon as I leave you, the Ruach of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH 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 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH all my life. 

13 Has no one told you, my master, about the time when Yazabaal was trying to kill  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Nabym? I hid one hundred of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. 

14 And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, AliYahu is here.’ Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me.”

15 But AliYahu said, “I swear by  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.”

16 So Ubadyahu went to tell Ahab that AliYahu had come, and Ahab went out to meet AliYahu. 

17 When Ahab saw AliYahu, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Yashar'AL?”

18 “I have made no trouble for Yashar'AL,” AliYahu replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commandments of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 

19 Now summon all Yashar'AL to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asharah who are supported by Yazabaal.”

20 So Ahab summoned all the people of Yashar'AL and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 

21 Then AliYahu stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, follow Him! But if Baal is mighty, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

22 Then AliYahu said to them, “I am the only Nabym of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH who is left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 

23 Now 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, I will not set fire to it. 

24 Then call on the name of your Baal idol, and I will call on the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. The 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH who answers by fire, He is the only 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH!” And all the people agreed.

25 Then AliYahu 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 Baal idol. But do not set fire to the wood.”

26 So 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.

27 About noontime AliYahu began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a idol! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”

28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.

29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

30 Then AliYahu called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH that had been torn down. 

31 AliYahu took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Yashar'AL, 

32 and AliYahu used the stones to rebuild the altar in the Name of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. 

33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then AliYahu said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.”

34 After 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, 

35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.

36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, AliYahu the Nabym walked up to the altar and prayed, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH,  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Abraham, Yachaq and Ya'aqub, prove today that you are  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH in Yashar'AL and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 

37 O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, are their 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

38 Immediately the fire of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  flashed down from Shamaym and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, He is 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH! Yes, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH!”

40 Then AliYahu commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Do not let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and AliYahu took them down to the Kishun Valley and killed them there.

AliYahu Prays for Rain

41 Then AliYahu said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”

42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But AliYahu climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to AliYahu and said, “I did not see anything.”

Seven times AliYahu told him to go and look. 

44 Finally 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 AliYahu shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you do not hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Yazraal. 

46 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH gave special strength to AliYahu, he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Yazraal.