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¹ And Iosaphat had greate riches and worshippe, and made frendshippe wt Achab.² And after two yeares wente he downe to Achab vnto Samaria. And Achab caused many shepe and oxe to be slayne for him and for ye people that were with him. And he counceled him to go vp vnto Ramoth in Gilead.³ And Achab the kynge of Israel sayde vnto Iosaphat the kynge of Iuda: Go with me vnto Ramoth in Gilead. He sayde vnto him: I am as thou, and my people as thy people, we wyll go with the vnto the battayll.

⁴ But Iosaphat sayde vnto the kynge of Israel: Axe councell (I praye the) this daye at the worde of the LORDE.⁵ And the kynge of Israel gathered the prophetes together, euen foure hundreth men, & saide vnto them: Shal we go to the battayll vnto Ramoth in Gilead, or shal I let it alone? They sayde: Go vp, God shal delyuer it into the kynges hade.⁶ But Iosaphat sayde: Is there not yet one prophet of the LORDE here, yt we maye axe at him?⁷ The kynge of Israel sayde vnto Iosaphat: There is yet one man, at whom we maye axe of ye LORDE: but I hate him, for he prophecieth me no good, but allwaye euell, namely Micheas the sonne of Iemla. Iosaphat sayde: Let not the kynge saye so.⁸ And the kynge of Israel called one of his chamberlaynes, & sayde: Brynge hither soone Micheas the sonne of Iemla.⁹ And the kynge of Israel, and Iosaphat the kynge of Iuda, sat either of them vpon his seate, arayed in their garmentes. Euen in the place at the dore of the porte of Samaria sat they, and all ye prophetes prophecied before them.¹⁰ And Sedechias the sonne of Cnaena had made him hornes of yron, and sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: With these shalt thou pu?she at the Syrians, tyll thou brynge them to naughte.¹¹ And all the prophetes prophecied likewyse, & sayde: Go vp vnto Ramoth in Gilead, and thou shalt prospere, and ye LORDE shal delyuer it in to the kynges hande.¹² And the messaunger that wente to call Micheas, spake vnto him, and sayde: Beholde, ye wordes of the prophetes are with one acorde good before the kynge: let thy worde (I praye the) be as one of theirs, and speake thou good also.¹³ But Micheas sayde: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, loke what my God sayeth vnto me, yt wyl I speake.¹⁴ And whan he came to the kynge, the kynge sayde vnto him: Micheas, shulde we go vnto Ramoth in Gilead to the battayll, or shulde we let it alone? He saide: Go vp, and ye shal prospere. It shal be geue you in youre handes.¹⁵ But ye kynge sayde vnto him: I charge ye yet agayne, that thou tell me nothinge but ye trueth in the name of the LORDE.¹⁶ Then saide he: I sawe all Israel scatered abrode vpo the mountaynes, as the shepe yt haue no shepherde. And the LORDE sayde: Haue these no lorde? Let euery one turne home agayne in peace.¹⁷ The sayde the kynge of Israel vnto Iosaphat: Dyd not I tell the, yt he wolde prophecie me no good, but euell?¹⁸ And he sayde: Therfore heare ye the worde of the LORDE: I sawe the LORDE syt vpon his seate, and all the hoost of heauen stondinge at his righte hande & at his lefte.¹⁹ And the LORDE sayde: Wo wyll disceaue Achab the kynge of Israel, that he maye go vp & fall at Ramoth in Gilead? And whan one sayde thus, another so,²⁰ there came forth a sprete, and stode before ye LORDE, and sayde: I wyl disceaue him. The LORDE sayde vnto him: Wherwith?²¹ He sayde: I wyll go forth, and be a false sprete in the mouth of all his prophetes. And he sayde: Thou shalt disceaue him, and shalt be able: go thy waye, and do so.²² Beholde now, the LORDE hath geuen a false sprete in the mouth of all these thy prophetes, and the LORDE hath spoke euell agaynst the.²³ Then stepte forth Sedechias the sonne of Cnaena, and smote Micheas vpon the cheke, and sayde: Which waye is the sprete of ye LORDE departed fro me, to speake thorow the?²⁴ Micheas sayde: Beholde, thou shalt se it, whan thou commest in to ye ynmost chamber to hyde the.²⁵ But the kynge of Israel sayde: Take Micheas, and let him remayne wt Amon the ruler of the cite, and with Ioas the sonne of Melech,²⁶ and saye: Thus sayeth the kynge: Put this man in preson, and fede him wt bred and water of trouble, tyll I come agayne in peace.²⁷ Micheas saide: Yf thou commest agayne in peace, then hath not the LORDE spoken thorow me. And he sayde: Herken to all ye people.

²⁸ So the kynge of Israel, and Iosaphat ye kynge of Iuda wente vp vnto Ramoth in Gilead.²⁹ And ye kynge of Israel sayde vnto Iosaphat: Chaunge thy clothes, and come to the battayll in thine araye. And ye kynge of Israel chaunged his rayment, & came in to the battayll.³⁰ But the kynge of Syria had commaunded the rulers of his charettes: Ye shal fighte nether agaynst small ner greate, but onely agaynst the kynge of Israel.³¹ Now whan the rulers of the charrettes sawe Iosaphat, they thoughte: It is ye kynge of Israel, and they wete aboute to fighte agaynst him. But Iosaphat cryed, and the LORDE helped him. And God turned them from him:³² for whan the rulers of the charettes sawe that it was not ye kynge of Israel, they turned back from him.³³ But a certayne man bended his bowe harde, & shot the kynge of Israel betwene the mawe and the longes. The sayde he vnto his charet man: Turne thine hade, and cary me out of the hoost, for I am wounded.³⁴ And the battayll was sore the same daye. And the kynge of Israel stode vpon his charet agaynst the Syrians vntyll the euenynge, and dyed wha the Sonne wente downe.