1 Kings 18:18-21

18:18 Elijah ¹  replied, “I have not brought disaster ²  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 ³  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. ⁴ 

18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? ⁵  If the Lord is the true God, ⁶  then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.

1 Kings 18:25-28

18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.” ⁷  18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, ⁸  and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped ⁹  around on the altar they had made. ¹⁰  18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” ¹¹  18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, ¹²  mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. ¹³ 

1 Kings 18:40

18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed ¹⁴  them there.

[18:18]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:18]  ² tn Or “trouble.”

[18:19]  ³ tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.

[18:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

[18:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.

[18:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “the God.”

[18:25]  ⁷ tc The last sentence of v. 25 is absent in the Syriac Peshitta.

[18:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”

[18:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).

[18:26]  ¹⁰ tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions have the plural form of the verb.

[18:27]  ¹¹ sn Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.

[18:28]  ¹² tn Or “as was their custom.”

[18:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”

[18:40]  ¹⁴ tn Or “slaughtered.”