2 Chronicles 16–18

The End of Asa’s Reign

16In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha the king of Israel went up against Judah. And he built Ramah in order not to allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. ²Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the storehouses of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent them to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram,^a who lived in Damascus, saying, ³“There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he might withdraw from me.”

⁴And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent commanders of his troops that were with him against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵And it happened that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

⁷And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “On account of your reliance upon the king of Aram,^b and since you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the troops of the king of Aram^c escaped from your hand. ⁸Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with very abundant chariots and horsemen? And because of your reliance on Yahweh he gave them into your hand. ⁹For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the prison,^d for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹¹Now behold, the words of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹²And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he fell severely^e ill in his feet. But even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only among the healers. ¹³And Asa slept with his ancestors.^f And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴And they buried him in his burial site, which had been cut out for him in the city of David. And they laid him on the bier which they had filled with all kinds of spices made by the perfumers as a fragrant ointment. And they made a great fire in his honor.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ²And he put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken. ³And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek after the Baals, ⁴but he sought after the God of his ancestors^a and walked in his commandments and not according to the works of Israel. ⁵So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor. ⁶And his heart was courageous in the ways of Yahweh. Moreover, he removed the high places and the Asherahs from Judah.

⁷In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

¹⁰And the fear of Yahweh was upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹And some of the Philistines brought a gift and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. The Arabians also brought him seven thousand seven hundred sheep and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

¹²And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater,^b and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³And he had many supplies in the cities of Judah and mighty warriors for battle in Jerusalem. ¹⁴Now these were their enrollment by the house of their ancestors:^c of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah, the commander, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty armed warriors; ¹⁵and at his side,^d Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶and at his side,^e Amasiah the son of Zicri, who had made a freewill offering to Yahweh, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty armed warriors. ¹⁷And from Benjamin: Eliada, a powerful mighty warrior, and with him were two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸and at his side,^f Jehozabad, and with him were one hundred and eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹These were serving the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab

18Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab. ²And after some years^a he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and for the people who were with him, and urged him to go up against Ramoth-Gilead. ³And Ahab the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go up with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people with you in war.”

⁴Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Seek first of all^b the word of Yahweh.” ⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, “Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?” And they said, “Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶Then Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh that we might inquire of him?” ⁷Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom to seek Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always^c disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Then Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say thus.” ⁸Then the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, clothed in robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘With these you will gore Aram^d to their destruction.’ ” ¹¹And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph! Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹²Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good.” ¹³But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak.”

¹⁴And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall I cease?” And he said, “Go up and triumph! They shall be given into your hand.” ¹⁵But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing except the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that had no shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no masters; let each of them return to his own house in peace.’ ” ¹⁷Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?” ¹⁸Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting upon his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel that he would go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that. ²⁰Then a spirit came forth and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ Then Yahweh said to him, ‘By what means?’ ²¹Then he said, ‘I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him and will also succeed. Go out and do so.’ ²²So now, behold, Yahweh has put a spirit of deception into the mouths of these your prophets. Yahweh has spoken disaster against you.”

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way^e did the Spirit of Yahweh come from me to speak to you?” ²⁴Then Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into a private room to hide yourself.” ²⁵Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king, ²⁶and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this one into the prison house, and let him eat a meager ration of bread and water^f until I return in peace.” ’ ” ²⁷And Micaiah said, “If you surely return in peace Yahweh has not spoken with me.” Then he said, “Hear, peoples, all of them!”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ²⁹And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you, wear your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war. ³⁰Now the king of Aram^g had commanded the commanders of his chariots,^h saying, “Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹And it happened that when the commanders of the chariotsⁱ saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, “It is the king of Israel!” And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him. ³²And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots^j saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him. ³³Now a certain…