1 Kings 22
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
22 And there passed three years without war between Syria and Israel.
2 And in the third year, Josaphat king of Juda came down to the king of Israel.
3 (And the king of Israel said to his servants: Know ye not-that Ramoth Galaad is ours, and we neglect to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?)
4 And he said to Josaphat: Wilt thou come with me to battle to Ramoth Galaad?
5 And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: As I am, so art thou: my people and thy people are one: and my horsemen, thy horsemen. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, this day, the word of the Lord.
6 Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall I forbear? They answered: Go up, and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
7 And Josaphat said: Is there not here some prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire by him?
8 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man left, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: Micheas the son of Jemla; but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good to me, but evil. And Josaphat said: Speak not so, O king.
9 Then the king of Israel called an eunuch, and said to him: Make haste, and bring hither Micheas the son of Jemla.
10 Then the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, sat each on his throne clothed with royal robes, in a court by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And Sedecias the son of Chanaana made himself horns of iron, and said: Thus saith the Lord: With these shalt thou push Syria, till thou destroy it.
12 And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, saying: Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king's hands.
13 And the messenger, that went to call Micheas, spoke to him, saying: Behold the words of the prophets with one mouth declare good things to the king: let thy word therefore be like to theirs, and speak that which is good.
14 But Micheas said to him: As the Lord liveth, whatsoever the Lord shall say to me, that will I speak.
15 So he came to the king, and the king said to him: Micheas, shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall we forbear? He answered him: Go up, and prosper, and the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hands.
16 But the king said to him: I adjure thee again and again, that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord.
17 And he said: I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said: These have no master: let every man of them return to his house in peace.
18 (Then the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Did I not tell thee, that he prophesieth no good to me, but always evil?)
19 And he added and said: Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left:
20 And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up, and fall at Ramoth Galaad? And one spoke words of this manner, and another otherwise.
21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him: By what means?
22 And he said: I will go forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive him, and shalt prevail: a go forth, and do so.
23 Now therefore behold the Lord hath given a lying spirit in the mouth of all thy prophets that are here, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.
24 And Sedecias the son of Chanaana came, and struck Micheas on the cheek, and said: Hath then the spirit of the Lord left me, and spoken to thee?
25 And Micheas said: Thou shalt see in the day when thou shalt go into a chamber within a chamber to hide thyself.
26 And the king of Israel said: Take Micheas, and let him abide with Ammon the governor of the city, and with Joas the son of Amalech.
27 And tell them: Thus saith the king: Put this man in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and water of distress, till I return in peace.
28 And Micheas said: If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said: Hear, all ye people.
29 So the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda went up to Ramoth Galaad.
30 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Take armour, and go into the battle, and put on thy own garments. But the king of Israel changed his dress, and went into the battle.
31 And the king of Syria had commanded the two and thirty captains of the chariots, saying: You shall not fight against any, small or great, but against the king of Israel only.
32 So when the captains of the chariots saw Josaphat, they suspected that he was the king of Israel, and making a violent assault they fought against him: and Josaphat cried out.
33 And the captains of the chariots perceived that he was not the king of and they turned away from him.
34 And a certain man bent his bow, shooting at a venture, and chanced to strike the king of Israel between the lungs and the stomach. But he said to the driver of his chariot: Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the army, for I am grievously wounded.
35 And the battle was fought that day, and the king of Israel stood in his chariot against the Syrians, and he died in the evening: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
36 And the herald proclaimed through all the army before the sun set, saying: Let every man return to his own city, and to his own country.
37 And the king died, and was carried into Samaria: and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And they washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed the reins, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.
39 But the rest of the acts of Achab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?
40 So Achab slept with his fathers, and Ochozias his son reigned in his stead.
41 But Josaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Juda in the fourth year of Achab king of Israel.
42 He was five and thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned five and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Azuba the daughter of Salai.
43 And he walked in all the way of Asa his father, and he declined not from it: and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
44 Nevertheless he took not away the high places: for as Set the people offered sacrifices and burnt incense in the high places.
45 And Josaphat had peace with the king of Israel.
46 But the rest of the acts of Josaphat, and his works which he did, and his battles, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?
47 And the remnant also of the effeminate, who remained in the days of Asa his father, he took out of the land.
48 And there was then no king appointed in Edom.
49 But king Josaphat made navies on the sea, to sail into Ophir for gold: but they could not go, for the ships were broken in Asiongaber.
50 Then Ochozias the ton of Achab said to Josaphat: Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. And Josaphat would not.
51 And Josaphat slept with his fathers. and was buried with them in the city of David his father: and Joram his son reigned in his stead.
52 And Ochozias the son of Achab began to reign over Israel in Samaria, in the seventeenth year of Josaphat king of Juda, and he reigned over Israel two years,
53 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father and his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin.
54 He served also Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked the Lord the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
1 Kings 22
Christian Standard Bible
Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab
22 There was(A) a lull of three years(B) without war between Aram and Israel. 2 However, in the third year, King Jehoshaphat(C) of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.(D) 3 The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead(E) is ours, but we’re doing nothing to take it from the king of Aram?” 4 So(F) he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?” (G)
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”(H) 5 But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please ask what the Lord’s will is.”(I)
6 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men,(J) and asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?”
They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”(K)
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here anymore?(L) Let’s ask him.”
8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him(M) because he never prophesies good about me,(N) but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
9 So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”
10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah,(O) clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were on the threshing floor(P) at the entrance to the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 11 Then Zedekiah(Q) son of Chenaanah made iron horns(R) and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’” 12 And all the prophets were prophesying the same: “March up to Ramoth-gilead(S) and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah’s Message of Defeat
13 The messenger(T) who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives,(U) I will say whatever the Lord says to me.”(V)
15 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?”
Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The Lord will hand it over to the king.”
16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 So Micaiah said:
I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.(W)
And the Lord said,
“They have no master;
let everyone return home in peace.”(X)
18 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”
19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne,(Y) and the whole heavenly army(Z) was standing by him at his right hand and at his left hand. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ (AA) So one was saying this and another was saying that.
21 “Then a spirit came forward, stood in the Lord’s presence, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22 “The Lord asked him, ‘How?’
“He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit(AB) in the mouth of all his prophets.’
“Then he said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail.(AC) Go and do that.’
23 “You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”
24 Then Zedekiah(AD) son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah on the cheek, and demanded, “Did[a] the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” (AE)
25 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see when you go to hide in an inner chamber on that day.”(AF)
26 Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son,(AG) 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison(AH) and feed him only a little bread and water[b] until I come back safely.’”
28 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.”(AI) Then he said, “Listen, all you people!” [c](AJ)
Ahab’s Death
29 Then(AK) the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.(AL) 30 But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise(AM) myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.(AN)
31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders,(AO) “Do not fight with anyone at all[d] except the king of Israel.”(AP)
32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
34 But a man drew his bow(AQ) without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle,[e] for I am badly wounded!” (AR) 35 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening,(AS) and blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, declaring:
Each man to his own city,
and each man to his own land!(AT)
37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria.(AU) 38 Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken.(AV)
39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, including the ivory palace(AW) he built, and all the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.(AX) 40 Ahab rested with his ancestors,(AY) and his son Ahaziah(AZ) became king in his place.
Judah’s King Jehoshaphat
41 Jehoshaphat(BA) son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Israel’s King Ahab. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king; he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in all the ways of his father Asa;(BB) he did not turn away from them but did what was right in the Lord’s sight. However, the high places were not taken away;[f] the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.(BC) 44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.(BD)
45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(BE) 46 He eradicated from the land the rest of the male cult prostitutes who were left from the days of his father Asa.(BF) 47 There was no king in Edom;(BG) a deputy served as king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish(BH) to go to Ophir(BI) for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.(BJ) 49 At that time, Ahaziah(BK) son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David.(BL) His son Jehoram(BM) became king in his place.
Israel’s King Ahaziah
51 Ahaziah(BN) son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria(BO) in the seventeenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat,(BP) and he reigned over Israel two years. 52 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(BQ) He walked in the ways of his father,(BR) in the ways of his mother,(BS) and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.(BT) 53 He served Baal and bowed in worship to him.(BU) He angered the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done.(BV)
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