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¹ And Iehosaphat had aboudaunce of richesse and honour, and ioyned affinitie with Ahab.² And after certayne yeres he went downe to Ahab to Samaria: And Ahab slue many sheepe and oxen for him and for the people that he had with him, and entreated him to go vp with him vnto Ramoth [in] Gilead.³ And Ahab king of Israel saide vnto Iehosaphat king of Iuda: wylt thou go with me to Ramoth [in] Gilead? And he aunswered him: I wyll be as thou, and my people shall be as thyne [and we wyll go] with thee to the warre.

⁴ And Iehosaphat saide vnto the king of Israel: Seke counsel I pray thee at the worde of the Lorde this same day.⁵ Therfore the king of Israel gathered together of prophetes foure hundred men, & saide vnto them: Shall we go to Ramoth [in] Gilead to fight, or should I ceasse? And they saide: Go vp, & God shall deliuer it into the kinges hand.⁶ But Iehosaphat saide: Is there yet here neuer a prophete more of the Lordes, that we myght aske of him?⁷ And the king of Israel said vnto Iehosaphat: There is yet one man by who we may aske the Lorde: but I hate him, for he neuer prophecieth me good, but alway euill, and the same is Michea the sonne of Iemla. And Iehosaphat sayde, Let not the king say so.⁸ And the king of Israel called one of his chamberlaynes, and sayde: Fetch hyther quickly Michea the sonne of Iemla.⁹ And the king of Israel and Iehosaphat king of Iuda, sate eyther of them on his seate in their apparell, in a thresshing floore beside the gate of Samaria, & al the prophetes prophecied before the.¹⁰ And one Zedekia the sonne of Chanaana had made him hornes of iron, and sayde, thus sayth the Lorde: With these thou shalt pushe Syria, vntill they be brought to naught.¹¹ And all the prophetes prophecied euen so, saying, Go vp to Ramoth [in] Gilead, & it shall prosper with thee: for the Lord shall deliuer it into the hand of the king.¹² And the messenger that went to call Michea, spake to him, saying: Behold, the wordes of the prophetes speake good to the king with one assent: let thy wordes therefore I pray thee be like one of theirs, that thou speake that whiche is pleasaunt.¹³ And Michea sayde: As the Lorde liueth, euen what my God sayth, that wil I speake.¹⁴ And when he was come to the king, the king sayd vnto him: Michea, should we go to Ramoth [in] Gilead to fight, or leaue of? And he sayd: Go vp, & al shalbe well, and they shalbe deliuered into your hande.¹⁵ And the king sayde to him: So and so many times do I charge thee that thou say nothing but the trueth to me in the name of the Lorde.¹⁶ Then he sayd: I did see all them of Israel scattered in the mountaynes, as sheepe that haue no sheephard: And the Lorde sayde, These haue no maister, let them returne euery man therfore to his house in peace.¹⁷ And the king of Israel said vnto Iehosaphat: Did I not tel thee, that he would not prophecie good vnto me, but euyll?¹⁸ But he said againe, Therfore heare ye the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sit vpon his seate, and all the companie of heauen stoode on his right hande and on his left.¹⁹ And the Lord sayd: Who shall deceaue Ahab king of Israel, that he may go vp and be ouerthrowne at Ramoth [in] Gilead? And one sayde this, another that.²⁰ And there came out a spirite, & stoode before the Lorde, and sayde: I will deceaue him. And the Lorde sayde vnto him, Wherin?²¹ And he sayde: I wil go out and be a lying spirite in the mouth of all his prophetes. And the Lord sayd, Thou shalt deceaue him, and shalt preuayle: go out, and do euen so.²² And nowe therfore behold the Lorde hath put a lying spirite in the mouthes of [all] these thy prophetes, and the Lord hath spoken euyll against thee.²³ And Zedekia the sonne of Chanaana went to, and smote Michea vpon the cheeke, & sayde: By what way went the spirite of the Lorde from me, to speake with thee?²⁴ And Michea sayd: Beholde, thou shalt see the day whe thou shalt go fro chamber to chamber, for to hyde thy selfe.²⁵ And the king of Israel sayd: Take ye Michea, and bring him to Amon the gouerner of the citie, & to Ioas the kinges sonne.²⁶ And ye shall say, thus sayth the king: Put this felowe in the prison house, and feede him with bread of affliction and water of trouble, vntil I come againe in peace.²⁷ And Michea said: If thou come againe in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me. And he sayde: Hearken to ye people euery one of you.

²⁸ And so the king of Israel and Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, went vp to Ramoth [in] Gilead.²⁹ And the king of Israel sayde vnto Iehosaphat, I must chaunge me when I go to the battell: but see that thou haue thyne owne apparel vpon thee. And the king of Israel chaunged him selfe, and they came to the battel.³⁰ But the king of Syria had commaunded the captaynes of the charets that were with him, saying: See that ye fight not against small or great, saue against the king of Israel only.³¹ And when the captaynes of the charets saw Iehosaphat, they sayd, It is ye king of Israel: And therfore they compassed about hym to fight. But Iehosaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God chased them away from him.³² For it came to passe, that when the captaynes of the charets perceaued that it was not the king of Israel, they turned backe againe from him.³³ And a certayne man drewe a bow with all his might, and smote the king of Israel beweene the ioyntes of his habergin, and he sayde to his charetman: Turne thyne hand, that thou mayst carie me out of the hoast, for I am wounded.³⁴ And the battel increased that day: Howbeit the king of Israel caused his charet to stand still against the Syrians vntill euen: And about the time of the sunne goyng downe, he died.