God's New Revelations

The First Book of the Kings

Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic

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- Chapter 22 -

(2 Chronicles 18:1–11)
1
And they sit still three years; there is no war between Aram and Israel.
2
And it comes to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat king of Judah comes down to the king of Israel,
3
and the king of Israel says to his servants, “Have you not known that Ramoth-Gilead [is] ours? And we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the king of Aram!”
4
And he says to Jehoshaphat, “Do you go with me to battle [against] Ramoth-Gilead?” And Jehoshaphat says to the king of Israel, “As I am, so [are] you; as my people, so your people; as my horses, so your horses.”
5
And Jehoshaphat says to the king of Israel, “Please seek the word of YHWH today”;
6
and the king of Israel gathers the prophets, about four hundred men, and says to them, “Do I go to battle against Ramoth-Gilead, or do I refrain?” And they say, “Go up, and the Lord gives [it] into the hand of the king.”
7
And Jehoshaphat says, “[Is there] not a prophet of YHWH still here that we may seek from him?”
8
And the king of Israel says to Jehoshaphat, “Yet one man [remains] to seek YHWH from him, and I have hated him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evilMicaiah son of Imlah”; and Jehoshaphat says, “Do not let the king say so.”
9
And the king of Israel calls to a certain eunuch and says, “Hurry along Micaiah son of Imlah.”
10
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, in a threshing-floor, at the opening of the Gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them.
11
And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah makes horns of iron for himself and says, “Thus said YHWH: By these you push the Arameans until they are consumed”;
12
and all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and prosper, and YHWH has given [it] into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab

(2 Chronicles 18:12–27)
13
And the messenger who has gone to call Micaiah has spoken to him, saying, “Now behold, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, [are] good toward the king; please let your word be as the word of one of themand you have spoken good.”
14
And Micaiah says, “YHWH lives; surely that which YHWH says to meit I speak.”
15
And he comes to the king, and the king says to him, “Micaiah, do we go to Ramoth-Gilead, to battle, or do we refrain?” And he says to him, “Go up, and prosper, and YHWH has given [it] into the hand of the king.”
16
And the king says to him, “How many times am I adjuring you that you speak nothing to me but truth in the Name of YHWH?”
17
And he says, “I have seen all Israel scattered on the hills as sheep that have no shepherd, and YHWH says, These have no master; let them returneach to his house in peace.”
18
And the king of Israel says to Jehoshaphat, “Have I not said to you, He does not prophesy of me good, but evil?”
19
And he says, “Therefore, hear a word of YHWH! I have seen YHWH sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left;
20
and YHWH says, Who entices Ahab, and he goes up and falls in Ramoth-Gilead? And this one says thus, and that one is saying thus.
21
And the spirit goes out and stands before YHWH, and says, I entice him; and YHWH says to him, By what?
22
And he says, I go out, and have been a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets; and He says, You entice, and also you are able; go out and do so.
23
And now, behold, YHWH has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and YHWH has spoken calamity concerning you.”
24
And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah draws near and strikes Micaiah on the cheek, and says, “Where [is] this [that] the spirit [from] YHWH has passed over from me to speak with you?”
25
And Micaiah says, “Behold, you are seeing on that day when you go into the innermost chamber to be hidden.”
26
And the king of Israel says, “Take Micaiah, and turn him back to Amon head of the city, and to Joash son of the king,
27
and you have said, Thus said the king: Place this one in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, until my coming in peace.”
28
And Micaiah says, “If you return in peace at all, YHWH has not spoken by me”; and he says, “Hear, O peoples, all of them.”

Ahab’s Defeat and Death

(2 Chronicles 18:28–34)
29
And the king of Israel goes upand Jehoshaphat king of Judahto Ramoth-Gilead.
30
And the king of Israel says to Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, “And you, put on your garments.” And the king of Israel disguises himself, and goes into battle.
31
And the king of Aram commanded the thirty-two heads of the charioteers whom he has, saying, “You do not fight with small or with great, but with the king of Israel by himself.”
32
And it comes to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they said, “He [is] surely the king of Israel!” And they turn aside to him to fight, and Jehoshaphat cries out,
33
and it comes to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that he [is] not the king of Israel, that they turn back from after him.
34
And a man has drawn with a bow in his simplicity, and strikes the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he says to his charioteer, “Turn your hand, and take me out from the camp, for I have become sick.”
35
And the battle increases on that day, and the king has been caused to stand in the chariot, in front of Aram, and he dies in the evening, and the blood of the wound runs out to the midst of the chariot,
36
and he causes the cry to pass over through the camp, at the going in of the sun, saying, “Each to his city, and each to his land!”
37
And the king dies, and comes into Samaria, and they bury the king in Samaria;
38
and [one] rinses the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs lick his blood when they had washed the armor, according to the word of YHWH that He spoke.
39
And the rest of the matters of Ahab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
40
And Ahab lies with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah reigns in his stead.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

(2 Chronicles 20:31–34)
41
And Jehoshaphat son of Asa has reigned over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel,
42
Jehoshaphat [is] a son of thirty-five years in his reigning, and he has reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43
And he walks in all the way of his father Asa, he has not turned aside from it, to do that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH; only, the high places have not been removedthe people are still sacrificing and making incense in high places.
44
And Jehoshaphat makes peace with the king of Israel;
45
and the rest of the matters of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he exercised, and with which he fought, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
46
And the remnant of the whoremongers who were left in the days of his father Asa he took away out of the land;
47
and there is no king in Edom; he set up a king.
48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they did not go, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber.
49
Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships”; and Jehoshaphat was not willing.
50
And Jehoshaphat lies with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoram reigns in his stead.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

(2 Kings 1:1–16)
51
Ahaziah son of Ahab has reigned over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigns over Israel two years,
52
and does evil in the eyes of YHWH, and walks in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin,
53
and serves the Ba‘al, and bows himself to it, and provokes YHWH, God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
(2 Chronicles 18:1–11)
1
They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.
2
In the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
3
The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we do nothing, and don’t take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?”
4
He said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
5
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the LORD’s word.”
6
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I refrain?” They said, “Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
7
But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there here a prophet of the LORD, 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, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”
9
Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, “Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah.”
10
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11
Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, “The LORD says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’”
12
All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper; for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab

(2 Chronicles 18:12–27)
13
The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good.”
14
Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”
15
When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?” He answered him, “Go up and prosper; and the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
16
The king said to him, “How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the LORD’s name?”
17
He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.’”
18
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
19
Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the LORD’s word. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
20
The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing, and another said another.
21
A spirit came out and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22
The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ He said, ‘You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’
23
Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.”
24
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the LORD’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”
25
Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”
26
The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son.
27
Say, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.”’”
28
Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

Ahab’s Defeat and Death

(2 Chronicles 18:28–34)
29
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
30
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” The king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
31
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”
32
When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. 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
A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.”
35
The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.
36
A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”
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 where the prostitutes washed themselves, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke.
39
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40
So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

(2 Chronicles 20:31–34)
41
Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42
Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
43
He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in the LORD’s eyes. However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
44
Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he fought, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46
The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land.
47
There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled.
48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go, for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber.
49
Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not.
50
Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city. Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

(2 Kings 1:1–16)
51
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
52
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin.
53
He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.