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1 Kings 22

1 Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
2 And it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, Have you known that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we are being inactive to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
5 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please inquire at the Word of Jehovah today.
6 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not still a prophet of Jehovah here, that we may inquire of Him?
8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of Jehovah; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so!
9 Then the king of Israel summoned a certain official and said, Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!
10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a vacant spot at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself; and he said, Thus says Jehovah: With these you shall thrust at the Syrians to destroy them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for Jehovah will deliver it into the king's hand.
13 And the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets with one mouth are agreeable to the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak pleasant things.
14 And Micaiah said, As Jehovah lives, whatever Jehovah says to me, that I will speak.
15 So he came to the king; and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain? And he answered him, Go and prosper, for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king!
16 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?
17 Then he said, I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep having no shepherd. And Jehovah said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
19 And Micaiah said, Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.
20 And Jehovah said, Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one said this, and another was saying that.
21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him.
22 And Jehovah said to him, In what way? And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And Jehovah said, You shall entice him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.
23 Therefore now behold, Jehovah has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and Jehovah has spoken calamity against you.
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the spirit from Jehovah go from me to speak to you?
25 And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!
26 So the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son;
27 and say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.
28 And Micaiah said, If you return to come back in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me. And he said, All you people, pay attention!
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.
32 And so it was, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel! Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 And it happened, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.
35 And the battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. And the blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
36 And as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the camp, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own land!
37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor; according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken.
39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
40 So Ahab rested with his fathers. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become 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. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
44 Also Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
46 And the rest of the male temple prostitutes, who had remained in the days of his father Asa, he removed out of the land.
47 There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king.
48 Jehoshaphat had made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they did not go, for the ships were 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 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of his father and in the ways of his mother and in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin;
53 for he served Baal and bowed down to him, and provoked Jehovah the God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.
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