15. Elijah answered, “I serve the Lord All-Powerful. As surely as he lives, I promise that I will stand before the king today.”
16. So Obadiah went to King Ahab and told him where Elijah was. King Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17. When Ahab saw Elijah he said, “Is that really you, the troublemaker of Israel?”
18. Elijah answered, “I have not made trouble for Israel. You and your father’s family caused all the problems when you stopped obeying the Lord’S commands and began following the false gods.
19. Now tell all the people of Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Also bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah, who get their support from Queen Jezebel.”
20. So Ahab called all the Israelites and those prophets to Mount Carmel.
21. Elijah came to all the people and said, “You must decide what you are going to do. How long will you keep jumping from one side to the other? If the Lord is the true God, follow him. But if Baal is the true God, then follow him!” The people said nothing.
22. So Elijah said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord here, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.
23. So bring us two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal have one bull. Let them kill it, cut it into pieces, and then put the meat on the wood. But don’t start the fire. I will do the same with the other bull, and I will not start the fire either.
24. Prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord. Whichever god answers the prayer and starts the fire is the true God.” All the people agreed that this was a good idea.
25. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “There are many of you, so you go first. Choose a bull and prepare it, but don’t start your fire.”