2 Chronicles 16–18

CHAPTER 16

Asa Wars Against Baasha

¹In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign ^aBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

²Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

³“Let there be a covenant between ¹you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”

⁴So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his military forces against the cities of Israel, and they struck down Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all ^athe ¹store cities of Naphtali.

⁵Now it happened that when Baasha heard of it, he ceased building up Ramah and stopped his work.

⁶Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Asa Imprisons a Seer

⁷Now at that time ^aHanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “^bBecause you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.

⁸“Were not ^athe Ethiopians and the Lubim ^ba vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet ^cbecause you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand.

⁹“For ^athe eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those ^bwhose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”

¹⁰Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in ¹prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

^11aNow behold, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

¹²And Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he ^adid not seek Yahweh, but the physicians.

¹³So Asa slept with his fathers. And he died in the forty-first year of his reign.

¹⁴And they buried him in his own tomb which he had ¹cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled ^awith spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and ^bthey made a very great fire for him.

CHAPTER 17

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

^1aJehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel.

²And he put military forces in all ^athe fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim ^bwhich Asa his father had captured.

Jehoshaphat’s Kingdom Established

³And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals,

⁴but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, ^aand did not act as Israel did.

⁵So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and ^ahe had great riches and honor.

⁶And ¹his heart took great pride in the ways of Yahweh, and again he ^atook away the high places and the ²Asherim from Judah.

⁷Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ^ato teach in the cities of Judah;

⁸and with them ^athe Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

⁹And they taught in Judah, having ^athe book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰Now ^athe dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

¹¹Indeed, some of the Philistines ^abrought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.

¹²So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah.

¹³And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.

¹⁴This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;

¹⁵and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000;

¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, ^awho volunteered for Yahweh, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor;

¹⁷and of Benjamin, Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 equipped with bow and shield;

¹⁸and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for military duty.

¹⁹These are they who attended on the king, apart from ^athose whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.

CHAPTER 18

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

¹Now ^aJehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab.

^2aAnd some years later he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.

³And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

⁴Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire ¹first for the word of Yahweh.”

⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?”

⁷And 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 never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imla.”

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, and they were sitting ^aat the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’”

¹¹All 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.”

¹²Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak that which is good.”

¹³But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, ^awhat my God says, that I shall speak.”

¹⁴Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and succeed, and they will be given into your hand.”

¹⁵Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”

¹⁶So he said,

“I saw all Israel

Scattered on the mountains,

^aLike sheep which have no shepherd;

And Yahweh said,

‘These have no master.

Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”

¹⁷So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁸Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. ^aI saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left.

¹⁹“And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that.

²⁰“Then a ^aspirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’

²¹“And he said, ‘I will go out and be ^aa lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’

²²“So now, behold, ^aYahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and ^astruck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “¹How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?”

²⁴And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide.”

²⁵Then the king of Israel said, “^aTake Micaiah and return him to Amon ^bthe ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son;

²⁶and say, ‘Thus says the king, “^aPut this man in prison and feed him ¹sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.” ’ ”

²⁷And Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^aListen, all you people.”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.

²⁹And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

³⁰Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.”

³¹Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat ^acried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them away from him.

³²So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³³Now a certain man drew his bow…