1 T hree years passed without war between Syria and Israel.

¶ And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

2 I n the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to the king of Israel.

3 T he king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramothgilead belongs to us? We are still doing nothing to take it from the king of Syria.”

And the king of Israel said unto his slaves, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we are late in not taking it out of the hand of the king of Syria?

4 A nd he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are. My people are as your people. My horses are as your horses.”

And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

5 J ehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Ask first for the word of the Lord.”

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD today.

6 T hen the king of Israel gathered together the men who spoke for God, 400 men. He said to them, “Should I go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or should I not?” And they said, “Go. For the Lord will give it to the king.”

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

7 B ut Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not another man who speaks for the Lord here, that we may ask him?”

And Jehoshaphat said, Is there even yet a prophet of the LORD here that we might enquire of him?

8 T he king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is only one other man whom we may ask of the Lord, but I hate him. He does not speak anything good about me, only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say that.”

And the king of Israel replied unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

9 T hen the king of Israel called a soldier and said, “Be quick to bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

Then the king of Israel called a eunuch and said, Bring Micaiah, the son of Imlah, here quickly.

10 N ow the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, dressed in their king’s clothing. They sat at the grain-floor at the gate of Samaria. All the men who speak for God were speaking in front of them.

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in the plaza at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.

11 T hen Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “The Lord says, ‘With these you will fight the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”

And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself horns of iron, and he said, Thus hath the LORD said, With these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have consumed them.

12 A nd all the men who spoke for God said so. They said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and do well. For the Lord will give it to the king.”

And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hand.

13 T he man who went to call Micaiah said to him, “See, the words of those who speak for God are all in the king’s favor. Let your words be like theirs and speak in favor of the king.”

And the messenger that had gone to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth; now let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak that which is good.

14 B ut Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord says to me.”

And Micaiah said, As the LORD lives, all that the LORD says unto me, that will I speak.

15 M icaiah came to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or should we not?” He answered, “Go up and do well. The Lord will give it to the king.”

¶ So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

16 T hen the king said to him, “How many times must I tell you to speak nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?

17 S o Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel spread upon the mountains like sheep which have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no owner. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”

Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return each man to his house in peace.

18 T hen the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not speak good of me, but bad?”

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?

19 M icaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All those in heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left.

Then he said, Hear thou, therefore, the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne and all the host of the heavens standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

20 T he Lord said, ‘Who will lead Ahab to go up and die at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another thing.

And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said in this manner and another said in that manner.

21 T hen a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will lead him.’

And there came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, I will persuade him.

22 T he Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all those who will tell what will happen in the future.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to lead him, and do well. Go and do so.’

And the LORD said unto him, In what manner? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also; go forth and do so.

23 N ow see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these who tell what will happen in the future. The Lord has said bad things against you.”

Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD has decreed evil concerning thee.

24 T hen Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came and hit Micaiah on the face and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, went near and smote Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak unto thee?

25 M icaiah said, “See, you will see on that day when you go into a room to hide yourself.”

And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

26 T hen the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the leader of the city and to Joash the king’s son.

Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him back unto Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son

27 T ell them, ‘The king says, “Put this man in prison and feed him with little bread and water, until I return in peace.” ‘ ”

and say, Thus hath the king said, Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.

28 M icaiah said, “If you do return in peace, then the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.” The Death of Ahab

And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me. Then he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.

29 S o the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

¶ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramothgilead.

30 T he king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will dress so no one will know who I am, and will go to battle. But you put on your king’s clothing.” So the king of Israel dressed so no one would know who he was, and went into battle.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle, but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

31 N ow the king of Syria had told the thirty-two captains of his war-wagons, “Do not fight with the small or strong. But only fight with the king of Israel.”

But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.

32 W hen the captains of the war-wagons saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “For sure this is the king of Israel.” And they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.

And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely this is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.

33 T hen the captains of the war-wagons saw that it was not the king of Israel. So they returned from going after him.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

34 B ut a certain man happened to shoot an arrow and hit the king of Israel between the parts of his battle-clothes. So Ahab said to the driver of his war-wagon, “Turn around and take me out of the battle. For I am hurt.”

But a certain man, shooting his bow in perfection, smote the king of Israel between the joints of his coat of mail; therefore, he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thy hand and carry me out of the host, for I am wounded.

35 T he battle was hard that day, and the king was set up in his war-wagon in front of the Syrians. At evening he died. The blood from the cut flowed to the bottom of the war-wagon.

And the battle had increased that day, and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians and died in the evening, and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.

36 T hen a cry went through to his country!

And at the going down of the sun there went a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, Every man to his city and every man to his own land.

37 S o the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria.

So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

38 A nd they washed the war-wagon by the pool of Samaria. The dogs drank up his blood. (The women who sold the use of their bodies washed themselves there.) It happened as the word of the Lord said it would.

And they washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and they also washed his armour; and the dogs licked up his blood, according unto the word of the LORD which he had spoken.

39 N ow the rest of the acts of Ahab and all he did, the ivory house and cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

40 A hab died and his son Ahaziah became king in his place. Jehoshaphat Rules Judah

So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.

41 J ehoshaphat the son of Asa became the king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

¶ And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel.

42 J ehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

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 H e walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But the high places were not taken away. The people still gave gifts and burned special perfume on the high places.

And he walked in all the ways of Asa, his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

44 A nd Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

45 T he rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the strength he showed and how he fought, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his might that he showed and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

46 H e destroyed from the land those who were left of the men who sold the use of their bodies in their religion during the days of his father Asa.

And the remnant of the male cult prostitutes, which had remained from the days of his father Asa, he consumed out of the land.

47 N ow there was no king in Edom. A leader was acting as king.

There was then no king in Edom; there was a president instead of a king.

48 J ehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold. But they did not go. For the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

Jehoshaphat had made ships in Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.

49 T hen Ahab’s son Ahaziah said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing.

Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said unto Jehoshaphat, Let my slaves go with thy slaves in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

50 A nd Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. Jehoram his son became king in his place. Ahaziah Rules Israel

And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father, and Jehoram, his son, reigned in his stead.

51 A hab’s son Ahaziah became the king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he ruled Israel for two years.

Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the year seventeen of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.

52 H e did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in the way of his father and mother, and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD 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, who made Israel sin,

53 H e served the false god Baal and worshiped him. He made the Lord God of Israel angry in every way his father had done.

for he served Baal and worshipped him and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.