1 Kings 22

And they sat peacefully: for three years there was no war between Syria and Israel.

And in the third year Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went down to the king of Israel.

The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth-gilead is ours? And yet we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria.”

So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are; my people are as your people, my horses are as your horses.”

But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please first seek the word of Yahweh.”

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 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 give it into the hand of the king.”

But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there another prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of him?”

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such a thing.”

Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly! Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne and dressed in royal robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With these you will gore the Syrians until they are finished off.’”

All the prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king!”

The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “See now, the words of the prophets are as one mouth declaring good for the king. So, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.”

But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, what Yahweh says to me, that is what I will speak.”

When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or should we refrain?” He answered him, “Go up and succeed, for Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king!”

But the king said to him, “How many times do I have to make you swear that you are not to speak to me anything but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”

Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no lord. Let them each return to his house in peace.’”

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil?”

Micaiah said, “That being the case, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ One said one thing and another said another.

“Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’

“So now, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the spirit of Yahweh cross over from me to speak to you?”

Then Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide!”

Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and turn him over to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the son of the king

and say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in the prison and feed him with only a little bread and water until I come back in peace.”’”

But Micaiah said, “If you return, yes, return in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

But the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

Now the king of Syria had commanded the 32 commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”

And when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” So they turned toward him to fight. But Jehoshaphat cried out for help.

And when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from pursuing him.

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 your hand and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.”

The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians. And he died at sunset, and the blood poured out of the wound to the bottom of the chariot.

A cry went throughout the army as the sun was going down, saying, “Every man to his city!” And “Every man to his land!”

So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria and the dogs licked up his blood and the prostitutes washed in it, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken.

Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built 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 place.

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

Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

He walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. But the local shrines were not taken away; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense at the shrines.

Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his mighty acts that he did, and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

And the rest of the male cult prostitutes that remained in the days of his father Asa, he purged out of the land.

Now there was no king in Edom; an appointed governor was king.

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they 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 slept with his fathers and 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 began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.

He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh 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 sin.

He served Baal and worshiped him, and made Yahweh, the God of Israel, angry by doing all the same things that his father had done.