15. Elijah answered, “As surely as the Lord All-Powerful lives, whom I serve, I will be seen by Ahab today.”
16. So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him where Elijah was. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17. When he saw Elijah, he asked, “Is it you—the biggest troublemaker in Israel?”
18. Elijah answered, “I have not made trouble in Israel. You and your father’s family have made all this trouble by not obeying the Lord’s commands. You have gone after the Baals.
19. Now tell all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Also bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20. So Ahab called all the Israelites and those prophets to Mount Carmel.
21. Elijah approached the people and said, “How long will you not decide between two choices? If the Lord is the true God, follow him, but if Baal is the true God, follow him!” But the people said nothing.
22. Elijah said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord here, but there are four hundred fifty prophets of Baal.
23. Bring two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull and kill it and cut it into pieces. Then let them put the meat on the wood, but they are not to set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull, putting the meat on the wood but not setting fire to it.
24. You prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to his wood 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. Pray to your god, but don’t start the fire.”
26. So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon, shouting “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered. They danced around the altar they had built.