0 SAB 1 Kings 22

1 Kings

CHAPTER 22

Ahab and Jehoshaphat ask God if they should attack Syria
22:1-18, Cf. 2 Chr 18:1-17

1 And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

There was peace between Syria and Israel for three years.

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

3 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?

In the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah came to meet the King Ahab of Israel.

4 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.

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

Ahab asked Jehoshaphat if he'd help him fight Ramothgilead.

Jehoshaphat answered,

Sure. But let's see what the word of the Lord has to say.

6 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.

So Ahab gathered 400 prophets and asked them.

They said,

Go to war against Ramothgilead.

God will deliver it into your hand.

7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?

Jehoshaphat said,
Is there another prophet around here that we can ask?

8 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.

9 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

Ahab said,
Yes, there's another guy we could ask.

His name is Micaiah, but I hate him.

He always prophesies bad things about me.

10 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.

But Ahab called for Micaiah, while the two kings sat on their thrones and prophets prophesied for them.

11 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.

Zedekiah made some iron horns, and said,
This is what God says:
With these iron horns you'll destroy the Syrians.

12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.

All the prophets prophesied, saying,
Attack Ramothgilead. God will deliver it into your hand.

13 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.

The messenger that was sent to fetch Micaiah said to him,
Only prophesy good things like everyone else has.

14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.

Micaiah said,
I'll say whatever God tells me to say.

15 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.

When Micaiah arrived, King Ahab asked him,
Should I fight against Ramothgilead?

Micaiah said,

Yes. God will deliver it into your hand.

16 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?

Ahab said,
How many times have I told you? Tell me the truth.

17 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.

Micaiah said,
I saw the Israelites scattered on the hills with no one to guide them.

God said, "Send them home."

18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,
See, I told you. He'd only say bad things about me.
God puts a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets
22:19-28, Cf. 2 Chr 18:18-27

19 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.

20And 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.

Micaiah said,
Hear the word of God.

I saw God sitting on his throne [1] and he said,

Who can persuade Ahab to attack Ramothgilead? [2]

21And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

22 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 persude him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

And a spirit from God said to God, "I will persuade him."

God said, "How will you do that?"

The spirit said, "I'll make the prophets lie to Ahab."

God said, "Good. Go do that."

23 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.

So God has made your prophets lie to you. [3]

24 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?

Zedekiah hit Micaiah on the cheek and said,
Why would God speak to you instead of me?

25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

Micaiah said,
You'll find out when you're hiding in a room someplace.

26 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;

27 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.

King Ahab said,
Put Micaiah in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return in peace.

28 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.

Micaiah said,
If you return in peace, then God has never spoken to me.

Listen, people, to what I have said.

King Ahab dies (and the dogs licked his blood according to the word of the Lord)
22:29-53, Cf. 2 Chr 18:28-34

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.

30 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.

31 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.

32 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.

33 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.

34 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.

So Ahab and Jehoshaphat fought the Syrians at Ramothgilead.

35 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.

36 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.

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

A Syrian's arrow wounded King Ahab in the chest.

He died from loss of blood that evening.

38 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.

And the dogs licked Ahab's blood according to the word of the Lord. [4]

39 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?

[For the rest of Ahab's acts (including his ivory house), see The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.]

40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

After Ahab died, his son, Ahaziah, became king of Israel.

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

42Jehoshaphat 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.

43 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.

44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, and he was like his father, Asa, doing what was right in God's eyes -- except for not removing the high places. [5]

45 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?

(For the rest of Jehoshaphat's acts see The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.)

46And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

47 There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.

49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

Jehoshaphat expelled (or exterminated) the sodomites from the land. [6]

50 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.

51 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.

Jehoshaphat died and his son Jehoram became king of Judah.

52 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:

53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

Ahaziah was like his father Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baal.
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