And they continued three
years
without war
between Syria
and Israel
.
And it came to pass in the third year
, that Jehoshaphat
the king
of Judah
came down
to the king
of Israel
.
And the king of Israel
said
unto his servants
, Know
ye that Ramoth
in Gilead
is ours, and we be still
, and take
it not out of the hand
of the king
of Syria
?
And he said unto Jehoshaphat
, Wilt thou go
with me to battle
to Ramothgilead
? And Jehoshaphat
said
to the king
of Israel
, I am as thou
art , my people
as thy people
, my horses
as thy horses
.
And Jehoshaphat said
unto the king
of Israel
, Enquire
, I pray thee, at the word
of the LORD
to day
.
Then the king of Israel
gathered
the prophets
together
, about four
hundred
men
, and said
unto them, Shall I go
against Ramothgilead
to battle
, or shall I forbear
? And they said
, Go up
; for the Lord
shall deliver
it into the hand
of the king
.
And Jehoshaphat said
, Is there not here a prophet
of the LORD
besides
, that we might enquire
of him?
And the king of Israel
said
unto Jehoshaphat
, There is yet one
man
, Micaiah
the son
of Imlah
, by whom we may enquire
of the LORD
: but I hate
him; for he doth not prophesy
good
concerning me, but evil
. And Jehoshaphat
said
, Let not the king
say
so.
Then the king of Israel
called
an
officer
, and said
, Hasten
hither Micaiah
the son
of Imlah
.
And the king of Israel
and Jehoshaphat
the king
of Judah
sat
each
on his throne
, having put on
their robes
, in a void place
in the entrance
of the gate
of Samaria
; and all the prophets
prophesied
before
them.
And Zedekiah the son
of Chenaanah
made
him horns
of iron
: and he said
, Thus saith
the LORD
, With these shalt thou push
the Syrians
, until thou have consumed
them.
And all the prophets prophesied
so, saying
, Go up
to Ramothgilead
, and prosper
: for the LORD
shall deliver
it into the king's
hand
.
And the messenger that was gone
to call
Micaiah
spake
unto him, saying
, Behold now, the words
of the prophets
declare good
unto the king
with one
mouth
: let thy word
, I pray thee, be like the word
of one
of them, and speak
that which is good
.
And Micaiah said
, As the LORD
liveth
, what the LORD
saith
unto me, that will I speak
.
So he came to the king
. And the king
said
unto him, Micaiah
, shall we go
against Ramothgilead
to battle
, or shall we forbear
? And he answered
him, Go
, and prosper
: for the LORD
shall deliver
it into the hand
of the king
.
And the king said
unto him, How many times
shall I adjure
thee that thou tell
me nothing but that which is true
in the name
of the LORD
?
And he said, I saw
all Israel
scattered
upon the hills
, as sheep
that have not a shepherd
: and the LORD
said
, These have no master
: let them return
every man
to his house
in peace
.
And the king of Israel
said
unto Jehoshaphat
, Did I not tell
thee that he would prophesy
no good
concerning me, but evil
?
And he said, Hear
thou therefore the word
of the LORD
: I saw
the LORD
sitting
on his throne
, and all the host
of heaven
standing
by him on his right hand
and on his left
.
And the LORD said
, Who shall persuade
Ahab
, that he may go up
and fall
at Ramothgilead
? And one said
on this manner
, and another said
on that manner
.
And there came forth a spirit
, and stood
before
the LORD
, and said
, I will persuade
him.
And the LORD said
unto him, Wherewith? And he said
, I will go forth
, and I will be a lying
spirit
in the mouth
of all his prophets
. And he said
, Thou shalt persuade
him , and prevail
also: go forth
, and do
so.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put
a lying
spirit
in the mouth
of all these thy prophets
, and the LORD
hath spoken
evil
concerning thee.
But Zedekiah the son
of Chenaanah
went near
, and smote
Micaiah
on the cheek
, and said
, Which way
went
the Spirit
of the LORD
from me to speak
unto thee?
And Micaiah said
, Behold, thou shalt see
in that day
, when thou shalt go
into an inner
chamber
to hide
thyself.
And the king of Israel
said
, Take
Micaiah
, and carry him back
unto Amon
the governor
of the city
, and to Joash
the king's
son
;
And say, Thus saith
the king
, Put
this fellow in the prison
, and feed
him with bread
of affliction
and with water
of affliction
, until I come
in peace
.
And Micaiah said
, If thou return
at all
in peace
, the LORD
hath not spoken
by me. And he said
, Hearken
, O people
, every one of you.
So the king of Israel
and Jehoshaphat
the king
of Judah
went up
to Ramothgilead
.
And the king of Israel
said
unto Jehoshaphat
, I will disguise
myself, and enter
into the battle
; but put thou on
thy robes
. And the king
of Israel
disguised
himself, and went
into the battle
.
But the king of Syria
commanded
his thirty
and two
captains
that had rule over his chariots
, saying
, Fight
neither with small
nor great
, save only with the king
of Israel
.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots
saw
Jehoshaphat
, that they said
, Surely it is the king
of Israel
. And they turned aside
to fight
against him: and Jehoshaphat
cried out
.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots
perceived
that it was not the king
of Israel
, that they turned back
from pursuing
him.
And a certain man drew
a bow
at a venture
, and smote
the king
of Israel
between the joints
of the harness
: wherefore he said
unto the driver of his chariot
, Turn
thine hand
, and carry me out
of the host
; for I am wounded
.
And the battle increased
that day
: and the king
was stayed up
in his chariot
against
the Syrians
, and died
at even
: and the blood
ran out
of the wound
into the midst
of the chariot
.
And there went a proclamation
throughout the host
about the going down
of the sun
, saying
, Every man
to his city
, and every man
to his own country
.
So the king died
, and was brought
to Samaria
; and they buried
the king
in Samaria
.
And one washed the chariot
in the pool
of Samaria
; and the dogs
licked up
his blood
; and they washed
his armour
; according unto the word
of the LORD
which he spake
.
Now the rest of the acts
of Ahab
, and all that he did
, and the ivory
house
which he made
, and all the cities
that he built
, are they not written
in the book
of the chronicles
of the kings
of Israel
?
So Ahab slept
with his fathers
; and Ahaziah
his son
reigned
in his stead.
And Jehoshaphat the son
of Asa
began to reign
over Judah
in the fourth
year
of Ahab
king
of Israel
.
Jehoshaphat was thirty
and five
years
old
when he began to reign
; and he reigned
twenty
and five
years
in Jerusalem
. And his mother's
name
was Azubah
the daughter
of Shilhi
.
And he walked in all the ways
of Asa
his father
; he turned not aside
from it, doing
that which was right
in the eyes
of the LORD
: nevertheless the high places
were not taken away
; for the people
offered
and burnt incense
yet in the high places
.
And Jehoshaphat made peace
with the king
of Israel
.
Now the rest of the acts
of Jehoshaphat
, and his might
that he shewed
, and how he warred
, are they not written
in the book
of the chronicles
of the kings
of Judah
?
And the remnant of the sodomites
, which remained
in the days
of his father
Asa
, he took
out of the land
.
There was then no king in Edom
: a deputy
was king
.
Jehoshaphat made
ships
of Tharshish
to go
to Ophir
for gold
: but they went
not; for the ships
were broken
at Eziongeber
.
Then said Ahaziah
the son
of Ahab
unto Jehoshaphat
, Let my servants
go
with thy servants
in the ships
. But Jehoshaphat
would
not.
And Jehoshaphat slept
with his fathers
, and was buried
with his fathers
in the city
of David
his father
: and Jehoram
his son
reigned
in his stead.
Ahaziah the son
of Ahab
began to reign
over Israel
in Samaria
the seventeenth
year
of Jehoshaphat
king
of Judah
, and reigned
two years
over Israel
.
And he did evil
in the sight
of the LORD
, 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
, who made Israel
to sin
:
For he served Baal
, and worshipped
him, and provoked to anger
the LORD
God
of Israel
, according to all that his father
had done
.