Beginning
21 8 Jezebel commandeth to kill Naboth, for the vineyard that he refused to sell to Ahab. 19 Elijah reproveth Ahab, and he repenteth.
1 After [a]these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, [b]Give me thy vineyard, that I may make me a garden of herbs thereof, because it is nearby mine house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it is: or if it please thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord keep me from giving the inheritance of my father unto thee.
4 Then Ahab came into his house heavy and in displeasure, because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto him. For he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers, and he lay [c]upon his bed, and turned his face and would eat no bread.
5 Then Jezebel his wife came unto him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad that thou eatest no bread?
6 And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money, or if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: but he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
7 Then Jezebel his wife said unto him, [d]Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Up, eat bread, and [e]be of good cheer, I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
8 ¶ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the Elders, and to the nobles that were in his city dwelling with Naboth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a [f]fast, and set Naboth among the chief of the people,
10 And set two wicked men before him, and let them witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king: then carry him out, and stone him that he may die.
11 And the [g]men of the city, even the Elders and governors which dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them: as it was written in the letters, which she had sent unto them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth among the chief of the people,
13 And there came two wicked men, and sat before him: and the wicked men witnessed against Naboth in the presence of the people saying, Naboth did [h]blaspheme God and the King. Then they carried him away out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned and is dead.
15 ¶ And when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, [i]Up, and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but is dead.
16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 ¶ And the word of the Lord came unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab King of Israel, which is in Samaria: lo, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it.
19 Therefore shalt thou say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, [j]Hast thou killed, and also gotten possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, [k]In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick even thy blood also.
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: for thou hast sold thyself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord.
21 (A)Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that (B)pisseth against the wall, as well him that is (C)shut up, as him that is left in Israel,
22 And I will make thine house like the house of (D)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of (E)Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked and made Israel to sin.
23 And also of Jezebel spake the Lord, saying, (F) The dogs shall eat Jezebel, [l]by the wall of Jezreel.
24 The dogs shall eat him of Ahab’s stock, that dieth in the city: and him that dieth in the fields, shall the fowls of the air eat.
25 (But there was none like Ahab, who did [m]sell himself to work wickedness, in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife provoked.
26 For he did exceeding abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.)
27 Now when Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon [n]him, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went [o]softly.
28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me? because he submitteth himself before me, I will not bring that evil in his days, but in his [p]sons’ days will I bring evil upon his house.
22 2 Jehoshaphat and Ahab fight against the King of Syria. 15 Micaiah showeth the king what shall be the success of their enterprise. 24 Zedekiah the false prophet smiteth him. 34 Ahab is slain. 40 Ahaziah his son succeedeth. 41 The reign of Jehoshaphat, 50 and Jehoram his son.
1 And (G)they continued [q]three years without war between Aram and Israel.
2 And in the third year did Jehoshaphat the king of Judah [r]come down to the king of Israel.
3 (Then the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye not that [s]Ramoth Gilead was ours? and we stay, and take it not out of the hand of the King of Aram?)
4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle against Ramoth Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, [t]I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and mine horses as thine horses.
5 Then Jehoshaphat said unto the King of Israel, [u]Ask counsel, I pray thee, of the Lord today.
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the [v]prophets upon a four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I let it alone? And they said, Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the King.
7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there here never a Prophet of the [w]Lord more, that we might inquire of him?
8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man (Micaiah the son of Imlah) by whom we may ask counsel of the Lord, but [x]I hate him: for he doth not prophesy good unto me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
9 Then the king of Israel called an [y]Eunuch, and said, Call quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.
10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat either of them on his throne in their [z]apparel in the void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him [aa]horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Aramites, until thou hast consumed them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king’s hand.
13 ¶ And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah, spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with [ab][ac]one accord, let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good.
14 And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, whatsoever the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.
15 ¶ So he came to the King, and the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we leave off? And he answered him, [ad]Go up, and prosper: and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
16 And the king said unto him, How oft shall I charge thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the Name of the Lord?
17 Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that had no shepherd. And the Lord said, [ae]These have no master, let every man return unto his house in peace.
18 (And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good unto me, but evil?)
19 Again he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sit on his throne, and all the [af]host of heaven stood about him on his right hand and on his left hand.
20 And the Lord said, Who shall [ag]entice Ahab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
21 Then there came forth a spirit, and [ah]stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?
22 And he said, I will go out, and be a [ai]false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. Then he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt also prevail: go forth, and do so.
23 Now therefore behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath appointed evil against thee.
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, (H)[aj]When went the spirit of the Lord from me, to speak unto thee?
25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go from chamber to chamber to hide thee.
26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him unto Amon the governor of the city, and unto Joash the king’s son,
27 And say, Thus saith the King, Put this man in the prison house, and feed him with [ak]bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.
28 And Micaiah said, If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said, [al]Hearken all ye people.
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will change mine apparel, and will enter into the battle, but put thou on thine apparel. And the king of Israel changed himself, and went into the battle.
31 And the king of Aram commanded his two and thirty captains over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only against the king of Israel.
32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely it is the king of Israel: and they turned to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat [am]cried.
33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from him.
34 Then a certain man drew a bow [an]mightily, and smote the king of Israel between the joints [ao]of his brigandine. Wherefore he said unto his chariot man, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host: for I am [ap]hurt.
35 And the battle increased that day, and the [aq]king stood still in his chariot against the Aramites, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
36 And there were a proclamation throughout the [ar]host about the going down of the Sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (and [as]they washed his armor) according (I)unto the word of the Lord which he spake.
39 Concerning the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41 ¶ (J)And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign upon Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was five and thirty years old when he began to reign, and reigned five and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father, and declined not there from, but did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, [at]the high places were not taken away: for the people offered still, and burnt incense in the high places.
44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his worthy deeds that he did, and his battles which he fought, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46 And the Sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he put clean out of the land.
47 There was then no King in Edom: the [au]deputy was king.
48 Jehoshaphat made ships of [av]Tarshish to sail to [aw]Ophir for gold, but they went not, for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber.
49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships, But Jehoshaphat would not.
50 And Jehoshaphat did sleep with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
51 ¶ Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria, the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.
53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked the Lord God of Israel unto wrath, [ax]according unto all that his father had done.
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