1Kings 22:44 - Prayer Tents

22They enjoyed three years of peace—no fighting between Aram and Israel.H3427H7969H8141H4421H758H3478 2In the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah had a meeting with the king of Israel.H7992H8141H3092H4428H3063H3381H4428H3478 3Israel's king remarked to his aides, "Do you realize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, and we're sitting around on our hands instead of taking it back from the king of Aram?"H4428H3478H559H5650H3045H7433H1568H2814H3947H3027H4428H758 4He turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "Will you join me in fighting for Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said, "You bet. I'm with you all the way—my troops are your troops, my horses are your horses."H559H3092H3212H4421H7433H1568H3092H559H4428H3478H3644H5971H5971H5483H5483 5He then continued, "But before you do anything, ask GOD for guidance."H3092H559H4428H3478H1875H1697H3068H3117 6The king of Israel got the prophets together—all four hundred of them—and put the question to them: "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead? Or should I hold back?" "Go for it," they said. "GOD will hand it over to the king."H4428H3478H6908H5030H6908H702H3967H376H559H3212H7433H1568H4421H2308H559H5927H136H5414H3027H4428 7But Jehoshaphat dragged his heels: "Is there still another prophet of GOD around here we can consult?"H3092H559H5030H3068H5750H1875 8The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "As a matter of fact, there is still one such man. But I hate him. He never preaches anything good to me, only doom, doom, doom—Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king shouldn't talk about a prophet like that," said Jehoshaphat.H4428H3478H559H3092H259H376H4321H1121H3229H1875H3068H8130H5012H2896H7451H3092H559H4428H559 9So the king of Israel ordered one of his men, "On the double! Get Micaiah son of Imlah."H4428H3478H7121H259H5631H559H4116H4321H1121H3229 10Meanwhile, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat were seated on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, resplendent in front of the Samaria city gates. All the prophets were staging a prophecy-performance for their benefit.H4428H3478H3092H4428H3063H3427H376H3678H3847H899H1637H6607H8179H8111H5030H5012H6440 11Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had even made a set of iron horns, and brandishing them called out, "GOD's word! With these horns you'll gore Aram until there's nothing left of him!"H6667H1121H3668H6213H7161H1270H559H559H3068H5055H758H3615 12All the prophets chimed in, "Yes! Go for Ramoth Gilead! An easy victory! GOD's gift to the king!"H5030H5012H559H5927H7433H1568H6743H3068H5414H4428H3027 13The messenger who went to get Micaiah said, "The prophets have all said Yes to the king. Make it unanimous—vote Yes!"H4397H1980H7121H4321H1696H559H1697H5030H2896H4428H259H6310H1697H1697H259H1696H2896 14But Micaiah said, "As surely as GOD lives, what GOD says, I'll say."H4321H559H3068H2416H3068H559H1696 15With Micaiah before him, the king asked him, "So Micaiah—do we attack Ramoth Gilead, or do we hold back?" "Go ahead," he said. "An easy victory. GOD's gift to the king."H935H4428H4428H559H4321H3212H7433H1568H4421H2308H559H5927H6743H3068H5414H3027H4428 16"Not so fast," said the king. "How many times have I made you promise under oath to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth?"H4428H559H6471H7650H1696H571H8034H3068 17"All right," said Micaiah, "since you insist. I saw all of Israel scattered over the hills, sheep with no shepherd. Then GOD spoke: 'These poor people have no one to tell them what to do. Let them go home and do the best they can for themselves.'"H559H7200H3478H6327H2022H6629H7462H3068H559H113H7725H376H1004H7965 18Then the king of Israel turned to Jehoshaphat, "See! What did I tell you? He never has a good word for me from GOD, only doom."H4428H3478H559H3092H559H5012H2896H7451 19Micaiah kept on: "I'm not done yet; listen to GOD's word: I saw GOD enthroned, and all the angel armies of heaven Standing at attention ranged on his right and his left.H559H8085H1697H3068H7200H3068H3427H3678H6635H8064H5975H3225H8040 20And GOD said, 'How can we seduce Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead?' Some said this, and some said that.H3068H559H6601H256H5927H5307H7433H1568H559H3541H559H3541 21Then a bold angel stepped out, stood before GOD, and said, 'I'll seduce him.' 'And how will you do it?' said GOD.H3318H7307H5975H6440H3068H559H6601 22'Easy,' said the angel, 'I'll get all the prophets to lie.' 'That should do it,' said GOD. 'On your way—seduce him!'H3068H559H559H3318H8267H7307H6310H5030H559H6601H3201H3318H6213 23"And that's what has happened. GOD filled the mouths of your puppet prophets with seductive lies. GOD has pronounced your doom."H3068H5414H8267H7307H6310H5030H3068H1696H7451 24Just then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came up and punched Micaiah in the nose, saying, "Since when did the Spirit of GOD leave me and take up with you?"H6667H1121H3668H5066H5221H4321H3895H559H335H5674H7307H3068H1696 25Micaiah said, "You'll know soon enough; you'll know it when you're frantically and futilely looking for a place to hide."H4321H559H7200H3117H935H2315H2315H2247 26The king of Israel had heard enough: "Get Micaiah out of here! Turn him over to Amon the city magistrate and to Joash the king's sonH4428H3478H559H3947H4321H7725H526H8269H5892H3101H4428H1121 27with this message, 'King's orders: Lock him up in jail; keep him on bread and water until I'm back in one piece.'"H559H559H4428H7760H1004H3608H398H3899H3906H4325H3906H935H7965 28Micaiah said, "If you ever get back in one piece, I'm no prophet of GOD." He added,"When it happens, O people, remember where you heard it!"H4321H559H7725H7725H7965H3068H1696H559H8085H5971 29The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead.H4428H3478H3092H4428H3063H5927H7433H1568 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Wear my kingly robe; I'm going into battle disguised." So the king of Israel entered the battle in disguise.H4428H3478H559H3092H2664H935H4421H3847H899H4428H3478H2664H935H4421 31Meanwhile, the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders (there were thirty-two of them): "Don't bother with anyone, whether small or great; go after the king of Israel and him only."H4428H758H6680H7970H8147H8269H7393H559H3898H6996H1419H4428H3478 32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat they said, "There he is! The king of Israel!" and took after him. Jehoshaphat yelled out,H8269H7393H7200H3092H559H4428H3478H5493H3898H3092H2199 33and the chariot commanders realized they had the wrong man—it wasn't the king of Israel after all. They let him go.H8269H7393H7200H4428H3478H7725H310 34Just then someone, without aiming, shot an arrow randomly into the crowd and hit the king of Israel in the chink of his armor. The king told his charioteer, "Turn back! Get me out of here—I'm wounded."H376H4900H7198H8537H5221H4428H3478H1694H8302H559H7395H2015H3027H3318H4264H2470 35All day the fighting continued, hot and heavy. Propped up in his chariot, the king watched from the sidelines. He died that evening. Blood from his wound pooled in the chariot.H4421H5927H3117H4428H5975H4818H5227H758H4191H6153H1818H3332H4347H2436H7393 36As the sun went down, shouts reverberated through the ranks, "Abandon camp! Head for home!H5674H7440H4264H935H8121H559H376H5892H376H776 37The king is dead!" The king was brought to Samaria and there they buried him.H4428H4191H935H8111H6912H4428H8111 38They washed down the chariot at the pool of Samaria where the town whores bathed, and the dogs lapped up the blood, just as GOD's word had said.H7857H7393H1295H8111H3611H3952H1818H7364H2185H1697H3068H1696 39The rest of Ahab's life—everything he did, the ivory palace he built, the towns he founded, and the defense system he built up—is all written up in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H256H6213H8127H1004H1129H5892H1129H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478 40He was buried in the family cemetery and his son Ahaziah was the next king.H256H7901H1H274H1121H4427

Jehoshaphat of Judah

41Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.H3092H1121H609H4427H3063H702H8141H256H4428H3478 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.H3092H7970H2568H8141H1121H4427H4427H6242H2568H8141H3389H517H8034H5806H1323H7977 43He continued the kind of life characteristic of his father Asa—no detours, no dead ends—pleasing GOD with his life. But he failed to get rid of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines. People continued to pray and worship at these idolatrous shrines.H3212H1870H609H1H5493H6213H3477H5869H3068H1116H5493H5971H2076H6999H1116 44And he kept on good terms with the king of Israel.H3092H7999H4428H3478 45The rest of Jehoshaphat's life, his achievements and his battles, is all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.H3499H1697H3092H1369H6213H3898H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063 46Also, he got rid of the sacred prostitutes left over from the days of his father Asa.H3499H6945H7604H3117H1H609H1197H776 47Edom was kingless during his reign; a deputy was in charge.H4428H123H5324H4428 48Jehoshaphat built ocean-going ships to sail to Ophir for gold. But they never made it; they shipwrecked at Ezion Geber.H3092H6213H6240H591H8659H3212H211H2091H1980H591H7665H6100 49During that time Ahaziah son of Ahab proposed a joint shipping venture, but Jehoshaphat wouldn't go in with him.H559H274H1121H256H3092H5650H3212H5650H591H3092H14 50Then Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the family cemetery in the City of David his ancestor. Jehoram his son was the next king.H3092H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H1H3088H1121H4427

Ahaziah of Israel

51Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He ruled Israel for two years.H274H1121H256H4427H3478H8111H7651H6240H8141H3092H4428H3063H4427H8141H3478 52As far as GOD was concerned, he lived an evil life, reproducing the bad life of his father and mother, repeating the pattern set down by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into a life of sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H1H1870H517H1870H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398 53Worshiping at the Baal shrines, he made GOD, the God of Israel, angry, oh, so angry. If anything, he was worse than his father.H5647H1168H7812H3707H3068H430H3478H1H6213