1 Kings 22:10–40; 1 Kings 22:51–53; 2 Chronicles 18:9–20:37

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1 Kings 22:10–40

10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor yat the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself zhorns of iron and said, Thus says the Lord, With these ayou shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed. 12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably. 14 But Micaiah said, bAs the Lord lives, cwhat the Lord says to me, that I will speak. 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain? And he answered him, Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king. 16 But the king said to him, How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? 17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, das sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master; let each return to his home in peace. 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, eDid I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 19 And Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord: fI saw the Lord sitting on his throne, gand all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 20 and the Lord said, Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, I will entice him. 22 And the Lord said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go out, and will be ha lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so. 23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.

24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near iand struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you? 25 And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you go jinto an inner chamber to hide yourself. 26 And the king of Israel said, Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 27 and say, Thus says the king, kPut this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, luntil I come in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If you return in peace, mthe Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, nHear, all you peoples!

Ahab Killed in Battle

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, oI will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded pthe thirty-two captains of his chariots, Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel. 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is surely the king of Israel. So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random1 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me out of the battle, qfor I am wounded. 35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, 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 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, raccording to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and sthe ivory house that he built 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 place.


1 Kings 22:51–53

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab fbegan 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 what was evil in the sight of the Lord gand 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 hHe served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger iin every way that his father had done.


2 Chronicles 18:9–20:37

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor dat the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, Thus says the Lord, With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed. 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.

12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably. 13 But Micaiah said, eAs the Lord lives, fwhat my God says, that I will speak. 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? And he answered, Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand. 15 But the king said to him, How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? 16 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, gas sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master; let each return to his home in peace. 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 18 And Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord: hI saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, I will entice him. And the Lord said to him, By what means? 21 And he said, I will go out, and will be ia lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so. 22 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near jand struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you? 24 And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. 25 And the king of Israel said, Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon kthe governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and say, Thus says the king, lPut this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace. 27 And Micaiah said, If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, mHear, all you peoples!

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel. 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random1 and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. But nJehu the son of oHanani pthe seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you qhelp the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, rwrath has gone out against you from the Lord. Nevertheless, ssome good is found in you, for tyou destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have uset your heart to seek God.

Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to vthe hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed wjudges in the land in all xthe fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, Consider what you do, yfor you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for zthere is no injustice with the Lord our God, aor partiality or taking bribes.

Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat bappointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, yto give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. And he charged them: cThus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, dand with your whole heart: 10 ewhenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and fwrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt. 11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you gin all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. hDeal courageously, and may the Lord be with the upright!2

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

After this ithe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,3 came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,4 from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in jHazazon-tamar (that is, kEngedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face lto seek the Lord, and mproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not nGod in heaven? You orule over all the kingdoms of the nations. pIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, qdrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of rAbraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, sIf disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,5 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before youufor your name is in this houseand cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save. 10 And now behold, the men of vAmmon and Moab and wMount Seir, whom xyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, yand whom they avoided and did not destroy 11 behold, they reward us zby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And cthe Spirit of the Lord came6 upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 gYou will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.

18 Then Jehoshaphat ibowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the jKohathites and the kKorahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into lthe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! mBelieve in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed. 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him nin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

oGive thanks to the Lord,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set pan ambush against the men of qAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, rthey all helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there7 were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,8 for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, sfor the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 tAnd the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, ufor his God gave him rest all around.

31 vThus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He 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. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 wThe high places, however, were not taken away; xthe people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of yJehu the son of Hanani, zwhich are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

35 aAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go to bTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, cBecause you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made. And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.