1 Kings 18:40

The NET Bible®

Elijah told them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Don't let even one of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed them there.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

Hebrew Names Version
and Eliyah said to them, Take the prophets of Ba`al; don't let one of them escape. They took them; and Eliyah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

King James Version
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

English Standard Version
And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

New Century Version
Then Elijah said, "Capture the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them run away!" The people captured all the prophets. Then Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley, where he killed them.

Amplified Bible
Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and [as God's law required] killed them there.

New American Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Elijah said vnto them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not a man of them escape. and they tooke them, and Eliiah brought them to the brooke Kishon, and slewe them there.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.

Contemporary English Version
Just then, Elijah said, "Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away." So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them.

Complete Jewish Bible
Eliyahu said to them, "Seize the prophets of Ba‘al! Don't let one of them escape!" They seized them; and Eliyahu brought them down to Vadi Kishon and killed them there.

Darby Translation
And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape! And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the torrent of Kishon, and slaughtered them there.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Elijah said, "Get the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them escape!" So the people captured all the prophets. Then Elijah led them down to Kishon Creek and killed them all.

George Lamsa Translation
And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slew them there.

Good News Translation
Elijah ordered, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any of them get away!" The people seized them all, and Elijah led them down to Kishon Brook and killed them.

Lexham English Bible
Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any man of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the wadi of Kishon and killed them there.

Literal Translation
And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let a man of them escape. And they caught them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon and killed them there.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Elias sayde vnto them: Laye handes vpon Baals prophetes, yt none of them escape. And they toke them. And Elias broughte them downe vnto ye broke Cyson, & slewe the there.

American Standard Version
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Bible in Basic English
And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them get away. So they took them, and Elijah made them go down to the stream Kishon, and put them to death there.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Elias sayd vnto them: Take the prophetes of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And they toke them, and Elias brought them vnto the brooke Kison, and slue them there.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Elijah said unto them: 'Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.' And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

King James Version (1611)
And Eliiah saide vnto them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them escape: And they tooke them, and Eliiah brought them downe to the brooke Kishon, and slewe them there.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu said to the people, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Eliu brings them down to the brook Kisson, and he slew them there.

English Revised Version
and Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Elijah ordered them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape." So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Elie seide to hem, Take ye the prophetis of Baal; not oon sotheli ascape of hem. And whanne thei hadden take hem, Elie ledde hem to the stronde of Cison, and killide hem there.

Young's Literal Translation
And Elijah saith to them, `Catch ye the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape of them;' and they catch them, and Elijah bringeth them down unto the stream Kishon, and doth slaughter them there.

Update Bible Version
and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don't let one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

World English Bible
and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don't let one of them escape. They took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

New King James Version
And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

New Living Translation
Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.

New Life Bible
Then Elijah said to them, "Take hold of the men who speak for Baal. Do not let one of them get away." So they took hold of them. And Elijah brought them down to the river Kishon, and killed them there.

New Revised Standard
Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Elijah said unto them - Seize ye the prophets of Baal - let not, a man, of them escape. So they seized them. And Elijah took them down unto the ravine of Kishon, and slaughtered them there.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elias said to them: Take the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And when they had taken them, Elias brought them down to the torrent Cison, and killed them there.

Revised Standard Version
And Eli'jah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Ba'al; let not one of them escape." And they seized them; and Eli'jah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

THE MESSAGE
Elijah told them, "Grab the Baal prophets! Don't let one get away!" They grabbed them. Elijah had them taken down to the Brook Kishon and they massacred the lot.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

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

Take: or, Apprehend, 2 Kings 10:25

Kishon: Judges 5:21

slew them there: Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 18:20, Jeremiah 48:10, Zechariah 13:2, Zechariah 13:3, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10

Reciprocal: Numbers 25:5 - Slay ye Judges 4:7 - Kishon Judges 6:31 - let him be 1 Samuel 15:33 - hewed 2 Samuel 21:14 - God 1 Kings 18:45 - there was 1 Kings 19:1 - how he had slain 2 Kings 10:11 - his priests 2 Kings 10:18 - Ahab served Baal 2 Kings 11:18 - slew Mattan 2 Kings 23:4 - Baal 2 Kings 23:20 - he slew 2 Chronicles 6:27 - send rain 2 Chronicles 15:13 - whosoever 2 Chronicles 23:17 - slew Mattan Psalms 94:16 - rise up Psalms 106:30 - General Isaiah 44:11 - let them all Isaiah 46:7 - one shall cry Jeremiah 2:8 - prophets Jeremiah 23:13 - prophesied Jeremiah 48:13 - ashamed Ezekiel 9:5 - Go

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Elijah said unto them, take the prophets of Baal,.... The four hundred and fifty that were upon the spot; for the number of the people of Israel, now gathered together, were equal to it; nor was it in Ahab's power to hinder it, and he might himself be so far surprised and convicted as not in the least to object to it:

let not one of them escape: that there might be none of them left to seduce the people any more:

and they took them; laid hold on them, everyone of them:

and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon; which ran by the side, and at the bottom of Mount Carmel, into the sea;

:- :-.

and slew them there; intimating, that it was owing to the idolatry they led the people into that rain had been withheld, and the brooks were dried up, as this might be; or, as Ben Gersom thinks, that the land might not be defiled with their blood, but be carried down the river after it: these he slew not with his own hand, but by others he gave orders to do it; and this not as a private person, but as an extraordinary minister of God, to execute justice according to his law, Deuteronomy 13:1 by which law such false prophets were to die; and the rather he was raised up and spirited for this service, as the supreme magistrate was addicted to idolatry himself.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Elijah required the people to show their conviction by acts - acts which might expose them to the anger of king or queen, but which once committed would cause them to break with Baal and his worshippers forever.

Elijah is said to have slain the “prophets of Baal,” because the people killed them by his orders. Why they were brought down to the torrent-bed of Kishon to be killed, is difficult to explain. Perhaps the object of Elijah was to leave the bodies in a place where they would not be found, since the coming rain would, he knew, send a flood down the Kishon ravine, and bear off the corpses to the sea. Elijah’s act is to be justified by the express command of the Law, that idolatrous Israelites were to be put to death, and by the right of a prophet under the theocracy to step in and execute the Law when the king failed in his duty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 40. Let not one of them escape. — They had committed the highest crime against the state and the people by introducing idolatry, and bringing down God's judgments upon the land; therefore their lives were forfeited to that law which had ordered every idolater to be slain. It seems also that Ahab, who was present, consented to this act of impartial justice.