Historical
Chapter 15
Cult Reform. 1 The Spirit of God then came upon Azariah, the son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him: “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will permit you to find him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without a priest to impart teaching and without the law. 4 However, when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he allowed them to find him.
5 “In those times it was not safe for anyone to come or go, since all the inhabitants of the land were afflicted with massive disturbances, 6 with nations being crushed by other nations and cities by other cities, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strong and do not be discouraged, for your work shall be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah, the son of Oded the prophet, he became resolute in his courage and ordered the removal of the abominable idols throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin as well as from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Lord which stood in the vestibule of the house of the Lord.
9 Then Asa assembled all the people of Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, since great numbers of people from Israel had deserted to him when they came to realize that the Lord his God was with him. 10 All the people assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 On that day they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back. 12 After that, they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul, 13 while asserting that all those who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether young or old, whether man or woman.
14 Then all of them swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and shouts of joy, while the trumpets and the horns resounded. 15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought the Lord with sincere desire. As a result, the Lord had allowed himself to be found by them, and he granted them peace on every side.
16 King Asa even removed his mother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, crushed it to powder, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa himself remained faithful throughout his life. 18 He brought into the house of God the votive gifts[a] of his father as well as his own votive gifts—silver, gold, and sacred vessels.
19 There was no further warfare until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
Chapter 16
Asa’s Infidelity. 1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa, Baasha, the king of Israel, invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the kingdom of Asa, the king of Judah. 2 Asa then brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of his own palace, and he sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, who resided in Damascus.
3 “Let there be an alliance between the two of us,” Asa said, “as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending you silver and gold. In return, I am asking you to break your alliance with Baasha, the king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 Ben-hadad approved the request of King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the towns of Israel. They ravaged Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all of the store cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha heard this, he discontinued his plan to fortify Ramah, and he abandoned any further improvements. 6 Then King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to remove the stones of Ramah and its timber that Baasha had been using to fortify that place, and he used them instead to fortify Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely instead on the Lord, your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your clutches. 8 Did not the Ethiopians and the Libyans have a vast army with great numbers of chariots and cavalry? And yet, when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hands. 9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout all the earth to strengthen the hearts of those who are totally committed to him. You have acted foolishly in this instance, and from now on you will be forced to endure wars.” 10 Then Asa became enraged at what the seer had said, and he ordered Hanani to be imprisoned in the stocks. Furthermore, at the same time Asa treated some others of his people with great cruelty.
11 The history of the reign of Asa, from beginning to end, is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was gravely afflicted with severe disease in his feet. However, even during his illness he did not seek the help of the Lord but rather resorted to taking the advice of physicians. 13 Then, in the forty-first year of his reign, he died and fell asleep with his ancestors. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had hewn for himself in the City of David, having laid him on a bier that had been filled with spices and various kinds of perfumes. In addition they also kindled a very great fire in his honor.[b]
Chapter 17
Zeal of Jehoshaphat for the Law. 1 Asa was succeeded as king by his son Jehoshaphat, and immediately thereafter he set out to strengthen his position against Israel. 2 He stationed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he placed garrisons throughout Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat[c] because he had followed the example of his father from his earliest years and did not consult the Baals. 4 Rather, he sought the God of his father, observing his commandments, and refused to follow the practices of Israel. 5 As a result of this, the Lord made secure Jehoshaphat’s control of the kingdom. All Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and his wealth and glory were exceedingly great. 6 He took enormous pride in following the ways of the Lord, and he ordered the removal of the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his most learned officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 [d]With them he also sent the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, and Tobijah. Accompanying those Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught in Judah, having with them the book of the law of the Lord. They traveled through all the cities of Judah, instructing the people.
10 The Power of Jehoshaphat. The fear of the Lord seized all the kingdoms of the countries surrounding Judah, and as a result, they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, as well as silver as a tribute, while the Arabs also brought him a flock of seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
12 Jehoshaphat grew steadily more powerful. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. 13 He also supervised great works in the cities of Judah, and he stationed soldiers, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. 14 The soldiers were classified by ancestral houses. Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah was the highest-ranking commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors. 15 Next in line under him was Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand mighty warriors, 16 and next to him was Amasiah, the son of Zichri, who had volunteered for the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty warriors.
17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield, 18 and next in line to him was Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand men equipped for war. 19 These were the men in the service of the king, apart from those whom the king had stationed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Chapter 18
Alliance with King Ahab. 1 When Jehoshaphat had accumulated great wealth and honor, he allied himself to Ahab by marriage. 2 Some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and his retinue, hoping also to persuade him to join forces and attack Ramoth-gilead.
3 King Ahab of Israel, therefore, asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah: “Will you join me in attacking Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied: “I am united with you. My people are your people. We will join you in this war.” 4 However, Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel: “First let us consult the word of the Lord.”
The Prophets. 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred in number, and said to them: “Shall we go forth to engage in battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” They replied: “Go forth, for God will deliver it into the king’s power.” 6 However, Jehoshaphat asked: “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here from whom we may seek guidance?”
7 The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat: “There is still one other prophet here through whom we may seek the guidance of the Lord. However, I hate him, because he never prophesies anything that is favorable for me, but only disaster. His name is Micaiah, the son of Imlah.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned a court official and said: “Bring here quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah.”
9 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, arrayed in their robes, were seated on their respective thrones at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, had made for himself iron horns, and he said: “Thus says the Lord: ‘With horns like these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ” 11 All of the prophets were prophesying in the same vein, saying: “Attack Ramoth-gilead and you will triumph. The Lord will deliver it into your hands.”
12 The messenger who had been sent to summon Micaiah said to him: “Listen to what I am telling you. What the prophets have said is favorable to the king. I trust that you will also deliver a favorable decision.” 13 However, Micaiah replied: “As the Lord lives, I can announce only what the Lord instructs me to say.”
14 When the prophet arrived, the king asked him: “Micaiah, shall we go up to attack Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” Micaiah replied: “Attack and triumph. They will be delivered into your hands.” 15 However, the king said to him: “How many times must I demand that you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 Then Micaiah said:
“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains,
like sheep without a shepherd.
And I heard the Lord say: ‘These have no master;
let each one go home in peace.’ ”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything favorable about me, but only whatever is unfavorable?”
18 However, Micaiah continued: “Listen now to the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord seated on his throne with all the host of heaven sitting to his right and to his left. 19 The Lord asked: ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ Then one said one thing and another said something in contradiction, 20 until a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying: ‘I will entice him.’ ‘How?’ asked the Lord.
21 “The spirit replied: ‘I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then the Lord said: ‘You shall succeed in deceiving him. Go forth and do it.’ 22 So now you will see that the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these your prophets. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”[e]
23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came up to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. After he had done so, he asked: “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 24 Micaiah replied: “You shall find out on the day when you run from room to room in order to hide.”
25 The king of Israel then ordered that Micaiah be seized and handed over to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son, 26 and said: “Throw this man into prison and give him only a meager portion of bread and water until I return home safely.” 27 Micaiah retorted: “If you ever do return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added: “Mark my words, you peoples, all of you!”[f]
28 Ahab’s Death. The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “I shall disguise myself when I go into battle, while you wear your royal robes.” Therefore, the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went forth into battle.
30 Meanwhile the king of Aram had issued this command to the captains of his chariots: “Do not engage in battle with anyone, whether small or great, except with the king of Israel.” 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted: “That is the king of Israel,” and they moved quickly to attack him. However, when Jehoshaphat cried out, the Lord came to his aid and drew them away from him.
32 Once the chariot commanders realized that he was not the king, they ceased their pursuit of him. 33 However, one man drew his bow at random, and without realizing it he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. The king then ordered the driver of his chariot: “Turn around and carry me away from the fighting, for I am wounded.” 34 The battle grew ever more fierce as the day went on, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He remained there until evening, and at sunset he passed away.
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