1 Kings 18:20-40
1599 Geneva Bible
20 ¶ So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long [a]halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him, but if Baal be he, then go after him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I only remain a Prophet of the Lord: but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose the one, and cut him in pieces, and lay him on the wood, but put no fire under, and I will prepare the other bullock, and lay him on the wood, and will put no fire under.
24 Then call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the Name of the Lord: and then the God that answereth [b]by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered, and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you a bullock, and prepare him first, (for ye are many) and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 So they took the one bullock that was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning to noon, saying, O Baal, hear us: but there was no voice, nor any to answer: and they [c]leapt upon the altar that was made.
27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a [d]god: either he talketh or pursueth his enemies, or is in his journey, or it may be that he sleepeth, and must be [e]awaked.
28 And they cried loud, and cut themselves as their manner was, with knives and lancers, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And when midday was passed, and they had prophesied until the offering of the evening sacrifice, there was neither voice, nor one to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come to me. And all the people came to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, (unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, (A)Israel shall be thy name)
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the Name of the Lord: and he made a ditch round about the altar, as great as would contain two [f]measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and hewed the bullock in pieces, and laid him in the wood:
34 And said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it upon the burnt offering and on the wood. Again he said, Do so again. And they did so the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar: and he [g]filled the ditch with water also.
36 And when they should offer the evening sacrifice, Elijah the Prophet came and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day, that thou art the God of Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy commandment.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and let this people know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart again [h]at the last.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the ditch.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and said, The Lord is God, the Lord is God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not [i]a man of them escape: and they took them, and Elijah brought them to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 18:21 Be constant in religion, and make it not as a thing indifferent, whether ye follow God or Baal, or whether ye serve God wholly or in part, Zeph. 1:5.
- 1 Kings 18:24 By sending down fire from heaven to burn the sacrifice.
- 1 Kings 18:26 As men ravished with some strange spirit.
- 1 Kings 18:27 You esteem him as God.
- 1 Kings 18:27 He mocketh their beastly madness, which think that by any instance or suit, the dead and vile idols can help their worshippers in their necessity.
- 1 Kings 18:32 Hebrew, seahs, which some think contain about three pottles and a third part a piece.
- 1 Kings 18:35 Hereby he declared the excellent power of God, who contrary to nature could make the fire burn even in the water, to the intent they should have none occasion to doubt that he is the only God.
- 1 Kings 18:37 Though God suffer his to run in blindness and error for a time, yet at the length he calleth them home to him by some notorious sign and work.
- 1 Kings 18:40 He commanded them that as they were truly persuaded to confess the only God: so they would serve him with all their power, and destroy the idolaters his enemies.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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