1 Kings 22
22
1And they sit still three years, there is no war between Aram and Israel,
2and it cometh to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat king of Judah cometh down unto the king of Israel,
3and the king of Israel saith unto his servants, ‘Have ye not known that ours [is] Ramoth-Gilead? and we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the king of Aram!’
4And he saith unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Dost thou go with me to battle [to] Ramoth-Gilead?’ and Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, ‘As I am, so thou; as my people, so thy people; as my horses, so thy horses.’
5And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, ‘Seek, I pray thee, to-day, the word of Jehovah;’
6and the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, about four hundred men, and saith unto them, ‘Do I go against Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?’ and they say, ‘Go up, and the Lord doth give [it] into the hand of the king.’
7And Jehoshaphat saith, ‘Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, and we seek by him?’
8And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Yet — one man to seek Jehovah by him, and I have hated him, for he doth not prophesy concerning me good, but evil — Micaiah son of Imlah;’ and Jehoshaphat saith, ‘Let not the king say so.’
9And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain eunuch, and saith, ‘Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.’
10And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, in a threshing-floor, at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them.
11And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, ‘Thus said Jehovah, By these thou dost push the Aramaeans till they are consumed;’
12and all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, ‘Go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and prosper, and Jehovah hath given [it] into the hand of the king.’
13And the messenger who hath gone to call Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, ‘Lo, I pray thee, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, [are] good towards the king; let it be, I pray thee, thy word as the word of one of them — and thou hast spoken good.’
14And Micaiah saith, ‘Jehovah liveth; surely that which Jehovah saith unto me — it I speak.’
15And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, ‘Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead, to battle, or do we forbear?’ and he saith unto him, ‘Go up, and prosper, and Jehovah hath given [it] into the hand of the king.’
16And the king saith unto him, ‘How many times am I adjuring thee that thou speak nothing unto me but truth in the name of Jehovah?’
17And he saith, ‘I have seen all Israel scattered on the hills as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, These have no master; they turn back each to his house in peace.’
18And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Have I not said unto thee, He doth not prophesy of me good, but evil?’
19And he saith, ‘Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah; I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left;
20and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? and this one saith thus, and that one is saying thus.
21‘And the spirit goeth out, and standeth before Jehovah, and saith, I — I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, By what?
22and he saith, I go out, and have been a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets; and He saith, Thou dost entice, and also thou art able; go out and do so.
23And now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee — evil.’
24And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah draweth nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, ‘Where [is] this — he hath passed over — the Spirit of Jehovah — from me to speak with thee?’
25And Micaiah saith, ‘Lo, thou art seeing on that day, when thou goest in to the innermost chamber to be hidden.’
26And the king of Israel saith, ‘Take Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king,
27and thou hast said, Thus said the king, Place ye this one in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my coming in peace.’
28And Micaiah saith, ‘If thou at all return in peace — Jehovah hath not spoken by me;’ and he saith, ‘Hear, O peoples, all of them.’
29And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, to Ramoth-Gilead.
30And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, ‘And thou, put on thy garments.’ And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and goeth into battle.
31And the king of Aram commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath — thirty and two — saying, ‘Ye do not fight with small or with great, but with the king of Israel by himself.’
32And it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they said, ‘He [is] only the king of Israel;’ and they turn aside to him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out,
33and it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that he [is] not the king of Israel, that they turn back from after him.
34And a man hath drawn with a bow, in his simplicity, and smiteth the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he saith to his charioteer, ‘Turn thy hand, and take me out from the camp, for I have become sick.’
35And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king hath been caused to stand in the chariot, over-against Aram, and he dieth in the evening, and the blood of the wound runneth out unto the midst of the chariot,
36and he causeth the cry to pass over through the camp, at the going in of the sun, saying, ‘Each unto his city, and each unto his land.’
37And the king dieth, and cometh into Samaria, and they bury the king in Samaria;
38and [one] rinseth the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs lick his blood — when the armour they had washed — according to the word of Jehovah that He spake.
39And the rest of the matters of Ahab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40And Ahab lieth with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigneth in his stead.
41And Jehoshaphat son of Asa hath reigned over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel,
42Jehoshaphat [is] a son of thirty and five years in his reigning, and twenty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43And he walketh in all the way of Asa his father, he hath not turned aside from it, to do that which [is] right in the eyes of Jehovah; only the high places have not turned aside, yet are the people sacrificing and making perfume in high places.
44And Jehoshaphat maketh peace with the king of Israel;
45and the rest of the matters of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he got, and with which he fought, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46And the remnant of the whoremongers who were left in the days of Asa his father he took away out of the land;
47and there is no king in Edom; he set up a king.
48Jehoshaphat made ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber.
49Then said Ahaziah son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships;’ and Jehoshaphat was not willing.
50And Jehoshaphat lieth with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigneth in his stead.
51Ahaziah son of Ahab hath reigned over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigneth over Israel two years,
52and doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and walketh in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin,
53and serveth the Baal, and boweth himself to it, and provoketh Jehovah, God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
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1 Kings 22: YLT98
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1 Kings 22
22
Micaiah Prophesies against King Ahab
(2 Chronicles 18:1–34)
1For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.
3The king of Israel asked his staff, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing to take it back from the king of Aram?” 4Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth in Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do.” 5Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first, find out what the Lord’s word is ⌞in this matter⌟.”
6So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”
“Go,” they said. “The Lord #22:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Targum “The LORD.” will hand over Ramoth to you.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?”
8The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.”
Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
9The king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Quick! ⌞Get⌟ Micaiah, son of Imlah!”
10The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were on the threshing floor #22:10 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks. at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 11Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.” 12All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
13The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.”
14Micaiah answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will tell him whatever the Lord tells me.”
15When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”
Micaiah said to him, “Attack and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
16The king asked him, “How many times must I make you take an oath in the Lord’s name to tell me nothing but the truth?”
17So Micaiah said, “I saw Israel’s troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These ⌞sheep⌟ have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”
18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil?”
19Micaiah added, “Then hear the Lord’s word. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left. 20The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?’ Some answered one way, while others said something else.
21“Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’
“ ‘How?’ the Lord asked.
22“The Spirit answered, ‘I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets.’
“The Lord said, ‘You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.’
23“So, the Lord has put into the mouths of all these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The Lord has spoken evil about you.”
24Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. “How did the Lord’s Spirit leave me to talk to you?” he asked.
25Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide.”
26The king of Israel then said, “Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince. 27Say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I come home safely.’ ”
28Micaiah said, “If you really do come back safely, then the Lord wasn’t speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!”
29So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead. 30The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31The king of Aram had given orders to the 32 chariot commanders. He said, “Don’t fight anyone except the king of Israel.”
32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, 33the chariot commanders realized that he wasn’t the king of Israel. They turned away from him.
34One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told his chariot driver, “Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I’m badly wounded.” 35But the battle got worse that day, and the king was kept propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening. The blood from the wound had flowed into the chariot. 36At sundown a cry went through the army, “Every man to his own city! Every man to his own property!”
37When the king was dead, he was brought to Samaria to be buried. 38His chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed. The dogs licked up his blood, as the Lord had predicted.
39Isn’t everything else about Ahab—everything he did, the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 40Ahab lay down in death with his ancestors. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah
(2 Chronicles 20:31–21:1)
41Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, became king of Judah in Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. 43Jehoshaphat carefully followed the example his father Asa had set and did what the Lord considered right. 44But the illegal worship sites were not torn down. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense at these worship sites.#22:44 1 Kings 22:44b–53 in English Bibles is 1 Kings 22:45–54 in the Hebrew Bible. Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45Isn’t everything else about Jehoshaphat—the heroic acts he did and ⌞the wars⌟ he fought—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 46He rid the land of the male temple prostitutes who were left there from the time of his father Asa. 47There was no king in Edom; instead, a deputy ruled.
48Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-style ships to go to Ophir for gold. But they didn’t go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused.
50Jehoshaphat lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Israel
51Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat’s seventeenth year as king of Judah. Ahaziah ruled Israel for two years. 52He did what the Lord considered evil. He followed the example of his father and mother and of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) who led Israel to sin. 53Ahaziah served Baal, worshiped him, and made the Lord God of Israel furious, as his father had done.
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