Historical

15 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

² And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul’s first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you.

³ Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.

⁴ But when they in their trouble turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and [in desperation earnestly] sought Him, He was found by them.

⁵ And in those times there was no peace to him who went out nor to him who came in, but great and vexing afflictions and disturbances were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

⁶ Nation was broke in pieces against nation, and city against city, for God vexed and troubled them with all sorts of adversity.

⁷ Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim; and he repaired the altar [of burnt offering] of the Lord which was in front of the porch or vestibule [of the house] of the Lord.

⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to Asa out of Israel in large numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰ So they gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

¹¹ And they sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil which they had brought—700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.

¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to yearn for Him with all their heart’s desire and with all their soul;

¹³ And that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

¹⁴ They took an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.

¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him [yearning for Him] with their whole desire, and He was found by them. And the Lord gave them rest and peace round about.

¹⁶ Also Maacah, King Asa’s mother, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her idol, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

¹⁷ But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was blameless all his days.

¹⁸ And he brought into the house of God the things that his father [Abijah] had dedicated and those he himself had dedicated—silver and gold and vessels.

¹⁹ And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built (fortified) Ramah intending to intercept anyone going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

² Then Asa brought silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying,

³ Let there be a league between me and you, as was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending you silver and gold; go, break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.

⁴ And Ben-hadad hearkened to King Asa and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

⁵ And when Baasha heard it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease.

⁶ Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.

⁸ Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied then on the Lord, He gave them into your hand.

⁹ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison [in the stocks], for he was enraged with him because of this. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

¹¹ The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet—until his disease became very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but relied on the physicians.

¹³ And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.

¹⁴ And they buried him in his own tomb which he had hewn out for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bier which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds [of spices] prepared by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great burning [of spices] in his honor.

17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in Asa’s stead and strengthened himself against Israel.

² And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.

³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father [David]. He did not seek the Baals

⁴ But sought and yearned with all his desire for the Lord, the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not after the ways of Israel.

⁵ Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.

⁶ His heart was cheered and his courage was high in the ways of the Lord; moreover, he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

⁷ Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah;

⁸ And with them were the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; and with these Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

⁹ And they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰ And a terror from the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

¹¹ And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and tribute silver, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 each of rams and of he-goats.

¹² And Jehoshaphat became very great. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities,

¹³ And he had many works in the cities of Judah, and soldiers, mighty men of courage, in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ This was the number of them by their fathers’ houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the chief, with 300,000 mighty men of valor;

¹⁵ Next to him was Jehohanan the captain, with 280,000;

¹⁶ And next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor.

¹⁷ Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield;

¹⁸ Next to him was Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war.

¹⁹ These were in the king’s service, besides those [he] had placed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.

18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, but was allied [by marriage] with Ahab.

² After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance and for the people with him and persuaded him to go up with him against Ramoth-gilead.

³ Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? He answered, I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray you, for the word of the Lord today.

⁵ So King [Ahab] of Israel gathered together the prophets, 400 men, and said to them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.

⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not another prophet of the Lord here by whom we may inquire?

⁷ King [Ahab] of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is another man, Micaiah son of Imla, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never has prophesied good for me, but always evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

⁸ And King [Ahab] of Israel called for one of his officers and said, Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imla.

⁹ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes; they were sitting in an open place [at the threshing floor] at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹⁰ And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made himself horns of iron, and said, Thus says the Lord: With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.

¹¹ All the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper; the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.

¹² The messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, Behold, the words of the prophets foretell good to the king with one accord. So let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.

¹³ But Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, what my God says, that will I speak.

¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, King [Ahab] said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

¹⁵ And the king said to him, How many times shall I warn you to tell nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord?

¹⁶ Then Micaiah said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.

¹⁷ And King [Ahab] of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good to me, but evil?

¹⁸ [Micaiah] said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing at His right hand and His left.

¹⁹ And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said this thing, and another that.

²⁰ Then there came a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him. The Lord said to him, By what means?

²¹ And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets. And the Lord said, You shall entice him and also succeed. Go forth and do so.

²² Now, you see, the Lord put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets; and the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and smote Micaiah upon the cheek and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak to you?

²⁴ And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.

²⁵ Then King [Ahab] of Israel said, Take Micaiah back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,

²⁶ And say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread and water of affliction until I return in peace.

²⁷ Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he [added], Hear it, you people, all of you!

²⁸ So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

²⁹ And [Ahab] king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and will go to the battle, but you put on your royal robes. So King Ahab of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.

³⁰ Now Syria’s king had commanded his chariot captains, Fight not with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.

³¹ And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat [of Judah], they said, It is the king of Israel. So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

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

³³ A certain man drew his bow at a venture and smote King [Ahab] of Israel between the lower armor and the breastplate. So Ahab said to his chariot driver, Turn, carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.

³⁴ And the battle increased that day; however, King [Ahab] of Israel propped himself up in his chariot opposite the Syrians until evening, and about sunset he died.