and let them give to us two bullocks, and they choose for themselves the one bullock, and cut it in pieces, and place <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and place no fire; and I--I prepare the other bullock, and have put <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and fire I do not place; --
1 Kings 18:21 and Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, `Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? --if Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' and the people have not answered him a word.
1 Kings 18:22 And Elijah saith unto the people, `I--I have been left a prophet of Jehovah--by myself; and the prophets of Baal <FI>are<Fi> four hundred and fifty men;
1 Kings 18:23 and let them give to us two bullocks, and they choose for themselves the one bullock, and cut it in pieces, and place <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and place no fire; and I--I prepare the other bullock, and have put <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and fire I do not place; --
1 Kings 18:24 and ye have called in the name of your god, and I--I call in the name of Jehovah, and it hath been, the god who answereth by fire--He <FI>is<Fi> the God.' And all the people answer and say, `Good <FI>is<Fi> the word.'
1 Kings 18:25 And Elijah saith to the prophets of Baal, `Choose for you the one bullock, and prepare first, for ye <FI>are<Fi> the multitude, and call ye in the name of your god, and place no fire.'
The verse centers on "give", "bullocks", "choose", "themselves", "pieces", "place", and "wood". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "bullocks", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And Elijah saith unto the people I--I..." into verse 24's "and ye have called in the name...", so "give" and "bullocks" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "give" and "bullocks" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.