²⁹ The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter^[a] into the battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. ³¹ Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers;^[b] fight only the king of Israel.” ³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. ³⁴ Now an archer shot an arrow at random,^[c] and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king^[d] ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line,^[e] because I’m wounded.” ³⁵ While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶ As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” ³⁷ So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him.^{[f] 38} They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria. Then the dogs licked his blood, while the prostitutes bathed, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken.^[g]

³⁹ The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[h] 40} Ahab passed away.^[i] His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.