1 Kings 22

And they continued three years without war between Aram and between Israel.

And it happened in the third year that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went down to the king of Israel. \*

And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead is to us, but we are being silent from taking it from the hand of the king of Aram?”

And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle {at} Ramoth Gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Like me, like you. Like my people, like your people. Like my horses, like your horses.” \*

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please seek as today the word of God.”

And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, and he said to them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give {it} into the hand of the king.” \*

And Jehoshaphat said, “{Is} no prophet of God still here, that we may seek from him?”

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “{There is} still one man for seeking God from him, but I, I hate him because he does not prophesy good about me, but rather evil, Micaiah, the son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say thus.”

So the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, “Hasten Micaiah, the son of Imlah.” \*

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were sitting, a man on his throne, clothed {in} robes, by the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all of the prophets were prophesying to their faces.

And Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, made horns of iron for himself, and he said, “Thus says God: ‘With these you will gore Aram until their finishing.’”

And all of the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up {to} Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for God will give {it} into the hand of the king.” \*

And the messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold, please, the words of the prophets {with} one mouth {are} good for the king. Please let your word be like the word of one from them, and may you speak good.”

And Micaiah said, “The life of God, surely what God says to me, I will speak it.”

And he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or shall we refrain?” And he said to him, “Go up and prosper, for God will give {it} into the hand of the king.” \*

And the king said to him, “Up to how many times have I been making you swear that you would not speak about me except truth in the name of God?”

And he said, “I saw all of Israel scattered on the hills like a flock when no shepherd {is} to them. And God said, ‘No masters {are} to these. Let them return, a man to his house, in peace.’” \*

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you, ‘He will not prophesy good about me, but rather evil’?”

And he said, “Therefore, hear the word of God. I saw God sitting on his throne, and all of the army of the heavens was standing beside him on his right and on his left.

And God said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he may go up and fall {at} Ramoth Gilead?’ And this {one} said, ‘By thus,’ and that {one} was saying, ‘By thus.’ \*

Then a spirit came out and stood to the face of God. And he said, ‘I, I will deceive {him}.’ And God said to him, ‘By what?’

And he said, ‘I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all of his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will deceive and also you will be able. Go out and do thus.’

And now, behold, God has put a spirit of falsehood into the mouth of all of these your prophets. For God has spoken harm against you.” \*

And Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek. And he said, “What {is} this, the Spirit of God has passed over from with me to speak to you?”

And Micaiah said, “Behold you, seeing on that day when you enter a chamber in a chamber to hide yourself.” \*

And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and bring him back to Amon, the commander of the city, and to Joash, the son of the king.

And you shall say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this {one} in the house of imprisonment and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction until my coming in peace.”’”

And Micaiah said, “If returning, you return in peace, God has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, peoples, all of them!” \*

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up {to} Ramoth Gilead.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and come into the battle, but you, wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and he came into the battle. \*

Now the king of Aram had commanded the 32 commanders of the chariotry that {was} to him, saying, “You shall not fight with small or with great except with the king of Israel alone.”

And it happened, when the commanders of the chariotry saw Jehoshaphat, that they, they said, “Surely he {is} the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.

And it happened, when the commanders of the chariotry saw that he {was} not the king of Israel, that they turned back from after him. \*

But a man drew the bow in his innocence, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints and between the armor. And he said to his charioteer, “Turn your hand and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded.” \*

And the battle went up on that day, and the king was propped up in the chariot opposite Aram. And he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound poured out onto the bosom of the chariot.

And a cry passed through in the camp about the going of the sun, saying, “A man to his city, and a man to his land!” \*

And the king died, and he came to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.

And one washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. And dogs licked up his blood (now the prostitutes bathed {there}), according to the word of God that he had spoken. \*

Now the rest of the matters of Ahab and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all of the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the matters of the days of the kings of Israel?

And Ahab lay down with his fathers. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. \*

And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, reigned over Judah in year four of Ahab, the king of Israel.

Jehoshaphat {was} a son of 35 years when he reigned, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. \*

And he walked in every way of Asa his father, he did not turn from it, doing right in the eyes of God. However, they did not remove the high places. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense at the high places.

And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. \*

Now the rest of the matters of Jehoshaphat, and his mighty things that he did and how he fought, are they not written in the book of the matters of the days of the kings of Judah?

And the rest of the cultic prostitutes who were left in the days of Asa his father, he burned from the land.

And no king {was} in Edom. A deputy was king. \*

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but he did not go, because the ships were broken at Ezion Geber.

Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing.

And Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place. \*

Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel in Samaria in year 17 of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel two years.

And he did evil in the eyes of God. And he walked 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.

And he served Baal, and he bowed down to him. And he provoked God, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.