1 Kings 18
Open in the reader1After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of He-Who-Is came to My-God-Is-He-Who-Is: “Go and present yourself to Father's-Brother, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
2So My-God-Is-He-Who-Is went to present himself to Father's-Brother. The famine was severe in Watch-Mountain,
3and Father's-Brother summoned Servant-of-He-Who-Is, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Servant-of-He-Who-Is greatly feared He-Who-Is,
4for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of He-Who-Is, Servant-of-He-Who-Is had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
5Then Father's-Brother said to Servant-of-He-Who-Is, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”
6So they divided the land to explore. Father's-Brother went one way by himself, and Servant-of-He-Who-Is went the other way by himself.
7Now as Servant-of-He-Who-Is went on his way, My-God-Is-He-Who-Is suddenly met him. When Servant-of-He-Who-Is recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord My-God-Is-He-Who-Is?”
8“It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘My-God-Is-He-Who-Is is here!’”
9But Servant-of-He-Who-Is replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Father's-Brother to put me to death?
10As surely as He-Who-Is your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.
11And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that My-God-Is-He-Who-Is is here!’
12I do not know where the Spirit of He-Who-Is may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Father's-Brother and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared He-Who-Is from my youth.
13Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of He-Who-Is? I hid a hundred prophets of He-Who-Is, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water.
14And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that My-God-Is-He-Who-Is is here!’ He will kill me!”
15Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said, “As surely as He-Who-Is of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Father's-Brother today.”
16So Servant-of-He-Who-Is went to inform Father's-Brother, who went to meet My-God-Is-He-Who-Is.
17When Father's-Brother saw My-God-Is-He-Who-Is, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Strives-with-God?”
18“I have not troubled Strives-with-God,” My-God-Is-He-Who-Is replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of He-Who-Is and have followed The-Ruler.
19Now summon all Strives-with-God to meet me on Mount Fruitful-Field, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of The-Ruler and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20So Father's-Brother summoned all the children of Strives-with-God and assembled the prophets on Mount Fruitful-Field.
21Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If He-Who-Is is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.
22Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of He-Who-Is, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.
24Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of He-Who-Is. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
25Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said to the prophets of The-Ruler, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of The-Ruler from morning until noon, shouting, “O The-Ruler, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
27At noon My-God-Is-He-Who-Is began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a God! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
28So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
29Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of He-Who-Is that had been torn down.
31And My-God-Is-He-Who-Is took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Heel-Grabber, to whom the word of He-Who-Is had come and said, “Strives-with-God shall be your name.”
32And with the stones, My-God-Is-He-Who-Is built an altar in the name of He-Who-Is. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,
34and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
35So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36At the time of the evening sacrifice, My-God-Is-He-Who-Is the prophet approached the altar and said, “O He-Who-Is, God of Father-of-a-Multitude, He-Laughs, and Strives-with-God, let it be known this day that You are God in Strives-with-God and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.
37Answer me, O He-Who-Is! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, He-Who-Is, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
38Then the fire of He-Who-Is fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
39When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “He-Who-Is, He is God! He-Who-Is, He is God!”
40Then My-God-Is-He-Who-Is ordered them, “Seize the prophets of The-Ruler! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and My-God-Is-He-Who-Is brought them down to the Winding Valley and slaughtered them there.
41And My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said to Father's-Brother, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42So Father's-Brother went up to eat and drink. But My-God-Is-He-Who-Is climbed to the summit of Fruitful-Field, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.
43“Go and look toward the Sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times My-God-Is-He-Who-Is said, “Go back.”
44On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the Sea.” And My-God-Is-He-Who-Is replied, “Go and tell Father's-Brother, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
45Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Father's-Brother rode away and went to God-Sows.
46And the hand of He-Who-Is came upon My-God-Is-He-Who-Is, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Father's-Brother all the way to God-Sows.