22
1 And he rested three years, and there was no war between Syria and Israel. 2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are slow to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria? 4 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go up with us to Ramoth-gilead to battle? 5 And Jehoshaphat said, As I am, so art thou also; as my people, so is thy people; as my horses, so are thy horses.
And Jehoshaphat king of Judah said to the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord today. 6 And the king of Israel gathered all the prophets together, about four hundred men; and the king said to them, Shall I go up to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? and they said, Go up, and the Lord will surely give it into the hands of the king.
7 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is one man here for us to inquire of the Lord by; but I hate him, for he does not speak good of me, but only evil; Micaiah son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat king of Judah said, Let not the king say so.
9 And the king of Israel called a eunuch and said, Bring hither quickly Micaiah son of Imlah. 10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat, each on his throne, armed in the gates of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself iron horns, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push Syria, until it be consumed. 12 And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and the thing shall prosper, and the Lord shall deliver it and the king of Syria into thy hands.
13 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, all the prophets speak with one mouth good concerning the king, let now thy words be like the words of one of them, and speak good things. 14 And Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, whatsoever the Lord shall say to me, that will I speak.
15 And he came to the king: and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall I go up to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? and he said, Go up, and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. 16 And the king said to him, How often shall I adjure thee, that thou speak to me truth in the name of the Lord? 17 And he said, Not so. I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as a flock without a shepherd: and the Lord said, Is not God lord of these? let each one return to his home in peace.
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Did I not say to thee that this man does not prophesy good to me, for he speaks nothing but evil? 19 And Micaiah said, Not so, it is not I: hear the word of the Lord; it is not so. I saw the God of Israel sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven stood about him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, Who will deceive Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall in Ramoth-gilead? and one spoke one way, and another another way. 21 And there came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord, and said, I will deceive him. 22 And the Lord said to him, Whereby? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt deceive him, yea, and shalt prevail: go forth, and do so. 23 And now, behold, the Lord has put a false spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil against thee.
24 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, What sort of a spirit of the Lord has spoken in thee? 25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an innermost chamber to hide thyself there. 26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and convey him away to Shemer the keeper of the city; 27 and tell Joash the king’s son to put this fellow in prison, and to feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.
29 So the king of Israel went up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah with him to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle, and do thou put on my raiment. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 31 And the king of Syria had charged the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight not against small or great, but against the king of Israel only. 32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat king of Judah, that they said, This seems to be the king of Israel. And they compassed him about to fight against him; and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that this was not the king of Israel, that they returned from him.
34 And one drew a bow with a good aim, and smote the king of Israel between the lungs and the breastplate: and he said to his charioteer, Turn thy hands, and carry me away out of the battle, for I am wounded. 35 And the war was turned in that day, and the king was standing on the chariot against Syria from morning till evening; and he shed the blood out of his wound, into the bottom of the chariot, and died at even, and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And the herald of the army stood at sunset, saying, Let every man go to his own city and his own land, 37 for the king is dead. And they came to Samaria, and buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot at the fountain of Samaria; and the swine and the dogs licked up the blood, and the harlots washed themselves in the blood, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.
39 And the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities which he built, behold, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 And Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned over Judah: in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel began Jehoshaphat to reign. 42 Thirty and five years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 And he walked in all the way of Asa his father: he turned not from it, even from doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. 44 Only he took not away any of the high places: the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 45 And Jehoshaphat was at peace with the king of Israel.
46 And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his mighty deeds, whatever he did, behold, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 51 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried by his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
52 And Ahaziah son of Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria: in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria two years. 53 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Ahab his father, and in the way of Jezebel his mother, and in the sins of the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 54 And he served Baalim, and worshiped them, and provoked the Lord God of Israel, according to all that had been done before him.