Beginning

18 And Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance. And he became the son-in-law of Ahab.

² And after some years, he went down to Ahab, to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and bulls for him in great number, and for the people that he had with him, and enticed him to go up to Ramoth Gilead.

³ And Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people. And we will join with you in the war.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please ask counsel from the Word of the LORD this day.”

⁵ Therefore, the king of Israel gathered four hundred men of Prophets, and said to them, “Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I cease?” And they said, “Go up! For God shall deliver it into the king’s hand.”

⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not one more Prophet of the LORD here, that we might inquire of him?”

⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may ask counsel of the LORD. But I hate him. For he does not Prophesy good to me, but always misery. It is Michaiah, the son of Imla.” Then Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

⁸ And the king of Israel called a eunuch, and said, “Call Michaiah, the son of Imla, quickly.”

⁹ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, each sat on his throne clothed in their apparel. They sat in the threshing floor at the entering in of the gate of Samaria. And all the Prophets prophesied before them.

¹⁰ And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself horns of iron, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘With these you shall push the Aramites until you have consumed them.”

¹¹ And all the Prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Go up in Ramoth Gilead, and prosper. For the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”

¹² And the messenger who went to call Michaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold, the Words of the Prophets declare good to the king in agreement. Therefore, let your word be like one of theirs, please, and speak good.

¹³ And Michaiah said, “As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that will I speak.”

¹⁴ So, he came to the king. And the king said to him, “Michaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up, and prosper. And they shall be delivered into your hand.”

¹⁵ And the king said to him, “How often shall I charge you to tell me nothing but the truth in the Name of the LORD?”

¹⁶ Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered in the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let every man return to his house in peace.’”

¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not Prophesy good to me, but misery?”

¹⁸ Again he said, “Therefore, hear the Word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sit upon His throne, and all the host of Heaven standing at His right Hand, and at His left.

¹⁹ “And the LORD said: ‘Who shall persuade Ahab, king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And one spoke and said this, and another said that.

²⁰ “Then there came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’

²¹ “And he said, ‘I will go out and be a false spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets.’ And He said, ‘You shall persuade, and shall also prevail. Go forth and do so.’

²² “Now, therefore, behold. The LORD has put a false spirit in the mouth of these your Prophets. And the LORD has determined misery against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and struck Michaiah upon the cheek, and said, “By what way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak with you?”

²⁴ And Michaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you shall go from chamber to chamber to hide yourself.”

²⁵ And the king of Israel said, “Take Michaiah and carry him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son,

²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in the prison house and feed him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.”’”

²⁷ And Michaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you people!”

²⁸ So, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead.

²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and enter into the battle. But you put on your garments.” So, the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.

³⁰ And the king of Aram had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, “Do not fight with small nor great, but against the king of Israel only.”

³¹ And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel!” And they surrounded him to fight. But Jehoshaphat cried. And the LORD helped him and moved them to depart from him.

³² For when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from him.

³³ Then, a certain man drew a bow mightily and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Therefore, he said to his chariotman, “Turn your hand and carry me out of the camp; for I am hurt.”

³⁴ And the battle increased that day. And the king of Israel stood still in his chariot against the Aramites until evening and died at the time of the Sun going down.

19 And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.

² And Jehu, the son of Hanani the Seer, went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Would you help the wicked, and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore, for this thing the wrath of the LORD is upon you.

³ “Nevertheless, good things are found in you, because you have taken away the groves out of the land and have prepared your heart to seek God.”

⁴ So, Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem and returned and went through the people, from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD God of their fathers.

⁵ And he set judges in the land throughout all the strong cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶ and said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do. For you do not execute the judgments of man, but of the LORD, and he will be with you in the cause and judgment.

⁷ “Therefore now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Consider and do it. For there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor receiving of reward.”

⁸ Moreover, Jehoshaphat set some of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chiefs of the families of Israel for the judgment and cause of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they returned to Jerusalem.

⁹ And he charged them, saying, “Thus shall you do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a perfect heart.

¹⁰ “And in every case that shall come to you from your brethren who dwell in your cities — between blood and blood, between Law and Precept, Statutes and Judgments — admonish them, so that they do not trespass against the LORD and wrath does not come upon you and upon your brethren. This shall you do and not trespass.

¹¹ “And behold, Amariah the Priest, shall be the chief over you in all matters of the LORD. And Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, a ruler of the House of Judah, shall be for all the king’s affairs. And the Levites shall be officers before you. Be courageous and do it! And the LORD shall be with the good.”

20 Also after this the children of Moab came, and the children of Ammon and some others besides the Ammonites, to do battle against Jehoshaphat.

² Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude comes against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram. And behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar.” (which is En Gedi)

³ And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

⁴ And Judah gathered themselves together to ask counsel of the LORD. They even came out of all the cities of Judah to inquire of the LORD.

⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the Congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the House of the LORD, in front of the new court,

⁶ and said, “O LORD God of our fathers! Are You not God in Heaven? And do You not reign over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in Your Hand is power and might! And no one is able to withstand You.

⁷ “Did not You, our God, cast out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the seed of Abraham, Your friend, forever?

⁸ “And they dwelt in it, and have built You a Sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,

⁹ ‘if misery comes upon us as the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this House, and in Your presence (for Your Name is in this House), and will cry to You in our tribulation. And You will hear and help.’

¹⁰ “And now behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, by whom You would not let Israel go when they came out of the land of Egypt, they have turned aside from them and have not destroyed them.

¹¹ “Behold, I say, they reward us by coming to cast us out of Your inheritance which You have caused us to inherit.

¹² “O, our God! Will You not judge them? For there is no strength in us before this great multitude that comes against us, nor do we know what to do! But our eyes are toward You.”

¹³ And all Judah stood before the LORD with their young ones, their wives, and their children.

¹⁴ And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, upon whom came the Spirit of the LORD, was in the midst of the Congregation.

¹⁵ And he said, “Listen all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Neither fear nor be afraid of this great multitude! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!

¹⁶ “Go down against them tomorrow. Behold, they come up by the cleft of Ziz. And you shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷ “You shall not need to fight in this. Stand still. Do not move. And behold the salvation of the LORD towards you. O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be afraid! Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you!”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the earth. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

¹⁹ And the Levites of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

²⁰ And when they arose early in the morning, they went forth to the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they departed, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Put your trust in the LORD your God, and you shall be established! Believe His Prophets and you shall prosper!”

²¹ And after he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to the LORD, and those who would praise in the beautiful Sanctuary by going forth before the men of arms, and saying, “Praise the LORD! For His mercy endures forever!”

²² And when they began to shout and to praise, the LORD laid ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah. And they were stricken.

²³ For the children of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to kill and to destroy. And when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy each other.

²⁴ And when Judah came toward Mizpah in the wilderness, they looked to the multitude. And behold, the carcasses had fallen to the earth. And no one escaped.

²⁵ And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found abundance among them, in both goods and also bodies with precious jewels, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. It took them three days to gather the spoil; for it was large.

²⁶ And on the fourth day, they assembled themselves in the Valley of Berachah; for they blessed the LORD there. Therefore, they call the name of that place “The Valley of Berachah” to this day.

²⁷ Then, every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat, their leader, to go back to Jerusalem with joy. For the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸ And they came to Jerusalem, to the House of the LORD, with viols and with harps and with trumpets.

²⁹ And the fear of God was upon all the kingdoms of the Earth after they had heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

³⁰ So, the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet. And his God gave him rest on every side.

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

³² And he walked in the way of Asa, his father, and did not depart from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

³³ However, the high places were not taken away. For the people had not yet prepared their hearts to the God of their fathers.

³⁴ Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵ Still, after this, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, joined himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was given to do evil.

³⁶ And he joined with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. And they made the ships in Ezion Geber.

³⁷ Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken your works.” And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.