22
1 They
continued three
years without war
between Syria and
Israel.
2 In
the third year,
Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah
came down to
the king of
Israel.
3 The
king of Israel said
to his servants,
“You know that
Ramoth Gilead
is ours, and we
do nothing,
and don’t take it
out of the
hand of the
king of Syria?”
4 He said
to Jehoshaphat, “Will
you go with
me to battle
to Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat said to
the king of
Israel, “I am as
you are, my
people as your
people, my horses
as your horses.”
5 Jehoshaphat
said to the
king of Israel, “Please
inquire first for
the LORD’s word.”
6 Then
the king of
Israel gathered
the prophets
together, about four
hundred men,
and said to them,
“Should I go
against Ramoth
Gilead to battle,
or should I
refrain?”
They said, “Go up;
for the Lord will
deliver it into
the hand of
the king.”
7 But
Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there
here a prophet
of the LORD,
that we may
inquire of him?”
8 The
king of Israel
said to
Jehoshaphat, “There
is yet one
man by whom
we may inquire
of the LORD,
Micaiah the son
of Imlah; but
I hate him,
for he does
not prophesy good
concerning me, but
evil.”
Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t
let the king
say so.”
9 Then
the king of
Israel called an
officer, and said,
“Quickly get Micaiah
the son of
Imlah.”
10 Now
the king of
Israel and
Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah
were sitting each
on his throne,
arrayed in
their robes, in an
open place at
the entrance of
the gate of
Samaria; and all
the prophets were
prophesying before
them.
11 Zedekiah
the son of
Chenaanah made
himself horns of
iron, and said, “The
LORD says, ‘With
these you will
push the Syrians,
until they are
consumed.’ ”
12 All
the prophets
prophesied so, saying, “Go
up to Ramoth
Gilead and prosper;
for the LORD
will deliver it
into the hand
of the king.”
13 The
messenger who went
to call Micaiah
spoke to him,
saying, “See now,
the prophets
declare good to
the king with
one mouth. Please
let your word
be like the
word of one
of them, and
speak good.”
14 Micaiah
said, “As the
LORD lives, what
the LORD says
to me, that
I will speak.”
15 When
he had come
to the king,
the king said to
him, “Micaiah,
shall we go
to Ramoth Gilead
to battle, or
shall we forbear?”
He answered him, “Go
up and prosper;
and the LORD
will deliver it
into the hand
of the king.”
16 The
king said to
him, “How many
times do I
have to adjure
you that you
speak to me
nothing but the
truth in the
LORD’s name?”
17 He said, “I
saw all Israel
scattered on the
mountains, as
sheep that have
no shepherd. The
LORD said, ‘These
have no master.
Let them each
return to his
house in peace.’ ”
18 The
king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t
I tell you that
he would not
prophesy good
concerning me, but
evil?”
19 Micaiah
said, “Therefore
hear the LORD’s
word. I saw
the LORD sitting
on his throne,
and all the
army of heaven
standing by him
on his right
hand and on
his left.
20 The
LORD said, ‘Who
will entice Ahab,
that he may
go up and
fall at Ramoth
Gilead?’ One said
one thing, and
another said another.
21 A
spirit came out
and stood before
the LORD, and
said, ‘I will
entice him.’
22 The
LORD said to
him, ‘How?’
He said, ‘I
will go out
and will be
a lying spirit
in the mouth
of all his
prophets.’
He said, ‘You
will entice him,
and will also
prevail. Go out
and do so.’
23 Now
therefore, behold,
the LORD has
put a lying
spirit in the
mouth of all
these your
prophets; and the
LORD has spoken
evil concerning
you.”
24 Then
Zedekiah the son
of Chenaanah came
near and struck
Micaiah on the
cheek, and said,
“Which way did
the LORD’s Spirit
go from me
to speak to
you?”
25 Micaiah said, “Behold,
you will see
on that day
when you go into
an inner room
to hide yourself.”
26 The
king of
Israel said, “Take
Micaiah, and carry
him back to Amon
the governor of
the city and
to Joash the
king’s son.
27 Say, ‘The
king says, “Put
this fellow in the
prison, and feed
him with bread
of affliction and
with water of
affliction, until
I come in
peace.” ’ ”
28 Micaiah
said, “If you
return at all
in peace, the
LORD has not
spoken by me.”
He said, “Listen,
all you people!”
29 So
the king of
Israel and
Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah
went up to
Ramoth Gilead.
30 The
king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, “I
will disguise myself
and go into the
battle, but you
put on your robes.”
The king of
Israel disguised himself
and went into the
battle.
31 Now
the king of Syria
had commanded the
thirty-two captains
of his chariots,
saying, “Don’t fight with
small nor great,
except only with
the king of
Israel.”
32 When
the captains of
the chariots saw
Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely
that is the
king of Israel!”
and they came
over to fight
against him.
Jehoshaphat cried
out.
33 When
the captains of
the chariots saw
that it was
not the king
of Israel, they
turned back
from pursuing him.
34 A certain
man drew his bow
at random, and
struck the king
of Israel between
the joints of
the armor.
Therefore he said
to the driver
of his chariot, “Turn
around, and carry
me out of
the battle, for
I am severely
wounded.”
35 The
battle increased
that day. The
king was propped
up in his
chariot facing the Syrians,
and died at
evening. The blood
ran out of
the wound into
the bottom of
the chariot.
36 A
cry went
throughout the
army about the
going down of the
sun, saying, “Every
man to his
city, and every
man to
his country!”
37 So
the king died,
and was brought
to Samaria; and
they buried the
king in Samaria.
38 They
washed the chariot
by the pool
of Samaria; and
the dogs licked
up his blood
where the
prostitutes washed
themselves, according
to the LORD’s
word which he
spoke.
39 Now
the rest of
the acts of Ahab,
and all that
he did, and
the ivory house
which he built,
and all the
cities that he
built, aren’t they
written in the
book of the
chronicles of the
kings of Israel?
40 So Ahab
slept with
his fathers; and Ahaziah
his son reigned
in his place.
41 Jehoshaphat
the son of Asa
began to reign
over Judah in
the fourth year
of Ahab king of
Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat
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 He
walked in all
the way of Asa
his father. He didn’t
turn away from
it, doing that
which was right
in the LORD’s
eyes. However, the
high places were
not taken away.
The people still
sacrificed and burned incense
on the high
places.
44 Jehoshaphat
made peace with
the king of Israel.
45 Now
the rest of
the acts of
Jehoshaphat, and
his might that
he showed, and how
he fought, aren’t they written
in the book of
the chronicles of
the kings of Judah?
46 The
remnant of
the sodomites, that remained
in the days
of his father Asa,
he put away out
of the land.
47 There
was no king
in Edom. A deputy ruled.
48 Jehoshaphat made ships
of Tarshish to go
to Ophir for gold,
but they didn’t go,
for the ships wrecked
at Ezion Geber.
49 Then Ahaziah
the son of Ahab said
to Jehoshaphat, “Let
my servants go
with your servants
in the ships.” But
Jehoshaphat would
not.
50 Jehoshaphat slept with
his fathers, and
was buried with
his fathers in his
father David’s city. Jehoram
his son reigned in
his place.
51 Ahaziah the
son of Ahab began
to reign
over Israel in Samaria
in the seventeenth
year of
Jehoshaphat king
of Judah, and he
reigned two years
over Israel.
52 He
did that which
was evil in the
LORD’s sight, 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,
in which he
made Israel to sin.
53 He
served Baal and worshiped
him, and provoked
the LORD, the
God of Israel,
to anger in all
the ways that
his father had
done so.