Psalm 54^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David. When the Ziphites^(A) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah^(A) son of Kenaanah went up and slapped^(B) Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from^[a] the Lord go when he went from me to speak^(C) to you?” he asked.

²⁵ Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide^(D) in an inner room.”

²⁶ The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son ²⁷ and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison^(E) and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”

²⁸ Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken^(F) through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”

Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead^(G)

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise,^(H) but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

³¹ Now the king of Aram^(I) had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king^(J) of Israel.” ³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out, ³³ the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him.

³⁴ But someone drew his bow^(K) at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” ³⁵ All day long the battle raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. ³⁶ As the sun was setting, a cry spread through the army: “Every man to his town. Every man to his land!”^(L)

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. ³⁸ They washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed),^[b] and the dogs^(M) licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord had declared.

³⁹ As for the other events of Ahab’s reign, including all he did, the palace he built and adorned with ivory,^(N) and the cities he fortified, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ Ahab rested with his ancestors. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.

All Israel Will Be Saved

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant^(A) of this mystery,^(B) brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:^(C) Israel has experienced a hardening^(D) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,^{(E) 26} and in this way^[a] all Israel will be saved.^(F) As it is written:

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies^(H) for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,^{(I) 29} for God’s gifts and his call^(J) are irrevocable.^{(K) 30} Just as you who were at one time disobedient^(L) to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now^[d] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. ³² For God has bound everyone over to disobedience^(M) so that he may have mercy on them all.