Old Testament · History

1 Kings chapter 22

For three years there was no war between and Israel.In the third year, king of Judah to visit the king of Israel.The king of Israel said to his officials, “You know that belongs to us, right? And we’re just sitting here instead of taking it back from the king of Aram.”Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I’m with you all the way — .”But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First, let’s ask what has to say about this.”So the king of Israel gathered the together — about four hundred of them — and asked them, “Should I go attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold off?” They said, “Go for it! will hand it over to the king.”But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there here we can ask? Someone besides these?”The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man we could ask Yahweh through — son of Imlah. But because he never prophesies anything good about me, only bad.” Jehoshaphat replied, “The king shouldn’t say that.”So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick — go get Micaiah son of Imlah.”Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the by the entrance to the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying in front of them.One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, had made for himself and declared, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With these you will the Arameans until they’re finished off!’”All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing: “Attack Ramoth-gilead and win! Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”Meanwhile, the messenger who had gone to get Micaiah told him, “Look — every single prophet is telling the king good news. Make your message match theirs. Say something positive.”But Micaiah said, “, I will say only what Yahweh tells me to say.”When he arrived before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go attack Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold off?” He answered, “ Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”The king said to him, “How many times do I have to make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered across the hills like , and Yahweh said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home .’”The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “See? Didn’t I tell you? He never prophesies anything good about me — only bad.”Micaiah continued, “Then listen to what Yahweh has to say. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with standing around him, on his right and on his left.”And Yahweh said, ‘Who will Ahab into attacking Ramoth-gilead so he falls there?’ One suggested this, another suggested that.Then came forward, stood before Yahweh, and said, ‘I’ll lure him.’Yahweh asked, ‘How?’ The spirit answered, ‘I’ll go out and be in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will succeed. Go and do it.’“So right now, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. Yahweh has decided that is coming for you.”Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up and . “So which way did the spirit of Yahweh go when it left me to speak to you?” he demanded.Micaiah replied, “You’ll find out which way it went on the day you run and hide in an .”The king of Israel ordered, “Arrest Micaiah and send him back to Amon the city governor and Joash .”“Tell them, ‘The king says: Put this man in prison and give him nothing but until I come back safely.’”Micaiah declared, “If you actually come back safely, then Yahweh has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “”So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah marched on Ramoth-gilead.The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I’ll and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the fight.Now the king of Aram had ordered his , “Don’t bother fighting anyone else — only the king of Israel himself.”When the chariot commanders spotted Jehoshaphat, they assumed, “That must be the king of Israel!” They turned to attack him, and Jehoshaphat .When the chariot commanders realized he wasn’t the king of Israel, they broke off their pursuit of him.But someone and hit the king of Israel . Ahab told his chariot driver, “Turn around and get me out of the battle — I’ve been hit.”The battle raged on all day, and the king was in his chariot facing the Arameans. Blood from his wound , and by evening he was dead.As the sun went down, : “Every man to his city! Every man to his land!”So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there in Samaria.When they washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, — and — .As for everything else Ahab did — including he built and all the cities he fortified — isn’t it all written in ?Ahab , and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.Jehoshaphat son of became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.He walked in all the ways of his father Asa and didn’t stray from them — he .However, were not removed — the people still sacrificed and burned offerings at those shrines.Jehoshaphat also with the king of Israel.As for everything else Jehoshaphat did — his achievements and the wars he waged — isn’t it all written in ?He also cleared out from the land the remaining who had survived from the days of his father Asa.There was no king in at the time — a ruled instead.Jehoshaphat built a fleet of to sail to for gold, but they never made the voyage — the ships wrecked at .Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my men sail with your men,” but .Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in , his ancestor. His son Jehoram became king in his place. son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he ruled Israel for two years.He and walked in the ways of his father and mother, and in the ways of , who had led Israel into .