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Ahab Battles Against Aram

¹ So ^(F1)they lived for three years without war between Aram and Israel.^2 (C1)Now it happened in the third year, that ^(C2)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.³ Then the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that ^(C1)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, but we are sitting still so as not to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?"⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "^(C1)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

Ahab Hates Micaiah

⁵ Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire ^(F1)first for the word of Yahweh."⁶ Then ^(C1)the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."⁷ But ^(C1)Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?"⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imlah."¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(C1)all the prophets were prophesying before them.¹¹ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(C1)horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says Yahweh, '^(C2)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.'"¹² All the prophets were also prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king."

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

¹³ Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good towards the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good."¹⁴ But Micaiah said, "^(C1)As Yahweh lives, what ^(C2)Yahweh says to me, that I shall speak."

¹⁵ Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he said to him, "^(C1)Go up and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king."¹⁶ Then the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear that you will speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?"¹⁷ So he said,

"I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
^(C1)Like sheep which have no shepherd.
And Yahweh said,
'These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁹ Then ^(F1)Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. ^(C1)I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and ^(C2)all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.²⁰ "And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that.²¹ "Then a spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.'²² "And Yahweh said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and ^(C1)be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.'²³ "So now, behold, ^(C1)Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you."

²⁴ Then ^(C1)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "^(C2)How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?"²⁵ And Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you ^(C1)enter an inner room to hide."²⁶ Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Joash the king's son;²⁷ and say, 'Thus says the king, "^(C1)Put this man in prison and feed him ^(F1)sparingly with bread and water until I come back safely."'"²⁸ And Micaiah said, "^(C1)If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me." And he said, "^(C2)Listen, all you people."

The Death of Ahab

²⁹ So ^(C1)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "^(C1)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your garments." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.³¹ Now ^(C1)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone."³² Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel," and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.³³ So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^(F1)in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn ^(F2)around and take me out of the ^(F3)fight, ^(C1)for I am severely wounded."³⁵ Now the battle ^(F1)raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot.^36 (C1)Then a shout of lament passed throughout the camp close to sunset, saying, "Every man to his city and every man to his land."

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.³⁸ And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), ^(C1)according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke.³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and ^(C1)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

^41 (C1)Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.^43 (C1)And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn away from it, doing what is right in the sight of Yahweh. ^(C2)However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.^44 (C1)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he warred, are they not written ^(C1)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?⁴⁶ And the remnant of ^(C1)the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he purged from the land.

⁴⁷ Now ^(C1)there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ^(C1)ships of Tarshish to go to ^(C2)Ophir for gold, but ^(C3)they did not go for the ships were broken at ^(C4)Ezion-geber.⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat was not willing.^50 (C1)And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns over Israel

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab ^(C1)became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.⁵² And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and ^(C1)walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.^53 (C1)So he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger, according to all that his father had done.