1They remained three years without war between Aram and Israel.
2But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel.
3And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, yet we are doing nothing to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
4And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to war 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.”
5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first, please, of the word of Yahweh.”
6So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead for war, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
7But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of him?”
8And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil — Micaiah son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say so.”
9So the king of Israel called an official and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.”
10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
12And all the prophets were prophesying likewise, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed; Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”
13Now the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Look now, the words of the prophets are with one voice good toward the king. Let your word, please, be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”
14But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, whatever Yahweh says to me, that I will speak.”
15When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or shall we refrain?” And he said to him, “Go up and succeed; Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”
16And the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”
17Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no masters; let each return to his house in peace.’”
18And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he does not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil?”
19And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him, on his right and on his left.
20And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that.
21Then the spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘By what means?’
22And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’
23So now, look, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you.”
24Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?”
25And Micaiah said, “You will see it on that day when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”
26And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Joash the king’s son.
27And say, ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in the prison house and feed him meager bread and meager water until I come in peace.’”
28But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, Yahweh has not spoken through me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”
29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
30And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariotry, of whom he had thirty-two, saying, “Do not fight with anyone small or great, but only with the king of Israel by himself.”
32And it happened, when the commanders of the chariotry saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned aside against him to fight, and Jehoshaphat cried out.
33And it happened, when the commanders of the chariotry saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from following him.
34But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor and the breastplate. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn your hand and take me out of the camp, for I am wounded.”
35And the battle rose higher that day, and the king was propped up in the chariot facing Aram, and he died at evening; and the blood of the wound flowed out into the bottom of the chariot.
36And a shout passed through the camp as the sun was setting, saying, “Each man to his city, and each man to his land!”
37So the king died and came to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38And the chariot was rinsed off at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood—and the prostitutes bathed there—according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken.
39Now 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 on the scroll of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40So Ahab lay down with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
41Now Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. Only the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
44And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he displayed, and how he made war—are they not written on the scroll of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46And the rest of the cult prostitutes who remained from the days of Asa his father he purged from the land.
47There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.
48Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
49Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing.
50And Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
51Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.
52And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked 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.
53And he served Baal and bowed down to him, and he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
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