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Elijah Kills the Prophets of Baal
18 During the third year without rain, the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Elijah: “Go and ·meet [present/show yourself to] King Ahab, and I will soon send rain.” 2 So Elijah went to ·meet [present/show himself to] Ahab.
By this time ·there was no food [the famine was severe] in Samaria. 3 King Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the ·king’s palace [household]. (Obadiah ·was a true follower of [L greatly revered/feared] the Lord. 4 When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. He also ·brought [provided] them food and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “·Let’s [Go] check every spring and valley in the land. Maybe we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules alive and not have to kill our animals.” 6 So ·each one chose a part of the country to search [they divided the land between them]; Ahab ·went in one direction [L walked one way by himself] and Obadiah ·in another [L walked one way by himself].
7 While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized Elijah, so he ·bowed down to the ground [L fell on his face] and said, “Elijah? Is it really you, ·master [my lord]?”
8 “Yes,” Elijah answered. “Go tell your master that I am here.”
9 Then Obadiah said, “What ·wrong [sin] have I done for you to hand me over to Ahab like this? He will put me to death. 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, the king has sent people to every ·country [nation and kingdom] to search for you. If the ruler said you were not there, Ahab ·forced the ruler to swear [required an oath that] you could not be found in his country. 11 Now you want me to go to my master and tell him, ‘Elijah is here’? 12 The Spirit of the Lord may carry you to some ·other [unknown] place after I leave. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesn’t find you, he will kill me! ·I [Even though/Yet I] have ·followed [L revered; feared] the Lord since I was a boy. 13 Haven’t you been told what I did? When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, I hid a hundred of them, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. I ·brought [provided] them food and water. 14 Now you want me to go and tell my master, ‘Elijah is here’? He will kill me!”
15 Elijah answered, “As surely as the Lord ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; of hosts] lives, whom I serve, I will ·be seen by [present/show myself to] Ahab today.”
16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When he saw Elijah, he asked, “Is it you—·the biggest troublemaker in [L you troubler of] Israel?”
18 Elijah answered, “I have not made trouble in Israel. You and your father’s ·family [L house] have made all this trouble by ·not obeying [forsaking; abandoning] the Lord’s commands. You have ·gone after [followed; worshiped] the Baals. 19 Now ·tell [summon; assemble] all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Also bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah [14:15], who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab ·called [summoned; assembled] all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and those prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah approached the people and said, “How long will you ·not decide between two choices [L limp/hobble/waver between two opinions]? If the Lord is ·the true God [L God], follow him, but if ·Baal is the true God [L Baal], follow him!” But the people ·said nothing [L did not answer a word].
22 Elijah said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord ·here [left], but there are four hundred fifty prophets of Baal. 23 Bring two ·bulls [oxen]. 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 [ox], putting the meat on the wood but not setting fire to it. 24 You prophets of Baal, ·pray to [L call on the name of] your god, and I will ·pray to [L call on the name of] the Lord. The god who answers by ·setting fire to his wood is the true [fire—he is] God [C Baal, the storm god, threw lightening from the sky].”
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 [ox] and prepare it. ·Pray to [L Call on the name of] your god, but don’t start the fire.”
26 So they took the ·bull [ox] that was given to them and prepared it. They ·prayed to [L called on the name of] Baal from morning until noon, shouting “Baal, answer us!” But there was no ·sound [voice; response], and no one answered. They ·danced [leaped; or limped; C “limped” may suggest that Israel had hobbled itself by worshiping both God and Baal] around the altar they had built.
27 At noon Elijah began to ·make fun of [mock; taunt] them. “·Pray [Call; Shout] louder!” he said. “·If Baal really is [Since he is surely] a god, maybe he is ·thinking [preoccupied; daydreaming], or ·busy [has wandered away], or ·traveling [is on a trip/journey]! Maybe he is sleeping so you will have to wake him!” 28 The prophets ·prayed [called; shouted] louder, cutting themselves with swords and ·spears [lances] until their blood flowed, ·which was the way they worshiped [as was their custom; C a ritual performed when they thought Baal had temporarily gone to the underworld]. 29 The afternoon passed, and the prophets ·continued to act like this [raved; ranted] until it was time for the evening sacrifice. But no voice was heard; Baal did not answer, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Now come ·to [near/closer to] me.” So they gathered around him, and Elijah ·rebuilt [repaired] the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down [C the remains of a previous altar to God]. 31 He took twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes [C symbolizing a previously unified Israel; cf Josh. 4:2–20], the number of Jacob’s sons. (·The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel […to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying “Israel will be your name”; Gen. 32:22–32].) 32 Elijah used these stones to ·rebuild the [build an] altar in ·honor [L the name] of the Lord. Then he dug a ·ditch [trench] around the altar that was big enough to hold ·about thirteen quarts [L two measures/seahs] of seed. 33 Elijah ·put [piled; arranged] the wood on the altar, cut the ·bull [ox] into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. 34 Then he said, “Fill four ·jars [pitchers] with water, and pour it on the ·meat [L burnt offering; Lev. 1:1–17] and on the wood.” Then Elijah said, “Do it ·again [a second time],” and they did it ·again [a second time]. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it the third time. 35 So the water ran ·off [all around] the altar and filled the ·ditch [trench].
36 At the time for the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah went near the altar. “Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” he ·prayed [said]. “·Prove [L Let it be known this day] that you are the God ·of [in] Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that ·you commanded me to do all these things [L I have done all these things at your word]. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer ·my prayer [L me,] so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you ·will change their minds [L have turned their hearts back again].”
38 Then fire from the Lord came down and ·burned the sacrifice [consumed the burnt offering; Lev. 1:1–17], the wood, the stones, and the ·ground [dust] around the altar. It also ·dried [L licked] up the water in the ·ditch [trench]. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell ·down to the ground [on their faces], crying, “·The Lord is God [L The Lord—he is God]! ·The Lord is God [L The Lord—he is God]!”
40 Then Elijah said, “·Capture [Seize] the prophets of Baal! Don’t let ·any [a single one] of them ·run away [escape]!” The people ·captured [seized] all the prophets. Then Elijah led them down to the Kishon ·Valley [Brook], where he ·killed [slaughtered] them.
The Rain Comes Again
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Now, go, eat, and drink, ·because a heavy rain is coming [L for there is the sound of rushing rain].” 42 So King Ahab went to eat and drink. At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bent down to the ground with his ·head [L face] between his knees.
43 Then Elijah said to his servant, “Go and look toward the sea.”
The servant went and looked. “I see nothing,” he said.
Elijah told him to go and look again. This happened seven times. 44 The seventh time, the servant said, “I see a small cloud, the size of a ·human fist [man’s hand], ·coming [rising] from the sea.”
Elijah told the servant, “Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go ·home [L down] now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.”
45 After a short time the sky ·was covered with dark [grew black with] clouds. The wind began to blow, and soon a ·heavy [torrential] rain began to fall [C showing that it was the Lord, not Baal, that supplied the rain]. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel. 46 ·The Lord gave his power to [L The hand of the Lord was on] Elijah, who ·tightened his clothes around him [T girded up his loins] and ·ran ahead of King [outran] Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Peter Returns to Jerusalem
11 The apostles and the ·believers [L brothers] in Judea heard that some Gentiles had accepted ·God’s teaching [L the word of God] too. 2 But when Peter ·came [went up] to Jerusalem, ·some people [L the circumcised; C Jewish Christians who believed that they should continue to obey certain Jewish regulations] ·argued with [criticized] him. 3 They said, “You went into the homes of people who are not circumcised and ate with them!”
4 So Peter ·started from the beginning [or began speaking] and explained ·the whole story [it in order/step by step] to them. 5 He said, “I was in the city of Joppa [9:36], and as I was praying, I had a vision while in a trance [10:10]. I saw ·something [L an object] that looked like a big sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came very close to me. 6 I looked [intently] inside it and saw ·animals [L four-footed creatures], wild beasts, reptiles, and birds [L of the sky/air]. 7 I heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘·No [Absolutely not], Lord! I have never eaten anything that is unholy [profane; common] or ·unclean [ritually defiled; 10:14].’ 9 But the voice from heaven spoke again, ‘God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ·unholy [profane; common].’ 10 This happened three times. Then the whole thing was ·taken back [or pulled up] to heaven. 11 Right then [L look; T behold] three men who were sent to me from Caesarea came to the house where I was staying [10:17–19]. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without ·doubting [or hesitation]. These six ·believers [L brothers] here also ·went with [accompanied] me, and we entered the house of ·Cornelius [L the man]. 13 He told us about the angel he saw standing in his house. The angel said to him, ‘Send some men to Joppa and ·invite [summon; send for] Simon [L who is also called] Peter to come. 14 By the ·words [message] he will say to you, you and all your ·family [or household] will be saved.’ 15 When I began ·my speech [L to speak], the Holy Spirit ·came [L fell] on them just as he came on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the words of the Lord. He said, ‘John baptized ·with [or in] water, but you will be baptized ·with [or in; or by] the Holy Spirit [1:5; Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16].’ 17 [L Therefore] Since God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I ·stop [prevent; hinder] the work of God?”
18 When ·the believers [L they] heard this, they ·stopped arguing [ceased their objections; remained silent]. They ·praised [glorified] God and said, “So God ·is allowing [has given] even ·other nations [the Gentiles] ·to turn to him and live [L repentance (leading) to life].”
The Good News Comes to Antioch
19 Many of the believers were scattered when they were persecuted after Stephen was killed. Some of them went as far as Phoenicia [C northwest of Israel on the coast], Cyprus [C an island to the west of the coast of Syria], and Antioch [C an important city in Syria] telling the message to others, but only to Jews. 20 Some of these believers were people from Cyprus and Cyrene [C a city in North Africa]. When they came to Antioch, they spoke also to ·Greeks[a] [or Hellenists (see textual note); C in 6:1 and 9:29 the word refers to Greek-speaking Jews; here it refers to Greek-speaking Gentiles], telling them the ·Good News [Gospel] about the Lord Jesus. 21 ·The Lord was helping the believers [L The hand of the Lord was with them], and a large group of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 The church in Jerusalem heard about all of this, so they sent Barnabas [4:36; 9:26–27] to Antioch.
25 Then Barnabas went to the city of Tarsus [C Paul’s hometown in Cilicia; 9:11] to look for Saul, 26 and when he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Saul and Barnabas met with the church and taught many people there. In Antioch the ·followers [disciples] were called Christians for the first time [C highlighting that they were followers of Christ, and perhaps that they were no longer viewed as merely a sect within Judaism].
27 ·About that time [L In those days] some prophets came [L down] from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus [21:10], stood up and spoke ·with the help of [by the power of; through] the Holy Spirit. He said, “A severe famine is coming to the whole ·world [or inhabited world; C probably meaning the Roman empire].” (This happened when Claudius [C Roman emperor from ad 41–54] ruled.) 29 The ·followers [disciples] all decided to ·help [send relief to; L send (something) as a ministry for] the ·believers [brothers] who lived in Judea, as much as each one could. 30 They ·gathered the money [L did this] and ·gave it to Barnabas and Saul, who brought it to the elders in Judea [L sent it to the elders through the hand of Barnabas and Saul].
The Lord Saves, Idols Do Not
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the Lord’s ·Temple [L house]
and in the ·Temple courtyards [L courtyards of the house of our God].
3 Praise the Lord, because the Lord is good;
·sing praises [make a psalm] to him, because it is pleasant.
4 The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob for himself;
he has chosen the people of Israel ·for his very own [as his special possession/treasure; Ex. 19:5–6; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Mal. 3:17].
5 I know that the Lord is great.
Our Lord is greater than all the gods.
6 The Lord does what he pleases,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and the deep oceans.
7 He brings the clouds from the ends of the earth.
He ·sends [L makes] the lightning with the rain.
He brings out the wind from his storehouses [Job 38:22–23].
8 He ·destroyed [L struck] the firstborn sons in Egypt
the firstborn of both people and animals [Ex. 12].
9 He ·did [L sent] many signs and ·miracles [wonders] in Egypt
against ·the king [L Pharaoh] and all his servants [L the plagues; Ex. 7–12].
10 He ·defeated [L struck] many nations
and killed ·powerful [strong] kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:21–35],
and all the kings of Canaan [Num. 21:1–3; Josh. 1–12].
12 Then he gave their land as a ·gift [L inheritance],
a ·gift [L inheritance] to his people, the Israelites [Josh. 13–24].
13 Lord, your name is everlasting;
Lord, you will be remembered forever.
14 The Lord ·defends [vindicates] his people
and ·has mercy on [shows grace to] his servants.
15 The idols of other nations are made of silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have no breath in their mouths.
18 People who make idols will be like them,
and so will those who ·trust [have confidence in] them [115:4–8; Is. 44:9–20; 46:6–7; Jer. 10:1–9; Hab. 2:18–19].
19 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·praise [bless] the Lord.
·Family [L House] of Aaron [C the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
20 ·Family [L House] of Levi [C assistants to the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
You who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7] should ·praise [bless] him.
21 You ·people of [L who live in] Jerusalem, ·praise [bless] the Lord on Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple].
Praise the Lord!
12 It is ·better [safer] to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than to meet a fool doing foolish things.
13 Whoever gives evil in return for good
will always have trouble at home.
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