Ahab’s Death

29 Then(A) the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.(B) 30 But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise(C) myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.(D)

31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his 32 chariot commanders,(E) “Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel.”(F)

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(G) 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,[a] for I am badly wounded!”(H) 35 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening,(I) 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!(J)

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria.(K) 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.(L)

39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, including the ivory palace(M) he built, and all the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.(N) 40 Ahab rested with his fathers,(O) and his son Ahaziah(P) became king in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 22:34 LXX; MT reads camp

29 Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. 30 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and he went into the battle. 31 The king of Aram commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, saying, “You shall not fight with small or great, but only against the king of Israel, him alone!” 32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him, so Jehoshaphat called out. 33 When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 34 But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, “Turn the chariot[a] and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded.”

35 The battle intensified on that day, and the king was being propped up in the chariot opposite Aram, but he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound ran out to the floor of the chariot. 36 Then the shout passed through the camp about sunset, saying, “Each man to his city and each to his land!” 37 So the king died, and they brought him[b] to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked his blood (now, the prostitutes washed themselves there) according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken. 39 The remainder of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory palace and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his ancestors,[c] and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 22:34 Literally “your hand”
  2. 1 Kings 22:37 Literally “and he went”
  3. 1 Kings 22:40 Or “fathers”