2. So Elijah started out.The famine in Samaria was at its worst,
3. so Ahab called in Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devout worshipper of the Lord,
4. and when Jezebel was killing the Lord's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred of them, hid them in caves in two groups of fifty, and provided them with food and water.)
5. Ahab said to Obadiah, “Let us go and look at every spring and every riverbed in the land to see if we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Maybe we won't have to kill any of our animals.”
6. They agreed on which part of the land each one would explore, and set off in different directions.
7. As Obadiah was on his way, he suddenly met Elijah. He recognized him, bowed low before him, and asked, “Is it really you, sir?”
8. “Yes, I'm Elijah,” he answered. “Go and tell your master the king that I am here.”
9. Obadiah answered, “What have I done that you want to put me in danger of being killed by King Ahab?
10. By the living Lord, your God, I swear that the king has made a search for you in every country in the world. Whenever the ruler of a country reported that you were not in his country, Ahab would require that ruler to swear that you could not be found.