22:1 | There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years.* |
22:2 | In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit* the king of Israel. |
22:3 | The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.”* |
22:4 | Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.”* |
22:5 | Then Jehoshaphat added,* “First seek an oracle from the Lord.”* |
22:6 | So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”* They said, “Attack! The sovereign one* will hand it over to the king.” |
22:7 | But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” |
22:8 | The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will.* But I despise* him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.* Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” |
22:9 | The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.” |
22:10 | Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones,* dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria.* All the prophets were prophesying before them. |
22:11 | Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” |
22:12 | All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” |
22:13 | Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed.* Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.”* |
22:14 | But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.” |
22:15 | When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.”* |
22:16 | The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in* the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” |
22:17 | Micaiah* said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” |
22:18 | The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” |
22:19 | Micaiah* said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. |
22:20 | The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die* there?’ One said this and another that. |
22:21 | Then a spirit* stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ |
22:22 | He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord* said, ‘Deceive and overpower him.* Go out and do as you have proposed.’ |
22:23 | So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” |
22:24 | Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” |
22:25 | Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” |
22:26 | Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. |
22:27 | Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water* until I safely return.”’”* |
22:28 | Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note,* all you people.” |
22:29 | The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. |
22:30 | The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter* into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. |
22:31 | Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers;* fight only the king of Israel.” |
22:32 | When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. |
22:33 | When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. |
22:34 | Now an archer shot an arrow at random,* and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king* ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line,* because I’m wounded.” |
22:35 | While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. |
22:36 | As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” |
22:37 | So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him.* |
22:38 | They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed);* dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen.* |
22:39 | The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.* |
22:40 | Ahab passed away.* His son Ahaziah replaced him as king. |
22:41 | In the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign over Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. |
22:42 | Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem.* His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. |
22:43 | He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved.* * However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. |
22:44 | Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel. |
22:45 | The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.* |
22:46 | He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa.* |
22:47 | There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. |
22:48 | Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships* to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. |
22:49 | Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,”* but Jehoshaphat refused. |
22:50 | Jehoshaphat passed away* and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor* David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king. |
22:51 | In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria.* He ruled for two years over Israel. |
22:52 | He did evil in the sight of* the Lord and followed in the footsteps* of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin.* |
22:53 | He worshiped and bowed down to Baal,* angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done.* |