1 Kings 22
22
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
2Ch 18:1–27
1And there were three years without war between Aram and Israel. 2#1Ki 15:24; 22:1In the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to visit the king of Israel. 3#Dt 4:43; Jos 21:38The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we have done nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram!”
4#2Ki 3:7And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle Ramoth Gilead?”
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5#2Ki 3:11Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please ask for a word from the Lord today.”
6#1Ki 18:19Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, approximately four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I wait?”
And they said, “Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”
7Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can ask?”
8#Am 5:10And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we can inquire of the Lord. But I hate him because he never prophesies good for me, but always evil.”
And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
9Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly, bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”
10The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah each put on his robes and sat on his throne at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11#Zec 1:18–21; Dt 33:17Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord: With these you shall push the Arameans until you have consumed them.”
12All the prophets prophesied similarly, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
13The servant who had gone to get Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “See here, the words of the prophets unanimously declare success for the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.”
14#Nu 24:13; 22:18Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will speak whatever the Lord says to me.”
15So he came to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we wait?”
And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
16The king said to him, “How many times must I admonish you to tell me only the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17#Nu 27:17; Mt 9:36And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let every man return to his own house in peace.’ ”
18#1Ki 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
19#Job 1:6; 2:1And he said, “Hear, therefore, the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside Him on His right hand and on His left. 20The Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab so that he will go up and die at Ramoth Gilead?’
“And one said this, and another said that. 21Then a spirit came forth and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will persuade him.’
22#Jdg 9:23; Eze 14:9“The Lord said to him, ‘How?’
“And he said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
“And He said, ‘You will be successful and persuade him. Go forth, and do so.’
23#Eze 14:9“Now therefore, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets here, and He has spoken evil concerning you!”
24#Ac 23:2; La 3:30Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah walked up and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord go from me in order to speak to you?”
25#1Ki 20:30And Micaiah said, “You will see in that day, when you go into an inner chamber to hide.”
26The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 27#2Ch 16:10; 18:25–27and say, ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in the prison, and feed him with reduced rations of bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
28#Mic 1:2; Nu 16:29Micaiah said, “If you return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people!”
Ahab Dies in Battle
2Ch 18:28–34
29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30#2Ch 35:22The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and enter into the battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
31#1Ki 20:24; 2Ch 18:30But the king of Aram ordered his thirty-two commanders who had control over his chariots, saying, “Fight neither against small nor great, but only against the king of Israel.” 32So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel.” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33When the commanders of the chariots realized that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from pursuing him.
34#2Ch 35:23A certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor, and because of this, he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 35The battle intensified that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot against the Arameans and died that evening, and the blood ran out of the wound into the floor of the chariot. 36#2Ki 14:12A proclamation went throughout the army as the sun was setting, saying, “Every man is to return to his city, and every man is to return to his own country.”
37So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. 38#1Ki 21:19The chariot was washed in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up the king’s blood, and they washed his armor according to the word which the Lord spoke.
39#Am 3:15Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40So Ahab slept with his fathers. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah
2Ch 20:31–21:1
41#2Ch 20:31Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43#1Ki 15:14; 2Ki 12:3He walked in all the ways of Asa his father. He did not turn aside, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken down, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 44#1Ki 22:2; 2Ki 8:18So Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and the strength he showed and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46#1Ki 14:24; 15:12And he exterminated from the land the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa. 47#2Sa 8:14; 2Ki 3:9At that time there was no king in Edom, and a regent sat in the king’s place.
48#1Ki 9:26; 10:22Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never made it there, for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber. 49Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat did not agree.
50#2Ch 21:1Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah, King of Israel
51Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52#1Ki 15:26; 21:25He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel sin, 53#1Ki 16:30–32for he served Baal and worshipped him and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.
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1 Kings 22: MEV
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Military Bible Association
1 Kings 22
22
Jehoshaphat and Ahab
1For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. 3During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? And yet we’ve done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!”
4Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 5Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”
6So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?”
They all replied, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.”
8The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick! Bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
10King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. 11One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”
12All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”
13Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”
14But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”
15When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?”
Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”
16But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?”
17Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed.#22:17 Hebrew These people have no master. Send them home in peace.’”
18“Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.”
19Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left. 20And the Lord said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’
“There were many suggestions, 21and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’
22“‘How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.
“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’
“‘You will succeed,’ said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’
23“So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”
24Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded.
25And Micaiah replied, “You will find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret room!”
26“Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash. 27Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’”
28But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it will mean that the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!”
The Death of Ahab
29So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead. 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
31Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his thirty-two chariot commanders: “Attack only the king of Israel. Don’t bother with anyone else!” 32So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. “There is the king of Israel!” they shouted. But when Jehoshaphat called out, 33the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, and they stopped chasing him.
34An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses#22:34 Hebrew Turn your hand. and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. “I’m badly wounded!”
35The battle raged all that day, and the king remained propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of his chariot, and as evening arrived he died. 36Just as the sun was setting, the cry ran through his troops: “We’re done for! Run for your lives!”
37So the king died, and his body was taken to Samaria and buried there. 38Then his chariot was washed beside the pool of Samaria, and dogs came and licked his blood at the place where the prostitutes bathed,#22:38 Or his blood, and the prostitutes bathed [in it]; or his blood, and they washed his armor. just as the Lord had promised.
39The rest of the events in Ahab’s reign and everything he did, including the story of the ivory palace and the towns he built, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 40So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became the next king.
Jehoshaphat Rules in Judah
41Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. #22:43 Verses 22:43b-53 are numbered 22:44-54 in Hebrew text.During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. 44Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.
45The rest of the events in Jehoshaphat’s reign, the extent of his power, and the wars he waged are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 46He banished from the land the rest of the male and female shrine prostitutes, who still continued their practices from the days of his father, Asa.
47(There was no king in Edom at that time, only a deputy.)
48Jehoshaphat also built a fleet of trading ships#22:48 Hebrew fleet of ships of Tarshish. to sail to Ophir for gold. But the ships never set sail, for they met with disaster in their home port of Ezion-geber. 49At one time Ahaziah son of Ahab had proposed to Jehoshaphat, “Let my men sail with your men in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused the request.
50When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.
Ahaziah Rules in Israel
51Ahaziah son of Ahab began to rule over Israel in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years. 52But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the example of his father and mother and the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin. 53He served Baal and worshiped him, provoking the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.
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