41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king
of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat
was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 In
everything he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them;
he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense there.[c]44 Jehoshaphat
was also at peace with the king of Israel.
45 As
for the other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, the things he achieved and his
military exploits, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings
of Judah? 46 He rid the land of the rest of the male shrine
prostitutes who remained there even after the reign of his father Asa. 47 There
was then no king in Edom; a provincial governor ruled.
48 Now
Jehoshaphat built a fleet of trading ships[d] to go to
Ophir for gold, but they never set sail—they were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49 At
that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my men sail with
yours,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 Then
Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of
David his father. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king.
29 So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30 The king
of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you
wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into
battle.
31 Now
the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight
with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” 32 When
the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “Surely this is the king
of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out, 33 the
chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing
him.
34 But
someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections
of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of
the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 35 All day long the battle
raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The
blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he
died. 36 As the sun was setting, a cry spread through the army:
“Every man to his town. Every man to his land!”
37 So
the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. 38 They
washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed),[b] and the
dogs licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord
had declared.
39 As
for the other events of Ahab’s reign, including all he did, the palace he built
and adorned with ivory, and the cities he fortified, are they not written in
the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 40 Ahab rested
with his ancestors. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
For
three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2 But in
the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 3 The
king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead
belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”
4 So
he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat
replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my
horses as your horses.” 5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king
of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
6 So
the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and
asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”
“Go,”
they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
7 But
Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
8 The
king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom
we can inquire of the Lord, but I
hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He
is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The
king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
9 So
the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of
Imlah at once.”
10 Dressed
in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were
sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of
Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 11 Now
Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, “This is what the
Lord says: ‘With these you will
gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
12 All
the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and
be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord
will give it into the king’s hand.”
13 The
messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets
without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with
theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But
Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord
lives, I can tell him only what the Lord
tells me.”
15 When
he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead,
or not?”
“Attack
and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord
will give it into the king’s hand.”
16 The
king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but
the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 Then
Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a
shepherd, and the Lord said,
‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
18 The
king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies
anything good about me, but only bad?”
19 Micaiah
continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord:
I saw the Lord sitting on his
throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and
on his left. 20 And the Lord
said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death
there?’
“One
suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came
forward, stood before the Lord and
said, ‘I will entice him.’
22 “‘By
what means?’ the Lord asked.
“‘I
will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he
said.
“‘You
will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord.
‘Go and do it.’
23 “So
now the Lord has put a deceiving
spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
24 Then
Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way
did the spirit from[a] the Lord go when he went from me to speak to
you?” he asked.
25 Micaiah
replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”
26 The
king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler
of the city and to Joash the king’s son 27 and say, ‘This is
what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread
and water until I return safely.’”
28 Micaiah
declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord
has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
