Chapter 22

Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

1 Three 1years passed without war between Aram and Israel.

2 aIn the third year bJehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

3 Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that aRamoth-gilead belongs to us, and we 1are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”

4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “aI am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

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

6 Then athe 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 aJehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?”

8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, 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, “1Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.”

10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and aall the prophets were prophesying before them.

11 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ahorns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘bWith these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’ ”

12 All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

13 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”

14 But Micaiah said, “aAs the Lord lives, what bthe Lord says to me, that I shall speak.”

15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he 1answered him, “aGo up and succeed, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

16 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

17 So he said,

“I saw all Israel

Scattered on the mountains,

aLike sheep which have no shepherd.

And the Lord said, ‘These have no master.

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

18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “aDid I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

19 1Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. aI saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and ball the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.

20 “The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that.

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

22 “The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and abe a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’

23 “Now therefore, behold, athe Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”

24 Then aZedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “bHow did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?”

25 Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you aenter an inner room to hide yourself.”

26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;

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

28 Micaiah said, “aIf you indeed return safely the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “bListen, all you people.”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

29 So athe king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.

30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “aI will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

31 Now athe king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.”

32 So when the captains 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 When the captains 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 1in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn 2around and take me out of the 3fight; afor I am severely wounded.”

35 The battle 1raged 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 aThen a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city and every man to his 1country.”

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), aaccording to the word of the Lord which He spoke.

39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and athe 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.

The New Rulers

41 aNow 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 aHe walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. bHowever, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.

44 aJehoshaphat 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 ain the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

46 The remnant of athe sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he 1expelled from the land.

47 Now athere was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

48 Jehoshaphat made aships of Tarshish to go to bOphir for gold, but cthey did not go for the ships were broken at dEzion-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 aAnd 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.

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab abecame king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.

52 He did evil in the sight of the Lord and awalked 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 aSo he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.