1 And they continued three years without war between Syria and
Israel.
2 And
it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down
to the king of Israel.
3 And
the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours,
and we be still, and take
it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?
4 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 And
Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of
the LORD to day.
6 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 And
Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD
besides, that we might enquire of him?
8 And
the king of Israel said 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 doth not prophesy
good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
9 Then
the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah
the son of Imlah.
10 And
the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne,
having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of
Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And
Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith
the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed
them.
12 And
all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for
the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.
13 And
the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now,
the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let
thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
14 And
Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith
unto me, that will I speak.
15 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
prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
16 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 And
he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a
shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to
his house in peace.
18 And
the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would
prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
19 And
he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on
his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on
his left.
20 And
the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at
Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
21 And
there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade
him.
22 And
the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? 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 Now
therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
24 But
Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and
said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
25 And
Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an
inner chamber to hide thyself.
26 And
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 And
say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread
of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
28 And
Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me.
And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
29 So
the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.
30 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 But
the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his
chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king
of Israel.
32 And
it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they
said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned
aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 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 And
a certain man
drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the
harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and
carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.
35 And
the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot
against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into
the midst of the chariot.
36 And
there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun,
saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
37 So
the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And one washed
the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they
washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
39 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 So
Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41 And
Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab
king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty
and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years
in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
43 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 And
Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now
the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he
warred, are they
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46 And
the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he
took out of the land.
47 There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.
48 Jehoshaphat
made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the
ships were broken at Eziongeber.
49 Then
said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy
servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.
50 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 Ahaziah
the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52 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 to sin:
53 For
he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of
Israel, according to all that his father had done.
