1 Kings 18:26

The NET Bible®

So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.

Hebrew Names Version
They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Ba`al from morning even until noon, saying, Ba`al, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any who answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.

King James Version
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

English Standard Version
And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.

New Century Version
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.

Amplified Bible
So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear and answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they had made.

New American Standard Bible
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So they tooke the one bullocke, that was giuen them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal, from morning to noone, saying, O Baal, heare vs: but there was no voyce, nor any to answere: and they leapt vpon the altar that was made.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.

Contemporary English Version
They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no answer.

Complete Jewish Bible
They took the bull that was given to them, prepared it and called on the name of Ba‘al from morning till noon — "Ba‘al! Answer us!" But no voice was heard; and no one answered, as they jumped around on the altar they had made.

Darby Translation
And they took the bullock which had been given them, and sacrificed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and none answered. And they leaped about the altar that had been made.

Easy-to-Read Version
So the prophets took the bull that was given to them and prepared it. They started praying to Baal and prayed until noon. They said, "Baal, please answer us!" But there was no sound. No one answered. Then they began jumping around on the altar they had built.

George Lamsa Translation
And they took the bullock which was given them and prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us. But there was no voice nor any that answered. And they cut themselves upon the altar which they had made.

Good News Translation
They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came.

Lexham English Bible
So they took the bull that he allowed to them, prepared it, and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice and there was no answer, so they limped about the altar which they had made.

Literal Translation
And they took the bull that was given to them, and prepared, and called on the name of Baal from the morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! And there was no sound, and no one was answering; and they leaped about the altar that one had made.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they toke the bullock which he gaue them, & prepared it, & called vpon the name of Baal from the mornynge vntyll the noone daye, and sayde: O Baal heare vs. But there was nether voyce ner answere. And they hopped aboute the altare, as their vse was to do.

American Standard Version
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

Bible in Basic English
So they took the ox which was given them, and made it ready, crying out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day, and saying, O Baal, give ear to us. But there was no voice and no answer. And they were jumping up and down before the altar they had made.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they toke the one oxe that he dyd geue them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning to noone, saying, O Baal heare vs. But there was no voyce, nor one to aunswere: And they lept vpon the aulter that they had made.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying: 'O Baal, answer us.' But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they danced in halting wise about the altar which was made.

King James Version (1611)
And they took the bullocke which was giuen them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning, euen vntil noone, saying, O Baal, heare vs. But there was no voyce, nor any that answered: And they leapt vpon the altar which was made.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they took the calf and drest it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, and said, hear us, O Baal, hear us. And there was no voice, neither was there hearing, and they ran up and down on the alter which they had made.

English Revised Version
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

Berean Standard Bible
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne thei hadden take the oxe, whom Elie yaf to hem, thei maden sacrifice, and clepiden the name of Baal, fro the morewtid `til to myddai, and seiden, Baal, here vs! And no vois was, nether ony that answerd; and thei skippiden ouer the auter, which thei hadden maad.

Young's Literal Translation
And they take the bullock that [one] gave to them, and prepare, and call in the name of Baal from the morning even till the noon, saying, `O Baal, answer us!' and there is no voice, and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made.

Update Bible Version
And they took the bull which was given to them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it], and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But [there was] no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

World English Bible
They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any who answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.

New King James Version
So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

New Living Translation
So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

New Life Bible
So they took the bull which was given to them and made it ready. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice. No one answered. They jumped and danced around the altar they had made.

New Revised Standard
So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So they took the bullock which was given them, and made ready, and called on the name of Baal - from the morning even until the noon, saying - O Baal! answer us. But them was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about by the altar which had been made.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they took the bullock, which he gave them, and dressed it: and they called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying: O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered: and they leaped over the altar that they had made.

Revised Standard Version
And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Ba'al from morning until noon, saying, "O Ba'al, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.

THE MESSAGE
So they took the ox he had given them, prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long, "O Baal, answer us!" But nothing happened—not so much as a whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.

Contextual Overview

²¹ Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word. ²² Elijah said to them: "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. ²³ Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. ²⁴ Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord . The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God." All the people responded, "This will be a fair test." ²⁵ Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire." ²⁶ So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened." ²⁸ So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. ²⁹ Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. ³⁰ Elijah then told all the people, "Approach me." So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

from morning: Matthew 6:7

hear: or, answer

no voice: 1 Kings 18:24, Psalms 115:4-8, Psalms 135:15-20, Isaiah 37:38, Isaiah 44:17, Isaiah 45:20, Jeremiah 10:5, Daniel 5:23, Habakkuk 2:18, 1 Corinthians 8:4, 1 Corinthians 10:19, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 1 Corinthians 12:2

answered: or, heard

leaped upon the altar: or, leaped up and down at the altar, Zephaniah 1:9

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:29 - voice 2 Kings 4:31 - hearing 2 Kings 4:33 - prayed 2 Kings 21:3 - he reared 2 Kings 23:4 - Baal Psalms 108:6 - and answer me Isaiah 44:9 - and their Isaiah 46:7 - one shall cry Jeremiah 10:3 - customs Jeremiah 27:18 - they Jeremiah 48:13 - ashamed Jonah 1:5 - cried Habakkuk 2:19 - that Acts 19:28 - and cried Acts 19:34 - all

Cross-References

Isaiah 6:13
Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family."

Isaiah 10:22
For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. Destruction has been decreed; just punishment is about to engulf you.

Isaiah 19:24
At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth.

Isaiah 65:8
This is what the Lord says: "When juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes, someone says, ‘Don't destroy it, for it contains juice.' So I will do for the sake of my servants— I will not destroy everyone.

Jeremiah 5:1
The Lord said, "Go up and down through the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and see for yourselves. Search through its public squares. See if any of you can find a single person who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. If you can, then I will not punish this city.

Ezekiel 22:30
"I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.

Matthew 24:22
And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they took the bullock which was given them,.... By such of them as made the choice:

and they dressed it; slew it, and cut it in pieces, and laid it on the wood, but put no fire under it:

and called on the name of Baal, from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us; and send fire down on the sacrifice; and if the sun was their Baal, they might hope, as the heat he gradually diffused was at its height at noon, that some flashes of fire would proceed from it to consume their sacrifice; but after, their hope was turned into despair, they became and acted like madmen:

but there was no voice, nor any that answered; by word, or by sending down fire as they desired:

and they leapt upon the altar which was made; not by Elijah, but by themselves, either now or heretofore, and where they had formerly sacrificed; and they danced about it, and leaped on it, either according to a custom used by them; such as the Salii, the priests of Mars, used, so called from their leaping, because they did their sacred things leaping, and went about their altars capering and leaping s; or rather they were mad on it, as the Targum renders it, and acted like madmen, as if they were agitated by a prophetic fury and frenzy.

s Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 8. "tum Salii ad cantus", &c. Vid. Gutberleth. de Salii, c. 2. p. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon - Compare the parallel in the conduct of the Greeks of Ephesus. Acts 19:34. The words “O Baal, hear us,” probably floated on the air as the refrain of a long and varied hymn of supplication.

They leaped upon the altar which was made - The marginal rendering is preferable to this. Wild dancing has always been a devotional exercise in the East, and remains so to this day; witness the dancing dervishes. It was practiced especially in the worship of Nature-powers, like the Dea Phrygia (Cybele), the Dea Syra (Astarte?), and the like.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 18:26. From morning even until noon — It seems that the priests of Baal employed the whole day in their desperate rites. The time is divided into two periods:

1. From morning until noon; this was employed in preparing and offering the sacrifice, and in earnest supplication for the celestial fire. Still there was no answer, and at noon Elijah began to mock and ridicule them, and this excited them to commence anew. And,

2. They continued from noon till the time of offering the evening sacrifice, dancing up and down, cutting themselves with knives, mingling their own blood with their sacrifice, praying, supplicating, and acting in the most frantic manner.

And they leaped upon the altar — Perhaps it will be more correct to read with the margin, they leaped up and down at the altar; they danced round it with strange and hideous cries and gesticulations, tossing their heads to and fro, with a great variety of bodily contortions.

A heathen priest, a high priest of Budhoo, has been just showing me the manner in which they dance and jump up and down, and from side to side, twisting their bodies in all manner of ways, when making their offerings to their demon gods; a person all the while beating furiously on a tom-tom, or drum, to excite and sustain those frantic attitudes; at the same time imploring the succour of their god, frequently in some such language as this: "O loving brother devil, hear me, and receive my offering!" To perform these sacrificial attitudes they have persons who are taught to practice them from their earliest years, according to directions laid down in religious books; and to make the joints and body pliant, much anointing of the parts and mechanical management are used; and they have masters, whose business it is to teach these attitudes and contortions according to the rules laid down in those books. It seems therefore that this was a very general practice of idolatry, as indeed are the others mentioned in this chapter.