Beginning

18 Forsooth Jehoshaphat was full rich, and noble, and by affinity he was joined to Ahab. (Now Jehoshaphat was very rich, and noble, and by marriage he was joined to Ahab.)

² And after certain years Jehoshaphat came down to Ahab into Samaria; at whose coming Ahab killed full many wethers and oxen, and to the people that came with him; and Ahab counselled Jehoshaphat to go up with him into Ramoth of Gilead. (And after some years Jehoshaphat came down to Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed a great many rams and oxen for him, and for the people who came with him; and Ahab counselled Jehoshaphat to go up with him into Ramoth of Gilead.)

³ And Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Come thou with me into Ramoth of Gilead. To whom he answered, As and I am, so and thou art; and as thy people, so and my people; and we shall be with thee in battle. (And Ahab, the king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, Come thou with me to Ramoth of Gilead. And Jehoshaphat answered, I am ready when thou art/What is mine is yours; and my people be as thy people; and we shall be with thee in battle.)

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I beseech thee, counsel thou in this present time the word of the Lord.

⁵ Therefore the king of Israel gathered together four hundred men of (the) prophets, and said to them, Ought we to go into Ramoth of Gilead for to fight, either take rest? (or should we not?) And the prophets said, Go ye up, and God shall betake it into the hand of the king.

⁶ And Jehoshaphat said, Whether no (other) prophet of the Lord is here, that we may also ask of him?

⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, One man is, of whom we may ask the will of the Lord, but I hate him, for he prophesieth not good, but evil to me, in all time; soothly it is Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said to him, King, speak thou not in this manner. (And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is one man, of whom we can ask the will of the Lord, but I hate him, for every time he prophesieth not good, but only evil for me; this is Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said to him, O king, do not thou say such things.)

⁸ Then the king of Israel called one of his geldings, or (his honest and) chaste servants, and said to him, Call thou anon Micaiah, the son of Imla. (Then the king of Israel called one of his eunuchs, and said to him, Call thou at once Micaiah, the son of Imla.)

⁹ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, sat ever either in his seat, and they were clothed in king’s array; and they sat in the cornfloor, beside the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. (And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, both sat on their thrones, and they were clothed in king’s clothing; and they sat at the entrance to the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.)

¹⁰ And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made to him iron horns (made iron horns for himself), and said, The Lord saith these things, With these, thou shalt winnow the men of Syria, till thou all-brake them.

¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, and said, Go thou up into Ramoth of Gilead, and thou shalt have prosperity; and the Lord shall betake them into the hands of the king (yea, the Lord shall deliver them into the hands of the king).

¹² And the messenger, that went to call Micaiah (who went to call Micaiah), said to him, Lo! the words of all the prophets tell with one mouth good things to the king; therefore, I pray thee, that thy word dissent not from them, and that thou speak prosperities to him.

¹³ To whom Micaiah answered, (As) The Lord liveth, for whatever things my Lord God speaketh to me, I shall say those things.

¹⁴ Therefore he came to the king (And so he came to the king). To whom the king said, Micaiah, ought we (to) go into Ramoth of Gilead to fight, either (should we) take rest, and not to go thither? To whom Micaiah answered, Go ye up thither, for all prosperities shall come to you, and [the] enemies shall be taken into your hands.

¹⁵ And the king said to him, Again and again I charge thee, that thou speak not to me no but that that is sooth in the name of the Lord.

¹⁶ And he said, I saw all Israel scattered abroad in the hills, as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, These men have not lords; each man therefore turn again into his house in peace. (And then Micaiah said, I saw all Israel scattered over the hills, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, These men have no leader; so let each man return to his house in peace.)

¹⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Whether I said not to thee, that he prophesied not any good to me, but those things that be evil? (And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say to thee, that he would not prophesy any good for me, but only those things that be evil?)

¹⁸ And then Micaiah said, Hear ye the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting in his throne (I saw the Lord sitting on his throne), and all the host of heaven standing nigh [to] him at the right side and at the left.

¹⁹ And the Lord said, Who shall deceive Ahab, king of Israel, (so) that he go up, and fall down in Ramoth of Gilead? And when one said in this manner, and another said in another manner,

²⁰ a spirit came forth, and stood before the Lord, and said, I shall deceive him. To whom the Lord said, And wherein shalt thou deceive him? (And how shalt thou deceive him?)

²¹ And he answered, I shall go out, and I shall be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt deceive him, and thou shalt have the mastery; go thou out, and do so.

²² Now therefore, lo! the Lord hath given a spirit of leasing in the mouth of all thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil things of thee, that is, he hath said (of the) evil things to come to thee. (And so now, lo! the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil things for thee, that is, he hath said that evil things shall come to thee.)

²³ And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, nighed, and he smote Micaiah upon the cheek (and he struck Micaiah upon his cheek), and said, By what way hath the Spirit of the Lord passed from me to speak with thee?

²⁴ And Micaiah said, Thou thyself shalt see in that day, when thou shalt enter from closet into closet, that thou be hid. (And Micaiah said, Thou thyself shalt see, or shalt discover, on that day, when thou shalt go from closet to closet, so that thou can be hid.)

²⁵ And the king of Israel commanded, saying, Take ye Micaiah, and lead ye him to Amon, [the] prince of the city, and to Joash, the son of Amalek (the son of Ahab);

²⁶ and ye shall say to them, The king saith these things, Send ye this man into prison, and give ye to him a little of bread, and a little of water, till I turn again in peace (until I return home safely).

²⁷ And Micaiah said, If thou turnest again in peace, the Lord spake not to me. And he said, All peoples hear ye. (And Micaiah said, If thou returnest home safely, the Lord did not speak through me. And he said, Hear ye, all the people.)

²⁸ Then the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up into Ramoth of Gilead.

²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I shall change my clothing, and so I shall go to fight; but be thou clothed in thy (king’s) clothes. Therefore when the king of Israel had changed (his) clothing, he came to (the) battle.

³⁰ And the king of Syria commanded to the dukes of the multitude of his knights, and said, Fight ye not against the least, nor against the most; but against the king alone of Israel. (And the king of Syria had commanded to the leaders of his multitude of horsemen, and said, Do not ye fight against the least, or against the most, but only against the king of Israel.)

³¹ Therefore when the princes of the multitude of knights had seen Jehoshaphat, they said, This is the king of Israel; and they (en)compassed him, and fought against him (And so when the leaders of the multitude of horsemen had seen Jehoshaphat, they said, This is the king of Israel; and they surrounded him, and fought against him). And Jehoshaphat cried to the Lord; and the Lord helped him, and turned them away from him.

³² And when the dukes of the multitude of knights had heard, or understood, that it was not the king of Israel, they left him/they let him go. (And when the leaders of the multitude of horsemen had understood that he was not the king of Israel, they let him go.)

³³ And it befelled, that one man of the people shot an arrow into uncertain(ty), and he smote the king of Israel betwixt the neck and the shoulders. And he said to his charioteer, Turn thine hand, and lead me out of the battle array; for I am wounded.

³⁴ And the battle was ended in that day. Certainly the king of Israel stood in his chariot against (the) men of Syria till to eventide, and he died, when the sun went down. (And the battle ended that day. And the king of Israel stood in his chariot facing the men of Syria until the evening, and then he died, when the sun went down.)

19 Forsooth Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, turned again peaceably into his house into Jerusalem. (And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned safely to his house, that is, his palace, in Jerusalem.)

² Whom the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani met, and said to him, Thou givest help to a wicked man, and thou art joined by friendship to them that hate the Lord; and therefore soothly thou deservedest the wrath of the Lord;

³ but good works be found in thee, for thou hast done away [the] maumet woods from the land of Judah, and thou hast made ready thine heart, for to seek the Lord God of thy fathers. (but good works be found done by thee, for thou hast done away the idol groves, or the sacred poles, from the land of Judah, and thou hast directed thy heart to seek the Lord God of thy fathers.)

⁴ Therefore Jehoshaphat dwelled in Jerusalem; and again he went out to the people from Beersheba to the hill of Ephraim, and he called them again to the Lord God of their fathers. (And so Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem; but he went out among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and he brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers.)

⁵ And he ordained judges of the land in all the strengthened cities of Judah, by each place. (And he ordained judges of the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, at each place.)

⁶ And he commanded to the judges, and said to them, See ye, that is, be ye ware, what ye do; for ye use not the doom of man, but doom of the Lord; and whatever thing ye deem unjustly, it shall turn against you; (And he commanded to the judges, and said to them, Be ye ware what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord; and whatever thing ye judge unjustly, it shall return to you;)

⁷ the dread of the Lord be with you (let the fear of the Lord/let reverence for the Lord be with you), and do ye all things with diligence, that is, with discretion; forsooth with the Lord your God (there) is no wickedness, neither taking, or accepting, of persons, neither covetousness of gifts.

⁸ And also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat ordained deacons, and priests, and the princes of the families of Israel, that they should deem the doom and the cause of the Lord, to the dwellers of Jerusalem. (And in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat ordained the Levites, and the priests, and the leaders of the families of Israel, to declare the judgement of the Lord, and to administer the civil laws, for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.)

⁹ And he commanded to them, and said, Thus ye shall do in the dread of the Lord, faithfully, and in perfect heart. (And he commanded to them, and said, Thus ye shall do in the fear of the Lord/in reverence for the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.)

¹⁰ Each cause that cometh to you of your brethren, that dwell in their cities, betwixt kindred and kindred, wherever is question of the law, (or) of the commandment, or of ceremonies, either sacrifices, or of justifyings, show ye to them, that they do not sin against the Lord, and that wrath of the Lord come not upon you, and upon your brethren. Therefore ye doing thus shall not do sin. (Each cause, or case, that cometh to you of your kinsmen, who live in their cities, between kindred and kindred, wherever there is a question of the law, or of the commandment, or of ceremonies, or sacrifices, or of statutes, show ye to them, so that they do not sin against the Lord, and that the Lord’s anger come not upon you, and upon your kinsmen. And by doing so, ye shall do no sin.)

¹¹ And Amariah, your priest and bishop, shall be sovereign in these things, that pertain to God. And Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, that is duke in the house of Judah, shall be sovereign upon the works that pertain to the office of the king, and ye (shall also) have master deacons before you; be ye comforted, and do ye diligently, that is, studiously, or busily, and the Lord shall be with you in goods. (And your High Priest Amariah, shall be the ruler in these things that pertain to God. And Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, who is the leader in the house of Judah, shall be the ruler, or the overseer, of the works that pertain to the office of the king, and ye shall also have the Levites before you; so be ye strengthened, and do ye diligently, that is, studiously, or busily, and the Lord shall be on the side of the good.)

20 After these things the sons of Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and with them Idumeans, were gathered together, and they came to Jehoshaphat, for to fight against him. (And after these things the Moabites, and the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites, were gathered together, and they came to Jehoshaphat, to fight against him.)

² And messengers came, and showed this to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude of those places that be beyond the sea, and of Syria, is come against thee; and lo! they stand together in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. (And messengers came, and told this to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude from that place on the other side of the Dead Sea, yea, from Edom, hath come against thee; and lo! they stand together in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.)

³ Forsooth Jehoshaphat was afeared by dread, and gave himself all for to pray the Lord, and preached fasting to all Judah. (And Jehoshaphat was filled with fear, and gave his all to pray to the Lord, and preached a fast for all of Judah.)

⁴ And Judah was gathered together for to pray (to) the Lord, and also all men came from their cities for to beseech him.

⁵ And when Jehoshaphat had stood in the midst of the company of Judah and of Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new large place of the temple, (And when Jehoshaphat had stood in the middle of the congregation of Judah and of Jerusalem, in the House of the Lord, in front of the new courtyard of the Temple,)

⁶ he said, Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and thou art Lord of all (the) realms of folks; strength and power be in thine hand, and none may against-stand thee. (he said, Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and thou art Lord of all the kingdoms of the nations; strength and power be in thine hand, and no one can stand against thee.)

⁷ Whether not thou, our God, hast slain all the dwellers of this land before thy people Israel, and hast given it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, [into] without end? (Hast not thou, our God, killed all the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and hast thou not given it to the descendants of Abraham, thy friend, forevermore?)

⁸ And they dwelled therein, and builded therein a saintuary to thy name, and said, (And they lived here, and built a sanctuary in honour of thy name, and said,)

⁹ If evils come [up]on us, the sword of doom, pestilence, or hunger (yea, the sword, or judgement, or pestilence, or hunger), we shall stand before this house (into) without end in thy sight, in which house thy name is called (upon), and we shall cry to thee in our tribulations; and thou shalt hear us, and shalt make us safe.

¹⁰ Now therefore lo! the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and the hill (country) of Seir, by whom thou grantedest not to the sons of Israel for to pass (through their lands), when they went out of Egypt, but they bowed away from them, and killed not them, (And so now lo! the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and those of the hill country of Seir, whom thou grantedest not to the Israelites to pass through their lands, when they went out of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and did not kill them,)

¹¹ but (now) they do on the contrary, and endeavour to cast us out of the possession, which thou, our God, hast given to us;

¹² therefore whether thou, Lord, shalt not deem them? Truly in us is not so great strength, that we may against-stand this multitude, that falleth in upon us; but since we know not what we ought to do, we, the residue, have this only, that we (ad)dress our eyes to thee. (and so shalt thou not judge them? Truly there is not in us so great a strength, that we can stand against this multitude, who falleth in against us; but since we know not what we ought to do, we, who remain, have only this, that we direct our eyes to thee.)

¹³ And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little children, and their wives, and with their free children.

¹⁴ And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, was a deacon, and of the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord was made in the midst of the company, (And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, was a Levite of the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord came in the middle of the congregation,)

¹⁵ and he said, All Judah, and ye that dwell in Jerusalem, and thou, king Jehoshaphat, perceive ye, or taketh heed, The Lord saith these things to you, Do not ye dread, neither be ye afeared of this multitude, for it is not your battle, but God’s battle. (and he said, All Judah, and ye who live in Jerusalem, and thou, king Jehoshaphat, take heed, The Lord saith these things to you, Do not ye fear, nor be ye afraid of this multitude, for it is not your battle, but God’s battle.)

¹⁶ Tomorrow ye shall go up against them; for they shall go up by the side of the hill, called Ziz by name, and ye shall find them in the height of the strand, that is against the wilderness of Jeruel. (Tomorrow ye shall go out against them; for they shall go up by the Ziz Pass, and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.)

¹⁷ For it shall not be ye, that shall fight; but only stand ye trustily (For it shall not be ye, who shall fight; but only stand ye there with trust/in faith), and ye shall see the help of the Lord upon you. O! Judah and Jerusalem, do not ye dread, neither be ye afeared; tomorrow ye shall go out against them, and the Lord shall be with you.

¹⁸ Therefore Jehoshaphat, and Judah, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem, fell lowly upon the earth before the Lord, and worshipped him. (And so Jehoshaphat, and Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell low on the ground before the Lord, and worshipped him.)

¹⁹ And the deacons of the sons of Kohath, and of the sons of Korah (And the Levites of the Kohathites, and of the Korahites), praised the Lord God of Israel with [a] great voice on high.

²⁰ And when upon the morrow they had risen early, they went out by the desert of Tekoa; and when they had gone forth, Jehoshaphat stood in the midst of them, and said, Judah, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem, hear ye me; believe ye in the Lord your God, and ye shall be secure; believe ye to his prophets, and all prosperities shall come to you. (And when they had risen early the next morning, they went out by the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they had gone forth, Jehoshaphat stood in their midst, and said, Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, listen ye to me; believe ye in the Lord your God, and ye shall be secure; believe ye his prophets, and ye shall prosper.)

²¹ And he gave counsel to the people, and he ordained the singers of the Lord, that they should praise him in their companies, and that they should go before the host, and say with according voice, Acknowledge ye to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy is without end. (And he consulted with the people, and he ordained the singers of the Lord, to praise him in their companies, and to go before the army, and to sing together with a loud voice, Praise ye the Lord, for he is good; for his love endureth forevermore.)

²² And when they began to sing praisings, the Lord turned the ambushments of them against themselves, that is, of the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and of the hill of Seir, which went out to fight against Judah; and they were slain. (And when they began to sing their praises, the Lord turned their enemies’ ambushes back against themselves, that is, against the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and those of the hill country of Seir, yea, all who went to fight against Judah; and they were killed.)

²³ For why the sons of Ammon and of Moab rose together against the dwellers of the hill of Seir, to slay, and to do away them; and when they had done this thing in work, they were then also turned against themselves, and they fell down together by wounds, each slaying (the) other. (For the Ammonites and the Moabites rose up together against the inhabitants of the hill country of Seir, to kill them, and to do them away; and when they had done this thing, then they turned against each other, and they fell down wounded together, each killing the other.)

²⁴ Certainly when Judah was come to the den, (or the cave,) that beholdeth, or is over against, the wilderness, he saw afar all the large country full of dead bodies, and that none was left, that might escape death. (And when the men of Judah came to the watch-tower, that overlooketh the wilderness, they saw all the countryside far and wide full of dead bodies, and that no one was left, who had escaped death.)

²⁵ Therefore Jehoshaphat came, and all the people with him, to draw away the spoils of [the] dead men, and they found among the dead bodies diverse purtenance of household, and clothes, and full precious vessels; and they ravished, or took those things away, in diverse manners, so that they might not bear all things, neither they might take away the spoils by three days, for the greatness of [the] prey. (And so Jehoshaphat, and all the people with him, came to take away the dead men’s spoils, and they found among the dead bodies diverse purtenance of household, and clothes, and very precious vessels; and they took those things away, by many means, but even over the course of three days, they could not carry away all those things, and take away all the spoils, for the greatness of the prey.)

²⁶ Soothly in the fourth day they were gathered together in the valley of Blessing; for-thy that they blessed the Lord there, they called that place the valley of Blessing, unto this present day. (And on the fourth day they gathered together in the Berachah Valley, that is, in the Valley of Blessing; for because they blessed the Lord there, that place is called the Valley of Blessing, unto this present day.)

²⁷ And each man of Judah turned again, and the dwellers of Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat (went) before them, into Jerusalem with great gladness; for the Lord God had given to them (the) joy of their enemies. (And each man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat going before them, returned to Jerusalem with great gladness; for the Lord God had given them victory over their enemies/for the Lord God had given them joy over their enemies’ defeat.)

²⁸ And they entered into Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and trumps, into the house of the Lord. (And they entered into Jerusalem with lutes, and harps, and trumpets, and went to the House of the Lord.)

²⁹ Forsooth the dread of the Lord felled on all the realms of (the) lands, when they had heard, that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

³⁰ And the realm of Jehoshaphat rested from war; and the Lord gave peace to him all about.

³¹ And Jehoshaphat reigned upon Judah; and he was of five and thirty years, when he began to reign; and he reigned five and twenty years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

³² And he went in the way of Asa his father, and bowed not from it, and he did whatever things were pleasant before the Lord. (And he went in the way of his father Asa, and turned not from it, and he did whatever things were pleasing in the sight of the Lord.)

³³ Nevertheless he did not away the high places; and yet the people had not (ad)dressed their heart to the Lord God of their fathers. (But still he did not do away the hill shrines; and the people had not yet directed their hearts toward the Lord God of their fathers.)

³⁴ Forsooth the residue of the former and the last deeds of Jehoshaphat be written in the book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which he ordained in the book of [the] kings of Israel. (And the rest of the first and the last deeds of Jehoshaphat be written in The Book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which is part of The Book of the Kings of Israel.)

³⁵ After these things Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, made friendships with Ahaziah, king of Israel, whose works were full evil/were most evil;

³⁶ and he was partner to him, and they made ships, which should go into Tarshish; and they made one ship (to go) into Eziongaber. (and he was his partner, and they made ships in order to go to Tarshish; and they built the ships at Eziongaber.)

³⁷ And Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, and said, For thou hast had bond of peace with Ahaziah, the Lord hath destroyed thy works; and the ships be broken, and [they] might not go into Tarshish (But Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, and said, For thou hast had a covenant with Ahaziah, the Lord shall destroy thy works; and so the ships were destroyed, and they never did go to Tarshish.)