Melachim Alef 22
22
1And they continued three years without war between Aram and Yisroel.
2And it came to pass in the third year, that Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah came down to Melech Yisroel.
3And Melech Yisroel said unto his avadim, Know ye that Ramot-Gil'ad is ours, and we hesitate, and take it not out of the hand of HaMelech Aram?
4And he said unto Yehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramot-Gil'ad? And Yehoshaphat said to the Melech Yisroel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my susim as thy susim.
5And Yehoshaphat said unto the Melech Yisroel, Inquire for the Devar Hashem today.
6Then the Melech Yisroel gathered the nevi'im together, about 400 men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramot-Gil'ad to battle, or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up; for Hashem shall deliver it into the hand of HaMelech.
7And Yehoshaphat said, Is there not here a navi of Hashem besides, that we might inquire of him?
8And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Mikhay'hu ben Yimlach, by whom we may inquire of Hashem: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy tov concerning me, but rah. And Yehoshaphat said, Let not HaMelech say such.
9Then HaMelech Yisroel called an officer, and said, Hasten here Mikhay'hu ben Yimlach.
10And the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah sat each on his kisse, having put on their robes, at the threshing floor in the entrance of sha'ar Shomron; all the nevi'im prophesied before them.
11Tzidkiyah ben Kena'anah made him#22:11 goring horns of barzel: and said, Thus saith Hashem, With these shalt thou push Aram until thou have consumed them.
12And all the nevi'im prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramot-Gil'ad, and succeed: for Hashem shall deliver it into the yad HaMelech.
13And the malach that was gone to summon Mikhay'hu spoke unto him, saying, Hinei now, the words of the nevi'im declare tov unto HaMelech with one mouth: let thy word be like the word of one of them, speak that which is tov.
14And Mikhay'hu said, As Hashem liveth, what Hashem saith unto me, that will I speak.
15So he came to HaMelech. And HaMelech said unto him, Mikhay'hu, shall we go against Ramot-Gil'ad to battle, or shall we refrain? And he answered him, Go, and succeed: for Hashem shall deliver it into the yad HaMelech.
16And HaMelech said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee#22:16 i.e., make thee swear that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the Shem of Hashem?
17And he said, I saw kol Yisroel scattered upon the hills, as Tzon that have not a Ro'eh: and Hashem said, These have no adonim: let them return every man to his bais in shalom.
18And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no tov concerning me, but rah?
19And he said, Shema Devar Hashem: I saw Hashem sitting on his kisse, and all the Tzva HaShomayim standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.
20And Hashem said, Who shall persuade Ach'av, that he may go up and fall at Ramot-Gil'ad? And one said one thing, and one said another.
21And there came forth the ruach, and stood before Hashem, and said, I will persuade him.
22And Hashem said unto him, By what means? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a ruach sheker in the mouth of all his nevi'im. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also; go forth, do so.
23Now therefore, hinei, Hashem hath put a ruach sheker in the mouth of all these thy nevi'im, and Hashem hath spoken ra'ah concerning thee.
24But Tzidkiyahu ben Kena'anah went near, and struck Mikhay'hu on the cheek, and said, Which way did the Ruach Hashem go when he went from me to speak to you?
25And Mikhay'hu said, Hinei, thou shalt see in that yom, when thou shalt go into a cheder b'cheder (inner room) to hide thyself.
26And the Melech Yisroel said, Take Mikhay'hu, and carry him back unto Amon Sar HaIr, and to Yoash ben HaMelech;
27And say, Thus saith HaMelech, Put this fellow in the bais hakeleh, and feed him with lechem lachatz (bread of affliction) and with mayim lachatz (water of affliction), until I come in shalom.
28And Mikhay'hu said, If thou return at all in shalom, Hashem hath not spoken by me. And he said, Pay heed, O people, every one of you.
29So the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah went up to Ramot-Gil'ad.
30And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the milchamah; but put thou on thy robes. And the Melech Yisroel disguised himself, and went into the milchamah.
31But HaMelech Aram commanded his 32 captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with katan nor gadol, save only with the Melech Yisroel.
32And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Yehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the Melech Yisroel. And they turned aside to fight against him. Yehoshaphat cried out.
33And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not Melech Yisroel, they turned from pursuing him.
34And a certain man drew a keshet (bow) at random, and struck Melech Yisroel between the joints of his armor; wherefore he said unto the driver of his merkavah, Turn around thine hand, and carry me out of the battle; for I am wounded.
35And the milchamah increased that yom; and HaMelech was propped up in his merkavah against the Syrians, and died at erev; and the dahm ran out of the wound onto the floor of the merkavah.
36And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the shemesh, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
37So Melech#22:37 Ahab died, and was brought to Shomron; and they buried HaMelech in Shomron.
38And one washed the merkavah in the pool of Shomron; and the kelavim licked up his dahm while the zonot bathed; according unto the Devar Hashem which he spoke.
39Now the rest of the acts of Ach'av (Ahab), and all that he did, and the Bais HaShen (House of Ivory) which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim l'Malkhei Yisroel?
40So Ach'av slept with his avot; and Achazyahu beno (his son) reigned in his place.
41And Yehoshaphat ben Asa began to reign over Yehudah in the fourth year of Ach'av Melech Yisroel.
42Yehoshaphat was 35 shanah when he began to reign; and he reigned 25 shanah in Yerushalayim. And the shem immo was Azuvah bat Shilchi.
43And he walked in kol derech Asa aviv; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was yashar in the eyes of Hashem; nevertheless the high places (places of pagan worship) were not taken away; for HaAm offered and burned incense yet in the high places.
44 And Yehoshaphat made peace with Melech Yisroel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, and his gevurah that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim l'Malkhei Yehudah?
46 And the remnant of the kadesh (male and female cult prostitutes), which remained in the days of Asa aviv, he took out of HaAretz.
47 There was then no melech in Edom; a deputy was melech.
48 Yehoshaphat made [merchant] oniyot (ships) of Tarshish to go to Ophir for zahav; but they went not; for the oniyot were shipwrecked at Etzyon-Gever.
49 Then said Achazyahu ben Ach'av unto Yehoshaphat, Let my avadim go with thy avadim in the oniyot. But Yehoshaphat would not.
50 And Yehoshaphat slept with his avot, and was buried with his avot in the Ir Dovid aviv; and Yehoram bno reigned in his place.
51 Achazyahu ben Ach'av began to reign over Yisroel in Shomron the seventeenth year of Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, and reigned two years over Yisroel.
52 And he did rah in the sight of Hashem, walked in the derech aviv, and in the derech immo, and in the derech Yarov'am ben Nevat, who made Yisroel to sin;
53 For he served HaBa'al, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger Hashem Elohei Yisroel, according to all that aviv had done.
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Melachim Alef 22: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
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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