Beginning
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
18 Now (A)Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage to Ahab. 2 (B)Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria, and Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”
4 However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord [a]first.” 5 So the king of Israel assembled the [b]prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will hand it over to the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good regarding me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.”
Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory
8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, and they were sitting (C)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” 11 All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah Brings Word from God
12 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are [c]unanimously favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, (D)whatever my God says, I will speak it.”
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you!” 15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(E)Like sheep that have no shepherd.
And the Lord said,
‘These people have no master.
Each of them is to return to his house in peace.’”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”
18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. (F)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the [d]angels of heaven standing on His right and on His left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will [e]entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. 20 Then a (G)spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will [f]entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ 21 He said, ‘I will go out and be (H)a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall [g]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 22 Now therefore, behold, (I)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, for the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and (J)struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “[h]How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you go from one inner room to [i]another trying to hide yourself.” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “(K)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon (L)the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: “(M)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I [j]return safely.”’” 27 But Micaiah said, “If you actually return [k]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “[l](N)Listen, all you people!”
Ahab’s Defeat and Death
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat (O)cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32 When the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [m]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn [n]around and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” 34 The battle raged on that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
Jehu Rebukes Jehoshaphat
19 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. 2 (P)And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “(Q)Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord, and [o](R)by doing so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord? 3 But [p](S)there is some good in you, for (T)you have removed the [q]Asheroth from the land and you (U)have set your heart to seek God.”
4 So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and (V)brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
Reforms Instituted
5 He appointed (W)judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. 6 He said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for (X)you do not judge for mankind but for the Lord who is with you [r]when you render judgment. 7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be careful [s]about what you do, for [t]the Lord our God will (Y)have no part in injustice (Z)or partiality, or in the taking of a bribe.”
8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also appointed some (AA)of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and [u]to judge disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 9 Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and wholeheartedly. 10 (AB)Whenever any dispute comes to you from your countrymen who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them so that they will not be guilty before the Lord, and (AC)wrath will not come on you and your countrymen. This you shall do and you will not be guilty. 11 Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in (AD)every matter [v]that pertains to the Lord, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. [w](AE)Act resolutely, and may the Lord be with the upright.”
Judah Invaded
20 Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the [x](AF)Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from [y]Aram; and behold, they are in (AG)Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and [z](AH)turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he (AI)proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to (AJ)seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat’s Prayer
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord in front of the new courtyard; 6 and he said, “Lord, God of our fathers, (AK)are You not God in the heavens? And (AL)are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. 7 Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and (AM)give it to the descendants of (AN)Your friend Abraham forever? 8 They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘(AO)If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for (AP)Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’ 10 Now behold, (AQ)the sons of Ammon, Moab, and [aa]Mount Seir, (AR)whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (for they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), 11 see how they are rewarding us by (AS)coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, (AT)will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but (AU)our eyes are on You.”
13 All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children.
Jahaziel Answers the Prayer
14 Then in the midst of the assembly (AV)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the Lord says to you: ‘(AW)Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for (AX)the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You need not fight in this battle; take your position, (AY)stand and watch the salvation of the Lord in your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, (AZ)for the Lord is with you.”
18 Jehoshaphat (BA)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
Enemies Destroy Themselves
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: (BB)Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.” 21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who (BC)praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “(BD)Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” 22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord (BE)set ambushes against the sons of (BF)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. 23 For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, (BG)they helped to destroy one another.
24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, [ab]garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.
Triumphant Return to Jerusalem
26 Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for they blessed the Lord there. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of [ac]Beracah” until today. 27 Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, (BH)for the Lord had helped them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And (BI)the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, (BJ)for his God gave him rest on all sides.
31 (BK)Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not deviate from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. 33 (BL)The high places, however, were not removed; (BM)the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first [ad]to last, behold, they are written in the annals of (BN)Jehu the son of Hanani, which is [ae]recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
Alliance Displeases God
35 (BO)After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly [af]in so doing. 36 So he allied himself with him to make ships to go (BP)to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.