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1 Kings 18:17-19:18\n\n17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, \u201cIs that you, you troubler of Israel?\u201d\n\n18 \u201cI have not made trouble for Israel,\u201d Elijah replied. \u201cBut you and your father\u2019s family have. You have abandoned the Lord\u2019s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel\u2019s table.\u201d\n\n20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, \u201cHow long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.\u201d\n\nBut the people said nothing.\n\n22 Then Elijah said to them, \u201cI am the only one of the Lord\u2019s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal\u2019s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire\u2014he is God.\u201d\n\nThen all the people said, \u201cWhat you say is good.\u201d\n\n25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, \u201cChoose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.\u201d 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.\n\nThen they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. \u201cBaal, answer us!\u201d they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.\n\n27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. \u201cShout louder!\u201d he said. \u201cSurely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.\u201d 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.\n\n30 Then Elijah said to all the people, \u201cCome here to me.\u201d They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, \u201cYour name shall be Israel.\u201d 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, \u201cFill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.\u201d\n\n34 \u201cDo it again,\u201d he said, and they did it again.\n\n\u201cDo it a third time,\u201d he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.\n\n36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: \u201cLord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.\u201d\n\n38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.\n\n39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, \u201cThe Lord\u2014he is God! The Lord\u2014he is God!\u201d\n\n40 Then Elijah commanded them, \u201cSeize the prophets of Baal. Don\u2019t let anyone get away!\u201d They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.\n\n41 And Elijah said to Ahab, \u201cGo, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.\u201d 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.\n\n43 \u201cGo and look toward the sea,\u201d he told his servant. And he went up and looked.\n\n\u201cThere is nothing there,\u201d he said.\n\nSeven times Elijah said, \u201cGo back.\u201d\n\n44 The seventh time the servant reported, \u201cA cloud as small as a man\u2019s hand is rising from the sea.\u201d\n\nSo Elijah said, \u201cGo and tell Ahab, \u2018Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.\u2019\u201d\n\n45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.\n\nElijah Flees to Horeb\n19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, \u201cMay the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.\u201d\n\n3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day\u2019s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. \u201cI have had enough, Lord,\u201d he said. \u201cTake my life; I am no better than my ancestors.\u201d 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.\n\nAll at once an angel touched him and said, \u201cGet up and eat.\u201d 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.\n\n7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, \u201cGet up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.\u201d 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.\n\nThe Lord Appears to Elijah\nAnd the word of the Lord came to him: \u201cWhat are you doing here, Elijah?\u201d\n\n10 He replied, \u201cI have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.\u201d\n\n11 The Lord said, \u201cGo out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.\u201d\n\nThen a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.\n\nThen a voice said to him, \u201cWhat are you doing here, Elijah?\u201d\n\n14 He replied, \u201cI have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.\u201d\n\n15 The Lord said to him, \u201cGo back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel\u2014all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.\u201d