1 Kings 18:27-46

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.” ¹  18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, ²  mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. ³  18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, ⁴  but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. ⁵ 

18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. ⁶  18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new ⁷  name.” ⁸  18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. ⁹  Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs ¹⁰  of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, ¹¹  he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, ¹²  Elijah the prophet approached the altar ¹³  and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove ¹⁴  today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God ¹⁵  and that you are winning back their allegiance.” ¹⁶  18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. ¹⁷  It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! ¹⁸  The Lord is the true God!” 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 ¹⁹  them there.

18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.” ²⁰  18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” ²¹  Seven times Elijah sent him to look. ²²  18:44 The seventh time the servant ²³  said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah ²⁴  then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” ²⁵  18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward ²⁶  Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; ²⁷  he tucked his robe into his belt ²⁸  and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

[18:27]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Or “as was their custom.”

[18:28]  ³ tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”

[18:29]  ⁴ tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”

[18:29]  ⁵ tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”

[18:30]  ⁶ sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.

[18:31]  ⁷ tn The word “new” is implied but not actually present in the Hebrew text.

[18:31]  ⁸ sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.

[18:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord.”

[18:32]  ¹⁰ tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.

[18:34]  ¹¹ tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[18:36]  ¹² tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”

[18:36]  ¹³ tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[18:36]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “let it be known.”

[18:37]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the God.”

[18:37]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”

[18:38]  ¹⁷ tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.

[18:39]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).

[18:40]  ¹⁹ tn Or “slaughtered.”

[18:41]  ²⁰ tn Heb “for [there is] the sound of the roar of the rain.”

[18:43]  ²¹ sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.

[18:43]  ²² tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”

[18:44]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:44]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:44]  ²⁵ tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”

[18:45]  ²⁶ tn Heb “rode and went to.”

[18:46]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah.”

[18:46]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and girded up his loins.” The idea is that of gathering up the robes and tucking them into the sash or belt so that they do not get in the way of the legs when running (or working or fighting).