1Kings 22
22For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel.H3427H7969H8141H4421H758H3478 2Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel.H7992H8141H3092H4428H3063H3381H4428H3478 3During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, "Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? And yet we've done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!"H4428H3478H559H5650H3045H7433H1568H2814H3947H3027H4428H758 4Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, "Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses."H559H3092H3212H4421H7433H1568H3092H559H4428H3478H3644H5971H5971H5483H5483 5Then Jehoshaphat added, "But first let's find out what the LORD says."H3092H559H4428H3478H1875H1697H3068H3117 6So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, "Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?" They all replied, "Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory."H4428H3478H6908H5030H6908H702H3967H376H559H3212H7433H1568H4421H2308H559H5927H136H5414H3027H4428 7But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not also a prophet of the LORD here? We should ask him the same question."H3092H559H5030H3068H5750H1875 8The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, "There is one more man who could consult the LORD for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat replied, "That's not the way a king should talk! Let's hear what he has to say."H4428H3478H559H3092H259H376H4321H1121H3229H1875H3068H8130H5012H2896H7451H3092H559H4428H559 9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Quick! Bring Micaiah son of Imlah."H4428H3478H7121H259H5631H559H4116H4321H1121H3229 10King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab's prophets were prophesying there in front of them.H4428H3478H3092H4428H3063H3427H376H3678H3847H899H1637H6607H8179H8111H5030H5012H6440 11One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, "This is what the LORD says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!"H6667H1121H3668H6213H7161H1270H559H559H3068H5055H758H3615 12All the other prophets agreed. "Yes," they said, "go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the LORD will give the king victory!"H5030H5012H559H5927H7433H1568H6743H3068H5414H4428H3027 13Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, "Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success."H4397H1980H7121H4321H1696H559H1697H5030H2896H4428H259H6310H1697H1697H259H1696H2896 14But Micaiah replied, "As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what the LORD tells me to say."H4321H559H3068H2416H3068H559H1696 15When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?" Micaiah replied sarcastically, "Yes, go up and be victorious, for the LORD will give the king victory!"H935H4428H4428H559H4321H3212H7433H1568H4421H2308H559H5927H6743H3068H5414H3027H4428 16But the king replied sharply, "How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the LORD?"H4428H559H6471H7650H1696H571H8034H3068 17Then Micaiah told him, "In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, 'Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.'"H559H7200H3478H6327H2022H6629H7462H3068H559H113H7725H376H1004H7965 18"Didn't I tell you?" the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. "He never prophesies anything but trouble for me."H4428H3478H559H3092H559H5012H2896H7451 19Then Micaiah continued, "Listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left.H559H8085H1697H3068H7200H3068H3427H3678H6635H8064H5975H3225H8040 20And the LORD said, 'Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?' "There were many suggestions,H3068H559H6601H256H5927H5307H7433H1568H559H3541H559H3541 21and finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, 'I can do it!'H3318H7307H5975H6440H3068H559H6601 22"'How will you do this?' the LORD asked. "And the spirit replied, 'I will go out and inspire all of Ahab's prophets to speak lies.' "'You will succeed,' said the LORD. 'Go ahead and do it.'H3068H559H559H3318H8267H7307H6310H5030H559H6601H3201H3318H6213 23"So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the LORD has pronounced your doom."H3068H5414H8267H7307H6310H5030H3068H1696H7451 24Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. "Since when did the Spirit of the LORD leave me to speak to you?" he demanded.H6667H1121H3668H5066H5221H4321H3895H559H335H5674H7307H3068H1696 25And Micaiah replied, "You will find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret room!"H4321H559H7200H3117H935H2315H2315H2247 26"Arrest him!" the king of Israel ordered. "Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash.H4428H3478H559H3947H4321H7725H526H8269H5892H3101H4428H1121 27Give them this order from the king: 'Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!'"H559H559H4428H7760H1004H3608H398H3899H3906H4325H3906H935H7965 28But Micaiah replied, "If you return safely, it will mean that the LORD has not spoken through me!" Then he added to those standing around, "Everyone mark my words!"H4321H559H7725H7725H7965H3068H1696H559H8085H5971 29So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead.H4428H3478H3092H4428H3063H5927H7433H1568 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.H4428H3478H559H3092H2664H935H4421H3847H899H4428H3478H2664H935H4421 31Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his thirty-two chariot commanders: "Attack only the king of Israel. Don't bother with anyone else!"H4428H758H6680H7970H8147H8269H7393H559H3898H6996H1419H4428H3478 32So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. "There is the king of Israel!" they shouted. But when Jehoshaphat called out,H8269H7393H7200H3092H559H4428H3478H5493H3898H3092H2199 33the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, and they stopped chasing him.H8269H7393H7200H4428H3478H7725H310 34An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. "Turn the horses and get me out of here!" Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. "I'm badly wounded!"H376H4900H7198H8537H5221H4428H3478H1694H8302H559H7395H2015H3027H3318H4264H2470 35The battle raged all that day, and the king remained propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of his chariot, and as evening arrived he died.H4421H5927H3117H4428H5975H4818H5227H758H4191H6153H1818H3332H4347H2436H7393 36Just as the sun was setting, the cry ran through his troops: "We're done for! Run for your lives!"H5674H7440H4264H935H8121H559H376H5892H376H776 37So the king died, and his body was taken to Samaria and buried there.H4428H4191H935H8111H6912H4428H8111 38Then his chariot was washed beside the pool of Samaria, and dogs came and licked his blood at the place where the prostitutes bathed, just as the LORD had promised.H7857H7393H1295H8111H3611H3952H1818H7364H2185H1697H3068H1696 39The rest of the events in Ahab's reign and everything he did, including the story of the ivory palace and the towns he built, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H256H6213H8127H1004H1129H5892H1129H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478 40So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became the next king.H256H7901H1H274H1121H4427 41Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab's reign in Israel.H3092H1121H609H4427H3063H702H8141H256H4428H3478 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.H3092H7970H2568H8141H1121H4427H4427H6242H2568H8141H3389H517H8034H5806H1323H7977 43Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.H3212H1870H609H1H5493H6213H3477H5869H3068H1116H5493H5971H2076H6999H1116 44Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.H3092H7999H4428H3478 45The rest of the events in Jehoshaphat's reign, the extent of his power, and the wars he waged are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.H3499H1697H3092H1369H6213H3898H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063 46He banished from the land the rest of the male and female shrine prostitutes, who still continued their practices from the days of his father, Asa.H3499H6945H7604H3117H1H609H1197H776 47(There was no king in Edom at that time, only a deputy.)H4428H123H5324H4428 48Jehoshaphat also built a fleet of trading ships to sail to Ophir for gold. But the ships never set sail, for they met with disaster in their home port of Ezion-geber.H3092H6213H6240H591H8659H3212H211H2091H1980H591H7665H6100 49At one time Ahaziah son of Ahab had proposed to Jehoshaphat, "Let my men sail with your men in the ships." But Jehoshaphat refused the request.H559H274H1121H256H3092H5650H3212H5650H591H3092H14 50When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.H3092H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H1H3088H1121H4427 51Ahaziah son of Ahab began to rule over Israel in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years.H274H1121H256H4427H3478H8111H7651H6240H8141H3092H4428H3063H4427H8141H3478 52But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the example of his father and mother and the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H1H1870H517H1870H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398 53He served Baal and worshiped him, provoking the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.H5647H1168H7812H3707H3068H430H3478H1H6213
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. Send them home in peace.'"H559
