1 Kings 22

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab

22There was ^xa lull of three years ^ywithout war between Aram and Israel. ²However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat ^zking of Judah went to visit the king of Israel. ^a3The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead ^bis ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴So ^che asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?” ^d

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ^e5But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please ask what the Lord’s will is.” ^f

⁶So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, ^gand asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?”

They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ^h

⁷But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahweh here anymore? ⁱLet’s ask him.”

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him ^jbecause he never prophesies good about me, ^kbut only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

⁹So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ^lclothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were on the threshing floor ^mat the entrance to Samaria’s gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹¹Then Zedekiah ⁿson of Chenaanah made iron horns ^oand said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’ ” ¹²And all the prophets were prophesying the same: “March up to Ramoth-gilead ^pand succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah’s Message of Defeat

¹³The messenger ^qwho went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

¹⁴But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^rI will say whatever the Lord says to me.” ^s

¹⁵So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?”

Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”

¹⁶But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”

¹⁷So Micaiah said:

I saw all Israel scattered on the hills

like sheep without a shepherd. ^t

And the Lord said,

“They have no master;

let everyone return home in peace.” ^u

¹⁸So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”

¹⁹Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, ^vand the whole heavenly host ^wwas standing by Him at His right hand and at His left hand. ²⁰And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ ^xSo one was saying this and another was saying that.

²¹“Then a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

²²“The Lord asked him, ‘How?’

“He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit ^yin the mouth of all his prophets.’

“Then He said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. ^zGo and do that.’

²³“You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”

²⁴Then Zedekiah ^ason of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Did ^bthe Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” ^c

²⁵Micaiah replied, “You will soon see when you go to hide yourself in an inner chamber on that day.” ^d

²⁶Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son, ^e27and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison ^fand feed him only bread and water ^guntil I come back safely.’ ”

²⁸But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” ^hThen he said, “Listen, all you people!” ^ij

Ahab’s Death

²⁹Then ^kthe king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead. ^l30But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise ^mmyself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. ⁿ

³¹Now the king of Aram had ordered his 32 chariot commanders, ^o“Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel.” ^p

³²When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴But a man drew his bow ^qwithout taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, ^rfor I am badly wounded!” ^s35The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening, ^tand blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, declaring:

Each man to his own city,

and each man to his own land! ^u

³⁷So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. ^v38Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the Lord that He had spoken. ^w

³⁹The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, including the ivory palace ^xhe built, and all the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ^y40Ahab rested with his fathers, ^zand his son Ahaziah ^abecame king in his place.

Judah’s King Jehoshaphat

⁴¹Jehoshaphat ^bson of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Israel’s King Ahab. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king; he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³He walked in all the ways of his father Asa; ^che did not turn away from them but did what was right in the Lord’s sight. However, the high places were not taken away; ^dthe people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^e44Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. ^f

⁴⁵The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. ^g46He removed from the land the rest of the male cult prostitutes who were left from the days of his father Asa. ^h47There was no king in Edom; ⁱa deputy served as king. ⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish ^jto go to Ophir ^kfor gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. ^l49At that time, Ahaziah ^mson of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. ⁿHis son Jehoram ^obecame king in his place.

Israel’s King Ahaziah

⁵¹Ahaziah ^pson of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria ^qin the seventeenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat ^rand reigned over Israel two years. ⁵²He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. ^sHe walked in the way of his father, ^tin the way of his mother, ^uand in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. ^v53He served Baal and worshiped him. ^wHe provoked the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. ^x