1 KingsChapter 22

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¹Then three years went by without war between Aram and Israel. ²But in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel. ³The king of Israel said to his officials, "Don't you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? But we haven't done anything to take it back from the king of Aram." ⁴So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, "I am with you all the way. My people are your people. My horses are your horses." ⁵But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First, please ask what the LORD has to say." ⁶So the king of Israel gathered the prophets. There were about 400 men. He asked them, "Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?" "Go," they answered. "The Lord will hand it over to the king." ⁷But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there still a prophet of the LORD here? We could ask him." ⁸The king of Israel answered, "There is still one man we can ask about the LORD's will. But I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, only bad. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat said, "The king shouldn't say that!" ⁹So the king of Israel called one of his officials. He said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah right away." ¹⁰The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah wore their royal robes. They were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor near the entrance of Samaria's gate. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹¹Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made some iron horns. He said, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are all destroyed.'" ¹²All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. They said, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and win! The LORD will hand it over to the king." ¹³The messenger who had gone to get Micaiah spoke to him. He said, "Listen. All the other prophets agree. They are telling the king he will win. So please make your words like theirs. Say something good." ¹⁴But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I will say whatever the LORD tells me." ¹⁵When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?" Micaiah answered, "Go up and win. The LORD will hand it over to the king." ¹⁶But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear an oath? Tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD!" ¹⁷So Micaiah said, "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.'" ¹⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you? He never prophesies anything good about me, only bad." ¹⁹Micaiah went on, "So listen to the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne. All the armies of heaven were standing around him, on his right and on his left. ²⁰The LORD said, 'Who will trick Ahab into going to Ramoth-gilead so he will die there?' One said one thing, and another said something else. ²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood in front of the LORD. He said, 'I will trick him.' The LORD asked, 'How?' ²²He answered, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' The LORD said, 'You will trick him, and you will succeed. Go and do it.' ²³So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has said that disaster will come on you." ²⁴Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah walked up and slapped Micaiah in the face. He asked, "Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when he left me to speak to you?" ²⁵Micaiah answered, "You will find out on the day you go and hide in an inner room." ²⁶Then the king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah. Send him back to Amon, the ruler of the city, and to Joash, the king's son. ²⁷Tell them this is what the king says: 'Put this man in prison. Give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.'" ²⁸But Micaiah answered, "If you ever come back safely, then the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he said, "All you people, remember what I said!" ²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I'll go into battle in disguise. But you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel put on a disguise and went into battle. ³¹Now the king of Aram had given an order to his 32 chariot commanders. He said, "Don't fight with anyone, big or small. Fight only with the king of Israel." ³²The chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat. They said, "That must be the king of Israel!" So they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³Then the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel. So they stopped chasing him. ³⁴But a soldier shot an arrow without aiming at anyone in particular. It hit the king of Israel between the pieces of his armor. The king said to his chariot driver, "Turn around and get me out of the battle. I've been badly wounded!" ³⁵The battle went on all day long. The king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Arameans. Blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot. That evening he died. ³⁶As the sun was going down, a shout went through the army: "Every man go back to his own town! Every man go back to his own land!" ³⁷So the king died. He was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. ³⁸They washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed. And dogs licked up Ahab's blood. It happened just as the LORD had said. ³⁹The rest of what Ahab did is written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. It tells all he did. It tells about the palace he built and decorated with ivory. It tells about all the towns he built. ⁴⁰Ahab died and was laid to rest with his ancestors. His son Ahaziah became king after him. ⁴¹Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year that Ahab was king of Israel. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³Jehoshaphat followed all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn away from them. He did what was right in the LORD's eyes. But the high places were not taken away. The people still offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. ⁴⁴Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. ⁴⁵The rest of what Jehoshaphat did is written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. It tells about the power he showed and how he fought wars. ⁴⁶He got rid of the male shrine prostitutes who were still in the land. They had been left over from the time of his father Asa. ⁴⁷There was no king in Edom at that time. A deputy ruled as king. ⁴⁸Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to sail to Ophir for gold. But they never set sail. They were wrecked at Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my men sail with your men." But Jehoshaphat said no. ⁵⁰Jehoshaphat died and was laid to rest with his ancestors. He was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram became king after him. ⁵¹Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in the seventeenth year that Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Ahaziah ruled in Samaria for two years. ⁵²He did evil in the LORD's eyes. He lived the way his father and mother had lived. He also lived the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. ⁵³Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal. He made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry, just as his father had done.