Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 22
22
1And they continued three years without fighting between Aram and Yisra’ĕl.
2And it came to be, in the third year, that Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah came down to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
3And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gil‛aḏ is ours, and we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the sovereign of Aram!”
4And he said to Yehoshaphat, “Do you go with me to battle at Ramoth Gil‛aḏ?” And Yehoshaphat said to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
5And Yehoshaphat said to the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, “Please, first inquire for the word of יהוה.”
6And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Do I go against Ramoth Gil‛aḏ to battle, or do I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for יהוה does give it into the hand of the sovereign.”
7And Yehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of יהוה besides, that we might inquire of him?”
8And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Miḵayehu son of Yimlah, to inquire of יהוה by him. But I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Yehoshaphat said, “Let not the sovereign say so!”
9So the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl called an officer and said, “Bring Miḵayehu son of Yimlah at once!”
10And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at a threshing-floor at the entrance of the gate of Shomeron. And all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11And Tsiḏqiyah son of Kena‛anah had made horns of iron for himself, and said, “Thus said יהוה, ‘With these you push the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”
12And all the prophets were prophesying so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ and prosper, for יהוה shall give it into the hand of the sovereign.”
13And the messenger who had gone to call Miḵayehu spoke to him, saying, “See now, the words of the prophets with one mouth are good towards the sovereign. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and you shall speak good.”
14And Miḵayehu said, “As יהוה lives, whatever יהוה says to me, that I speak.”
15And he came to the sovereign, and the sovereign said to him, “Miḵayehu, do we go against Ramoth Gil‛aḏ to battle, or do we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for יהוה shall give it into the hand of the sovereign!”
16And the sovereign said to him, “How many times have I made you swear that you do not speak to me, except the truth, in the Name of יהוה?”
17So he said, “I saw all Yisra’ĕl scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And יהוה said, ‘These have no master. Let everyone return to his house in peace.’ ”
18And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “Have I not said to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
19Then he said, “Therefore hear the word of יהוה: I saw יהוה sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left.
20“And יהוה said, ‘Who shall entice Aḥaḇ to go up and fall at Ramoth Gil‛aḏ?’ And this one said this, and another said that.
21“And a spirit came forward and stood before יהוה, and said, ‘Let me entice him.’
22“And יהוה said to him, ‘In what way?’ And he said, ‘I shall go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And He said, ‘Entice him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’
23“And now, see, יהוה has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and יהוה has spoken evil concerning you.”
24And Tsiḏqiyahu son of Kena‛anah came near and struck Miḵayehu on the cheek, and said, “Where did the spirit of יהוה pass over from me to speak to you?”
25And Miḵayehu said, “Look, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide!”
26And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said, “Take Miḵayehu, and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Yo’ash son of the sovereign,
27and say, ‘Thus said the sovereign, “Put this one in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace.” ’ ”
28And Miḵayehu said, “If you ever return in peace, יהוה has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you people!”
29And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and Yehoshaphat the sovereign of Yehuḏah went up to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ.
30And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl said to Yehoshaphat, “Let me disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl disguised himself and went into battle.
31And the sovereign of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.”
32And it came to be, when the commanders of the chariots saw Yehoshaphat, that they said, “Indeed, it is the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!” So they turned aside to fight against him, and Yehoshaphat cried out.
33And it came to be, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, that they turned back from pursuing him.
34And a man drew a bow in his simplicity, and struck the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl between the joints of his armour. And he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
35And the battle increased that day. And the sovereign was propped up in his chariot, facing the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
36And as the sun was going down, a shout passed through the camp, saying, “Each to his city, and each to his land!”
37So the sovereign died and was brought to Shomeron, and they buried the sovereign in Shomeron.
38And when the chariot was washed at a pool in Shomeron, the dogs licked up his blood, where the whores bathed, according to the word of יהוה which He had spoken.
39And the rest of the acts of Aḥaḇ and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
40So Aḥaḇ slept with his fathers, and Aḥazyahu his son reigned in his place.
41And Yehoshaphat son of Asa began to reign over Yehuḏah in the fourth year of Aḥaḇ sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
42Yehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became sovereign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Azuḇah the daughter of Shilḥi.
43And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of יהוה. Only, the high places were not taken away, for the people slaughtered and burned incense on the high places.
44And Yehoshaphat made peace with the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl.
45And the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he fought, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah?
46And the rest of the cult prostitutes, who remained in the days of his father Asa, he cleared out from the land.
47And there was then no sovereign in Eḏom, a deputy was sovereign.
48Yehoshaphat made Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold. However, they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Etsyon Geḇer.
49Then Aḥazyahu son of Aḥaḇ said to Yehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Yehoshaphat would not.
50So Yehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ his father. And Yehoram his son reigned in his place.
51Aḥazyahu son of Aḥaḇ began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron in the seventeenth year of Yehoshaphat sovereign of Yehuḏah, and reigned two years over Yisra’ĕl,
52and did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin,
53and served Ba‛al and bowed himself to it, and provoked יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, according to all that his father had done.
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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 22: TS2009
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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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