The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NIV. Switch to the NIV to read along with the audio.
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah[a]
17 Asa’s son Jehoshaphat ruled in his place. He strengthened his position against Israel and 2 placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah. He placed garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways that his father David walked in the beginning. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but he sought the God of his father, and he walked in his commandments. He did not follow the example of Israel. 5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. All Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat. He had abundant riches and honor. 6 His heart was bold in the ways of the Lord. Furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 Along with them he sent these Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, as well as the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught in Judah. They took the Book of the Law[b] of the Lord with them and traveled around through all the cities of Judah, teaching among the people.
10 The fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah. They did not wage war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. Also the Arabs brought flocks to him: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
12 Jehoshaphat was continually becoming greater and greater. He built fortresses and towns for storehouses in Judah.
13 He had large amounts of supplies[c] in the cities of Judah, and soldiers who were powerful warriors were stationed in Jerusalem. 14 Their numbers, based on their fathers’ houses, were as follows.
Belonging to Judah, these were the commanders of units of a thousand:
Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 powerful warriors.
15 Next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him 280,000.
16 Next to him Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the Lord, and with him 200,000 powerful warriors.
17 From Benjamin:
Eliada, a powerful warrior, and with him 200,000 men armed with bow and shield.
18 Next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 men armed for war.
19 These were the men who served the king, in addition to those forces that the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
18 Jehoshaphat had abundant riches and honor. He also formed a marriage alliance with Ahab.
2 After some years passed, Jehoshaphat went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed sheep and cattle in great numbers for him and for the troops with him. So Ahab persuaded him to go up against Ramoth Gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat answered him, “I am like you. My people are like your people. We are with you in the war.”
4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please seek the word of the Lord today.”
5 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and he said to them, “Should we go up to make war on Ramoth Gilead, or should I refrain?”
They said, “Go up! God will give it into the hand of the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here? We should inquire from him.”
7 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man from whom we could inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he doesn’t prophesy anything good about me. He continually prophesies only bad things. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not talk like that.”
8 So the king of Israel summoned one of his officials and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah here.”
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. They were sitting by the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate to Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 Zedekiah son of Kena’anah had made iron horns for himself, and he said, “This is what the Lord says. With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.” 11 All the prophets were prophesying in this same way: “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and triumph, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
12 The messenger who was sent to summon Micaiah said to him, “Pay attention to the words of the prophets. With one mouth they are promising good things to the king. Please! Your words should be like the words of one of them. You should say something good.”
13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that is what I will say.”
14 Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or should I refrain?”
Micaiah answered him, “Go up and triumph. They will be given into your hand.”
15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to me that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, ‘They have no masters. Let each one return to his home in peace.’”
17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he does not prophesy anything good about me but only bad?”
18 Then Micaiah proclaimed:
Now hear this word from the Lord.
I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole army of heaven was standing on his right and on his left.
19 The Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab king of Israel, so that he goes up and falls at Ramoth Gilead?”
One spirit said this; another one said that. 20 Finally a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, “I will entice him.”
The Lord said to him, “How?”
21 He said, “I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.”
The Lord said, “You will entice him successfully. Go and do that.”
22 Now look! The Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all your prophets, for the Lord has decreed disaster for you.
23 Then Zedekiah son of Kena’anah came over and struck Micaiah on his cheek and said, “Where is this pathway on which the spirit of the Lord has traveled from me to speak to you?”
24 Micaiah said, “You will see on the day you go into the inner room to hide.”
25 Then the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon, the administrator of the city, and to Joash, son of the king. 26 You are to say to them, ‘This is what the king says. Put this man in prison and feed him nothing more than bread and water until I come back safely.’”
27 Micaiah said, “If you ever come back safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me.”
He also said, “Hear this, you people, all of you!”
Ahab Dies in Battle
28 Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself when I go into the battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 The king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight against anyone, whether small or great, but only against the king of Israel.”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “That is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him.
Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him.
32 When the chariot commanders realized that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
33 But a man shot an arrow at random and struck the king of Israel in the seam between two parts of his armor.
Ahab said to the chariot driver, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I have been wounded.”
34 The battle increased in intensity all that day. The king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing Aram until evening. He died at sunset.
God Shows Mercy to Gentiles and the Remnant of Israel
25 This is also what God says in Hosea:
Those who were not my people, I will call my people,
and she who was not loved, I will call my loved one.[a]
26 And, it will be that in the place where they were told,
“You are not my people,”
there they will be called “sons of the living God.”[b]
27 And Isaiah cries out about Israel:
Although the number of the sons of Israel is as great as the sand
of the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord, who carries out what he says without delay,[c]
will do what he said completely and decisively on the earth.[d]
29 Just as Isaiah said earlier:
If the Lord of Armies[e] had not left us some descendants,
we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been
like Gomorrah.[f]
The Majority of Jews Rejected Justification by Faith
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have obtained righteousness, a righteousness that is by faith. 31 But Israel, while pursuing the law as a way of righteousness, did not reach it. 32 Why? Because they kept pursuing it not by faith, but as if it comes by works.[g] They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 Just as it is written:
Look, I am putting a stone in Zion over which they will stumble
and a rock over which they will fall.
The one who believes[h] in him will not be put to shame.[i]
Prayer for Israelites to Believe
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 Indeed, I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but it is not consistent with knowledge. 3 Since they were ignorant of the righteousness from God and sought to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness from God. 4 For to everyone who believes, Christ is the end of the law, resulting in righteousness.
5 Indeed, Moses writes this about the righteousness that comes by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.”[j] 6 But the righteousness that comes by faith speaks like this: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[k] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”[l] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,”[m] that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming. 9 Certainly, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and it is with the mouth that a person confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”[n]
12 So there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[o]
Psalm 20
A Prayer for Victory for the King
Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.
The People’s Prayer
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of distress.
May the name of the God of Jacob lift you up.
2 May he send you help from the holy place.
May he support you from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrificial gifts. Interlude
May he accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you whatever your heart desires.
May he fulfill all your plans.
5 We will shout joyfully when God saves you.
In the name of our God we will lift up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your prayers.
The King’s Response
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his Anointed.[a]
He answers him from his holy heavens
with powerful acts of salvation from his right hand.
The People’s Prayer
7 Some rely on chariots, and some on horses,
but we rely on the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, save the king! Answer us in the day we call!
2 The king’s rage is like a lion’s growl.
Whoever intrudes on him endangers his life.
3 Avoiding strife brings honor to a man,
but every stubborn fool is always fighting.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.