Jehoshaphat’s Reign

17 His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him and strengthened himself against Israel.^{(A) 2} He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had taken.^{(B) 3} The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father;^[a] he did not seek the Baals ⁴ but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments and not according to the ways of Israel.^{(C) 5} Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. All Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.^{(D) 6} His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the sacred poles^[b] from Judah.^(E)

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.^{(F) 8} With them were the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; and with these Levites the priests Elishama and Jehoram.^{(G) 9} They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the Lord with them; they went around through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.^(H)

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.^{(I) 11} Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabs also brought him seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.^{(J) 12} Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He carried out great works in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty warriors, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ This was the muster of them by ancestral houses: Of Judah, the commanders of the thousands: Adnah the commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors, ¹⁵ and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred eighty thousand, ¹⁶ and next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty warriors.^{(K) 17} Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior, with two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield, ¹⁸ and next to him Jehozabad with one hundred eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹ These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Micaiah Predicts Failure

18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.^{(L) 2} After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.^{(M) 3} King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are; my people are your people. We will be with you in the war.”

⁴ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”^{(N) 5} Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred of them, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” They said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here of whom we may inquire?” ⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one other by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable about me but only disaster.” Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say such a thing.”^{(O) 8} Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.” ⁹ Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.^{(P) 10} Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says the Lord: With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.” ¹¹ All the prophets were prophesying the same and saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”^(Q)

¹² The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.”^(R)

¹⁴ When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁶ Then Micaiah^[c] said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each one go home in peace.’ ”^{(S) 17} The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything favorable about me but only disaster?”

¹⁸ Then Micaiah^[d] said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing to the right and to the left of him. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ Then one said one thing, and another said another, ²⁰ until a certain spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’^{(T) 21} He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then the Lord^[e] said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do it.’ ²² So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”^(U)

²³ Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up to Micaiah, slapped him on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?”^{(V) 24} Micaiah replied, “You will find out on that day when you go in to hide in an inner chamber.” ²⁵ The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,^{(W) 26} and say: Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water until I return in peace.”^{(X) 27} Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, you peoples, all of you!”^(Y)

Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁸ So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹ 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 they went into battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with no one small or great but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him,^{(Z) 32} for when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate, so he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”^{(AA) 34} The battle grew hot that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening; then at sunset he died.

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

13 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.^{(A) 2} The devil had already decided^[a] that Judas son of Simon Iscariot would betray Jesus. And during supper^{(B) 3} Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God,^{(C) 4} got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.^{(D) 5} Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”^{(E) 9} Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,^[b] but is entirely clean. And you^[c] are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”^(F)

¹² After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had reclined again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am.^{(G) 14} So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.^{(H) 15} For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.^{(I) 16} Very truly, I tell you, slaves are not greater than their master, nor are messengers^[d] greater than the one who sent them.^{(J) 17} If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. ¹⁸ I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread^[e] has lifted his heel against me.’^{(K) 19} I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe that I am he.^{[f](L) 20} Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”^(M)