1 Kings 18 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

A long time passed, and in the third year, Yahweh's word came to Elijah: "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."

So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was devastating in Samaria.

Ahab had called Obadiah, who managed his household. Now Obadiah deeply revered Yahweh.

When Jezebel was slaughtering Yahweh's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and kept them supplied with bread and water.

Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to every spring and every stream. Maybe we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we don't lose all our animals."

So they divided up the land between them to cover it. Ahab went one direction by himself, and Obadiah went another direction by himself.

While Obadiah was on his way, suddenly — there was Elijah. Obadiah recognized him and fell face-down. "Is that you, my master Elijah?" he said.

"It's me," Elijah replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"

"What have I done wrong," Obadiah asked, "that you're handing your servant over to Ahab to be killed?"

"As Yahweh your God lives, there isn't a nation or kingdom where my master hasn't sent people looking for you. And whenever they said, 'He's not here,' Ahab made that kingdom or nation swear they couldn't find you."

"And now you're telling me, 'Go tell your master: Elijah is here'?"

"The moment I leave you, Yahweh's spirit could carry you off to who knows where. Then I'll go tell Ahab, he won't find you, and he'll kill me! But your servant has revered Yahweh since I was young."

"Hasn't my master been told what I did when Jezebel was killing Yahweh's prophets? How I hid a hundred of Yahweh's prophets, fifty to a cave, and kept them supplied with bread and water?"

"And now you're telling me, 'Go tell your master: Elijah is here'? He'll kill me!"

Elijah said, "As Yahweh of Armies lives — the one I serve — I will show myself to Ahab today."

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you — you troublemaker of Israel?"

"I haven't troubled Israel," Elijah replied. "You have — you and your father's family — by abandoning Yahweh's commands and chasing after the Baals."

"Now send word and gather all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."

So Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

Elijah stepped in front of all the people and said, "How long are you going to hobble back and forth between two positions? If Yahweh is God, follow him. If Baal is, follow him." The people didn't say a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, "I'm the only prophet of Yahweh left. But Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets."

"Get us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it up, and lay it on the wood — but don't light the fire. I'll prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood — and I won't light the fire either."

"Then you call on the name of your god, and I'll call on the name of Yahweh. The god who answers with fire — he is God." All the people answered, "That sounds right."

Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't light the fire."

So they took the bull given to them, prepared it, and called on Baal's name from morning until noon. "Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no voice. No one answered. And they hobbled around the altar they had made.

At noon, Elijah started mocking them. "Shout louder!" he said. "He's a god, after all! Maybe he's deep in thought. Maybe he's off relieving himself. Maybe he's on a trip. Maybe he's sleeping and needs to be woken up!"

So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until blood poured over them.

Midday passed, and they kept raving on until the time for the evening offering. But there was no voice. No one answered. No one paid any attention.

Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me." They all came closer. He repaired Yahweh's altar that had been torn down.

Elijah took twelve stones — one for each of the tribes of the descendants of Jacob, to whom Yahweh's word had come saying, "Your name will be Israel."

With the stones he built an altar in Yahweh's name. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about twenty-four quarts of seed.

He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and laid it on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the offering and over the wood."

"Do it again," he said. So they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said. So they did it a third time.

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

At the time of the evening offering, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and said, "Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — let it be known today that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I've done all these things because you told me to."

"Answer me, Yahweh! Answer me! So these people will know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back."

Then Yahweh's fire fell. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "Yahweh — he is God! Yahweh — he is God!"

Elijah told them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Don't let a single one escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

Elijah said to Ahab, "Go — eat and drink, because there's the sound of a heavy rain coming."

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

He said to his servant, "Go up and look toward the sea." The servant went up, looked, and said, "There's nothing." Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."

On the seventh time, the servant said, "There's a cloud rising from the sea — small as a man's hand." Elijah said, "Go tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and get down before the rain stops you.'"

And just like that, the sky turned black with clouds and wind, and a massive downpour started. Ahab rode off toward Jezreel.

And Yahweh's power came on Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.