Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, April 24 [Press play below]

18.1 After some time, in the third year, Jehovah’s word came to Elijah, saying: “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the surface of the ground.”
18.2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab, while the famine was severe in Samaria.
18.3 Meanwhile, Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah greatly feared Jehovah,
18.4 and when Jezebel was doing away with Jehovah’s prophets, Obadiah took 100 prophets and hid them 50 to a cave, and he supplied them with bread and water.)
18.5 Ahab then said to Obadiah: “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive and not have all our animals die.”
18.6 So they divided between themselves the land they were going to pass through. Ahab went alone by one way, and Obadiah went alone by another way.
18.7 As Obadiah was on his way, Elijah was there to meet him. At once he recognized him and fell facedown and said: “Is this you, my lord Elijah?”
18.8 He replied to him: “It is I. Go and tell your lord: ‘Elijah is here.’”
18.9 But he said: “What sin have I committed that you should hand your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?
18.10 As surely as Jehovah your God is living, there is not a nation or a kingdom where my lord has not sent to look for you. After they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom and the nation swear that they could not find you.
18.11 Now you are saying, ‘Go and tell your lord: “Elijah is here.”’
18.12 When I depart from you, the spirit of Jehovah will carry you away to a place I will not know, and when I tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will surely kill me. Yet, your servant has feared Jehovah from his youth.
18.13 Has my lord not been told what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid 100 of the prophets of Jehovah by groups of 50 in a cave and kept supplying them bread and water?
18.14 But now you are saying, ‘Go and tell your lord: “Elijah is here.”’ He will certainly kill me.”
18.15 However, Elijah said: “As surely as Jehovah of armies whom I serve is living, today I will present myself to him.”
18.16 So Obadiah went off to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
18.17 As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him: “Is this you, the one bringing great trouble on Israel?”
18.18 To this he said: “I have not brought trouble on Israel, but you and the house of your father have, by abandoning the commandments of Jehovah and by following the Baals.
18.19 And now summon all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the sacred pole, who are eating at the table of Jezebel.”
18.20 So Ahab sent word among all the people of Israel and collected the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
18.21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said: “How long will you be limping between two different opinions? If Jehovah is the true God, follow him; but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word in answer to him.
18.22 Elijah then said to the people: “I am the only prophet of Jehovah left, while the prophets of Baal are 450 men.
18.23 Let them give us two young bulls, and let them choose one young bull and cut it into pieces and put it on the wood, but they should not put fire to it. I will prepare the other young bull, and I will place it on the wood, but I will not put fire to it.
18.24 Then you must call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah. The God who answers by fire will show that he is the true God.” To this all the people answered: “What you say is good.”
18.25 Elijah now said to the prophets of Baal: “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, because you are the majority. Then call on the name of your god, but you must not put fire to it.”
18.26 So they took the young bull that was given to them, prepared it, and kept calling on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying: “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and no one answering. They kept limping around the altar that they had made.
18.27 About noon Elijah began to mock them and say: “Call out at the top of your voice! After all, he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought or he has gone to relieve himself. Or maybe he is asleep and someone needs to wake him up!”
18.28 They were calling out at the top of their voice and cutting themselves with daggers and lances, according to their custom, until their blood gushed out all over them.
18.29 Noon was past and they continued in a frenzy until the time the evening grain offering is presented, but there was no voice and no one answering; no one was paying attention.
18.30 At length Elijah said to all the people: “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the altar of Jehovah that had been torn down.
18.31 Elijah then took 12 stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Jehovah’s word had come, saying: “Israel will be your name.”
18.32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah. Then he made a trench all around the altar, an area large enough to sow with two seah measures of seed.
18.33 After that he put the pieces of wood in order, cut the young bull into pieces, and placed it on the wood. He now said: “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the pieces of wood.”
18.34 Then he said: “Do it again.” So they did it again. Once more he said: “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time.
18.35 And the water ran all around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
18.36 About the time when the evening grain offering is presented, Elijah the prophet stepped forward and said: “O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that it is by your word that I have done all these things.
18.37 Answer me, O Jehovah! Answer me so that this people may know that you, Jehovah, are the true God and that you are turning their hearts back to you.”
18.38 At that the fire of Jehovah fell from above and consumed the burnt offering, the pieces of wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water from the trench.
18.39 When all the people saw it, they immediately fell facedown and said: “Jehovah is the true God! Jehovah is the true God!”
18.40 Then Elijah said to them: “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one of them escape!” At once they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the stream of Kishon and slaughtered them there.
18.41 Elijah now said to Ahab: “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy downpour.”
18.42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah went up to the top of Carmel and crouched on the ground, keeping his face between his knees.
18.43 Then he said to his attendant: “Go up, please, and look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said: “There is nothing at all.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
18.44 The seventh time his attendant said: “Look! There is a small cloud like a man’s hand ascending out of the sea.” He now said: “Go, say to Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariot! Go down so that the downpour may not detain you!’”
18.45 Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds, the wind blew, and a heavy downpour fell; and Ahab kept riding and made his way to Jezreel.
18.46 But the hand of Jehovah came on Elijah, and he wrapped his garment around his hips and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

19.1 Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
19.2 At that Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying: “So may the gods do to me and add to it if by this time tomorrow I do not make you like each one of them!”
19.3 At that he became afraid, so he got up and ran for his life. He came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and he left his attendant there.
19.4 He went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree, and he asked that he might die. He said: “It is enough! Now, O Jehovah, take my life away, for I am no better than my forefathers.”
19.5 Then he lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree. But suddenly an angel touched him and said to him: “Get up and eat.”
19.6 When he looked, there at his head was a round loaf on heated stones and a jug of water. He ate and drank and lay down again.
19.7 Later the angel of Jehovah came back a second time and touched him and said: “Get up and eat, for the journey will be too much for you.”
19.8 So he got up and ate and drank, and in the strength of that nourishment he went on for 40 days and 40 nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of the true God.
19.9 There he entered a cave and spent the night; and look! Jehovah’s word came to him, telling him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
19.10 To this he said: “I have been absolutely zealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, and I am the only one left. Now they are seeking to take my life away.”
19.11 But He said: “Go out and stand on the mountain before Jehovah.” And look! Jehovah was passing by, and a great and strong wind was splitting mountains and breaking crags before Jehovah, but Jehovah was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
19.12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a calm, low voice.
19.13 As soon as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his official garment and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice asked him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
19.14 To this he said: “I have been absolutely zealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, and I am the only one left. Now they are seeking to take my life away.”
19.15 Jehovah said to him: “Return, and go to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
19.16 And you should anoint Jehu the grandson of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you should anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet to take your place.
19.17 Anyone escaping from Hazael’s sword, Jehu will put to death; and anyone escaping from Jehu’s sword, Elisha will put to death.
19.18 And I still have left 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bent down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19.19 So he went from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing with 12 pairs of bulls ahead of him, and he was with the 12th pair. So Elijah went over to him and threw his official garment on him.
19.20 At that he left the bulls and ran after Elijah and said: “Please, let me kiss my father and my mother. Then I will follow you.” He replied to him: “Go, return, for what have I done to stop you?”
19.21 So he went back and took a pair of bulls and sacrificed them, and he used the plowing gear to boil the meat of the bulls and gave it to the people, and they ate. After that he rose up and followed Elijah and began to minister to him.