Chapter 22

And they continued⁴ three years without war between Syria and Israel.

And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down⁴ to the king of Israel.

And the king of Israel said⁴ unto his servants, Know¹ ye that Ramoth in Gilead [is] ours, and we [be] still,⁵⁶ [and] take² it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

And he said⁴ unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go⁴ with me to battle to Ramothgilead? ¹⁵⁶⁸ And Jehoshaphat said⁴ to the king of Israel, I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

And Jehoshaphat said⁴ unto the king of Israel, Enquire,³ I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together,⁴ about four hundred men, and said⁴ unto them, Shall I go⁴ against Ramothgilead ¹⁵⁶⁸ to battle, or shall I forbear?⁴ And they said,⁴ Go up;³ for the Lord shall deliver⁴ [it] into the hand of the king.

And Jehoshaphat said,⁴ [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire⁴ of him?

And the king of Israel said⁴ unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire² of the LORD: but I hate¹ him; for he doth not prophesy¹⁰¹ good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said,⁴ Let not the king say⁴ so.

Then the king of Israel called⁴ an officer, and said,⁴ Hasten¹⁶ [hither] Micaiah the son of Imlah.

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat⁶ each on his throne, having put on³⁰ their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied¹⁰² before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made⁴ him horns of iron: and he said,⁴ Thus saith¹ the LORD, With these shalt thou push¹⁷ the Syrians, until thou have consumed¹⁵ them.

And all the prophets prophesied¹² so, saying,² Go up³ to Ramothgilead, ¹⁵⁶⁸ and prosper:⁵⁴ for the LORD shall deliver¹ [it] into the king's hand.

And the messenger that was gone¹ to call² Micaiah spake¹⁴ unto him, saying,² 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 speak¹⁴ [that which is] good.

And Micaiah said,⁴ [As] the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith⁴ unto me, that will I speak.¹⁷

So he came⁴ to the king. And the king said⁴ unto him, Micaiah, shall we go⁴ against Ramothgilead ¹⁵⁶⁸ to battle, or shall we forbear?⁴ And he answered⁴ him, Go,³ and prosper:⁵⁴ for the LORD shall deliver¹ [it] into the hand of the king.

And the king said⁴ unto him, How many times shall I adjure⁵⁶ thee that thou tell¹⁷ me nothing but [that which is] true in the name of the LORD?

And he said,⁴ I saw¹ all Israel scattered¹² upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd:⁶ and the LORD said,⁴ These have no master: let them return⁴ every man to his house in peace.

And the king of Israel said⁴ unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell¹ thee that he would prophesy¹⁰¹ no good concerning me, but evil?

And he said,⁴ Hear³ thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw¹ the LORD sitting⁶ on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing⁶ by him on his right hand and on his left.

And the LORD said,⁴ Who shall persuade¹⁷ Ahab, that he may go up⁴ and fall⁴ at Ramothgilead? ¹⁵⁶⁸ And one said⁴ on this manner, and another said⁶ on that manner.

And there came forth⁴ a spirit, and stood⁴ before the LORD, and said,⁴ I will persuade¹⁷ him.

And the LORD said⁴ unto him, Wherewith? And he said,⁴ I will go forth,⁴ and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said,⁴ Thou shalt persuade¹⁷ [him], and prevail⁴ also: go forth,³ and do³ so.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put¹ a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken¹⁴ evil concerning thee.

But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near,⁴ and smote⁵⁵ Micaiah on the cheek, and said,⁴ Which way went¹ the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak¹⁵ unto thee?

And Micaiah said,⁴ Behold, thou shalt see⁶ in that day, when thou shalt go⁴ into an inner chamber to hide⁹ thyself.

And the king of Israel said,⁴ Take³ Micaiah, and carry him back⁵⁴ unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

And say,¹ Thus saith¹ the king, Put³ this [fellow] in the prison, ³⁶⁰⁸ and feed⁵⁴ him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come² in peace.

And Micaiah said,⁴ If thou return⁴ at all² in peace, the LORD hath not spoken¹⁴ by me. And he said,⁴ Hearken,³ O people, every one of you.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up⁴ to Ramothgilead. ¹⁵⁶⁸

And the king of Israel said⁴ unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise⁹⁹ myself, and enter² into the battle; but put thou on³ thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised¹⁰¹ himself, and went⁴ into the battle.

But the king of Syria commanded¹⁴ his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying,² Fight¹¹ neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw² Jehoshaphat, that they said,¹ Surely it [is] the king of Israel. And they turned aside⁴ to fight⁹ against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.⁴

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived² that it [was] not the king of Israel, that they turned back⁴ from pursuing him.

And a [certain] man drew¹ a bow at a venture, and smote⁵⁵ the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said⁴ unto the driver of his chariot, Turn³ thine hand, and carry me out⁵⁴ of the host; for I am wounded.⁹⁰

And the battle increased⁴ that day: and the king was stayed up⁹⁴ in his chariot against the Syrians, and died⁴ at even: and the blood ran out⁴ of the wound into the midst of the chariot.

And there went⁴ a proclamation throughout the host about the going down² of the sun, saying,² Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.

So the king died,⁴ and was brought⁴ to Samaria; and they buried⁴ the king in Samaria.

And [one] washed⁴ the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up⁴ his blood; and they washed¹ his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.¹⁴

Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did,¹ and the ivory house which he made,¹ and all the cities that he built,¹ [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Israel?

So Ahab slept⁴ with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned⁴ in his stead.

And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign¹ over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

Jehoshaphat [was] thirty and five years old when he began to reign;² and he reigned¹ twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

And he walked⁴ in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside¹ from it, doing² [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away;¹ [for] the people offered¹⁸ and burnt incense¹⁸ yet in the high places.

And Jehoshaphat made peace⁵⁵ with the king of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed,¹ and how he warred,⁸ [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Judah?

And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained⁸ in the days of his father Asa, he took out¹⁴ of the land.

[There was] then no king in Edom: a deputy¹² [was] king.

Jehoshaphat made^{1 6240} ships of Tharshish to go² to Ophir for gold: but they went¹ not; for the ships were broken⁸ at Eziongeber.

Then said¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go⁴ with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would¹ not.

And Jehoshaphat slept⁴ with his fathers, and was buried¹¹ with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned⁴ in his stead.

Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign¹ over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth ⁶²⁴⁰ year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned⁴ two years over Israel.

And he did⁴ evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked⁴ 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:⁵²

For he served⁴ Baal, and worshipped¹⁰¹ him, and provoked to anger⁵⁵ the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.¹