8. “It is I,” he answered him. Go tell your lord, ‘Look, Elijah is here!”
9. “How have I sinned,” he replied, “that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death?
10. As Adonai your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.
11. “Now you’re saying, ‘Go tell your lord, “Look, Elijah is here!”’
12. But as soon as I leave you, the Ruach Adonai may carry you off where I wouldn’t know. Then, when I come and tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he’ll kill me! Now I, your servant, have feared Adonai since my youth.
13. Wasn’t my lord told what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of Adonai—how I hid 100 of Adonai’s prophets, 50 to a cave and provided them with bread and water?
14. So now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Look, Elijah is here!’” He’ll kill me!”
15. Then Elijah said, “As Adonai-Tzva’ot lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; then, Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17. Now when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the one who causes trouble for Israel?”
18. But he answered, “I have not troubled Israel. Rather, it is you and your father’s house—by forsaking the mitzvot of Adonai and going after the Baalim.
19. Now then, send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20. So Ahab sent word to all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.