Editing Elijah (section)

==== Challenge to Baal ====
[[File:Elijahwindow.jpg|thumb|Elijah's offering is consumed by fire from heaven in a stained glass window at [[St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church]] in Charleston, South Carolina.]]

When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of [[false god]]s.

At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of [[Asherah]] to [[Mount Carmel]]. Elijah then berates the people for their acquiescence in Baal worship: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the {{lord}} is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."<ref>{{Bibleverse|1|Kings|18:21|NRSV}}</ref>

Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh (both Asherah and her prophets disappear from the story entirely): he and Baal's prophets will each take one of two [[Ox|bulls]], prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no [[fire]] to it. The prophets of Baal choose and prepare a bull accordingly. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success. Elijah ridicules their efforts. "At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is [[meditating]], or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.'"<ref>{{Bibleref2|1 Kings|18:27|NRSV}}</ref> They respond by shouting louder and slashing themselves with [[sword]]s, [[spear]]s, [[Knife|knive]]s, and [[sickle]]s. They continue praying until evening without success.

Elijah then repairs Yahweh's altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water from "four large jars" poured three times, filling also the trench.<ref>{{Bibleverse|1|Kings|18:33–34|NIV}}</ref> He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well. When the people see this, they declare, "The {{lord}}{{em dash}}he is God; the {{lord}}{{em dash}}he is God."<ref>{{Bibleverse|1|Kings|18:39|NIV}}</ref> Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah brings them down to the [[Kishon River|River Kishon]] and slays them, at which the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine.