In the third year of the famine, Elias said to King Achab, "Call all the people of Israel. Call also the four hundred fifty priests of Baal. Then you shall all see that God sent the famine because you have followed Baal and have disobeyed God's commands."
When the people were all gathered together, Elias said, "If Baal is God, follow him. But if the Lord is God, why do you disobey Him? I am the only prophet of God. There are four hundred fifty prophets of Baal. Let them choose an ox, cut it to pieces, and lay it on an altar. I will also take an ox, cut it, and lay it on another altar. Let no fire be set to the wood under each ox. Then let the prophets of Baal call on him, while I call on the Lord. He who answers with fire on the wood is the True God."
The prophets of Baal prepared their ox. They placed it on the wood of their altar. They began calling, "Baal, hear us, and send us fire!" They called to Baal from morning till noon. They even cut themselves with their knives. so that blood covered their bodies. All the time they kept calling on Baal. But nothing happened. No one answered their cries. No fire appeared on their wood.
Then Elias said to the people, "Come near." He built an altar of stones, placed the wood, cut his ox in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He poured water over the ox and wood.
Then he prayed to God, "Lord, show this day that You are the True God, that I am Your servant, and that I have done everything at Your command."
At once the wood burst into flame. There was a big fire, which burnt not only the ox and the wood, but also the stones on the altar.
When the people saw this miracle, they cried, "The Lord is God! The Lord is God!" After a while the sky turned black, and there was a heavy rain. This was the first rain in three years.
Through the prophet Elias God performed many other miracles.
- from My Bible History in Pictures, by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow, D.D., 1934; it has the Imprimatur of Archbishop Michael J O'Doherty of Manila, Philippines