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And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
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And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
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And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
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For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
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And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
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So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
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And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
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And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
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And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
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As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
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And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
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And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
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Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
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And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
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And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
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So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
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And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
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And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
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Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
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So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
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And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
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Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
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Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
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And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
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And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
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And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
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And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
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And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
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And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
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And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
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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, Israel shall be thy name:
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And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
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And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
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And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
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And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
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And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
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Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
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Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
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And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
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And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
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And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
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So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
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And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
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And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
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And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
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And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
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To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
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Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
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For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
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Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
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As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
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Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
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That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
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Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
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Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
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Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
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In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
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Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
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For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
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And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
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And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
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For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
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And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
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And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
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In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
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If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
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Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
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Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
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Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
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To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
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Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
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Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
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For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
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That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
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In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
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For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
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As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
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Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
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Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
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For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
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And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
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In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
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Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
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And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
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Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
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And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
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Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
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Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
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Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
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And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
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Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
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Touch not; taste not; handle not;
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Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
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Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
