1 Kings 18:1-20

Elijah Meets the King’s Servant

18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, ¹  “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ²  18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. ³  18:4 When Jezebel was killing ⁴  the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas ⁵  so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill ⁶  some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went ⁷  one way and Obadiah went the other.

18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. ⁸  When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 18:8 He replied, “Yes, ⁹  go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’” ¹⁰  18:9 Obadiah ¹¹  said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? ¹²  18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them ¹³  swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’ ¹⁴  18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. ¹⁵  If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. ¹⁶  That would not be fair, ¹⁷  because your servant has been a loyal follower of ¹⁸  the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did ¹⁹  when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’ ²⁰  but he will kill me.” 18:15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all ²¹  lives (whom I serve), ²²  I will make an appearance before him today.”

Elijah Confronts Baal’s Prophets

18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. ²³  18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he ²⁴  said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster ²⁵  on Israel?” 18:18 Elijah ²⁶  replied, “I have not brought disaster ²⁷  on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers ²⁸  and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. ²⁹ 

18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel.

[18:1]  ¹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Elijah.”

[18:2]  ² map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[18:3]  ³ tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.

[18:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “cutting off.”

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “grass.”

[18:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “to cut off.”

[18:6]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.

[18:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”

[18:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “[It is] I.”

[18:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”

[18:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:9]  ¹² tn Heb “to kill me.”

[18:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”

[18:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”

[18:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to [a place] which I do not know.”

[18:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”

[18:12]  ¹⁷ tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.

[18:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “has feared the Lord” (also see the note at 1 Kgs 18:3).

[18:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”

[18:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”

[18:15]  ²¹ tn Traditionally, “the Lord of Hosts.”

[18:15]  ²² tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”

[18:16]  ²³ tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”

[18:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Ahab.”

[18:17]  ²⁵ tn Or “trouble.”

[18:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:18]  ²⁷ tn Or “trouble.”

[18:19]  ²⁸ tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.

[18:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”