Historical

15 And the Ruach Elohim came upon Azaryahu ben Oded;

² And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and kol Yehudah and Binyamin. Hashem is with you, while ye be with Him; if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.

³ Now for yamim rabbim Yisroel hath been without the Elohei Emes, and without a Kohen Moreh, and without Torah.

⁴ But when they in their tzoros did turn unto Hashem Elohei Yisroel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

⁵ And in those times there was no shalom to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but mehumot rabbot (great turmoil) was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

⁶ And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city, for Elohim did trouble them with every tzuris.

⁷ Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for there is sachar (reward) for your pe’ulah (work).

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, and the nevu’ah of Oded HaNavi, he took courage, and put away the shikkutzim (abominable idols) from kol Eretz Yehudah and Binyamin, and from the cities which he had captured from Mt Ephrayim, and renewed the Mizbe’ach Hashem, that was in front of the Ulam Hashem.

⁹ And he gathered all Yehudah and Binyamin, and the gerim with them from Ephrayim and Menasheh, and from Shim’on, for they fell to him from Yisroel in abundance, when they saw that Hashem Elohav was with him.

¹⁰ So they gathered themselves together at Yerushalayim in the chodesh hashelishi, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

¹¹ And they offered unto Hashem on that day, of the plunder which they had brought back, 700 bakar and 7000 tzon.

¹² And they entered into the Brit to seek Hashem Elohei Avoteihem with all their lev and with all their nefesh;

¹³ That whosoever would not seek Hashem Elohei Yisroel should be put to death, whether katan or gadol, whether ish or isha.

¹⁴ And they swore unto Hashem with a kol gadol, and with teruah, and with trumpets, and with shoferot.

¹⁵ And all Yehudah rejoiced at the shevu’ah, for they had sworn with all their lev, and sought Him with their whole ratzon; and He was found by them; and Hashem gave them rest all around.

¹⁶ And also concerning Ma’achah em Asa HaMelech, he deposed her from being gevirah, because she had made to Asherah a mifletzet, and Asa cut down her mifletzet, and ground it up, and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.

¹⁷ But the high places were not removed from Yisroel; nevertheless the levav Asa was shalem all his days.

¹⁸ And he brought into the Beis HaElohim the things that Aviv had dedicated as kodesh, and that he himself had dedicated as kodesh, kesef, and zahav, and kelim.

¹⁹ And there was no more milchamah unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

16 In the six and thirtieth year Malchut Asa (of the reign of Asa) Ba’asha Melech Yisroel went up against Yehudah, and fortified Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to the territory of Asa Melech Yehudah.

² Then Asa brought out kesef and zahav out of the otzarot of the Beis Hashem and of the Bais HaMelech, and sent to Ben-Hadad Melech Aram (Syria), the one ruling in Damascus, saying,

³ There is a brit between me and thee, as there was between Avi and Avicha. Hinei, I have sent thee kesef and zahav; come, break thy brit with Ba’asha Melech Yisroel, that he may withdraw from me.

⁴ And Ben-Hadad paid heed unto HaMelech Asa, and sent the officers of his forces against the cities of Yisroel, and they struck down Iyon, and Dan, and Abel Mayim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

⁵ And it came to pass, when Ba’asha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.

⁶ Then Asa HaMelech took all Yehudah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Ba’asha was building; and he built therewith Geva and Mitzpah.

⁷ And at that time Chanani HaRo’eh came to Asa Melech Yehudah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on Melech Aram, and not relied on Hashem Eloheicha, therefore is the army of Melech Aram escaped out of thine yad.

⁸ Were not the Cushim and the Luvim a huge army, with very many chariots and parashim? Yet, because thou didst rely on Hashem, He delivered them into thine yad.

⁹ For the eyes of Hashem run to and fro kol HaAretz, to strengthen them whose lev is shalem (wholehearted) toward Him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; therefore from henceforth thou shalt have milchamot.

¹⁰ Then Asa was wroth with the ro’eh, put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of HaAm at the same time.

¹¹ And, hinei, the acts of Asa, harishonim and ha’acharonim, see, they are written in the Sefer HaMelachim Yehudah and Yisroel.

¹² And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his malchut (reign) became diseased in his raglayim, until his disease was exceedingly great. Yet even in his disease he sought not Hashem, but only the rofe’im.

¹³ And Asa slept with his Avotav, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

¹⁴ And they buried him in his own kever (sepulchre, burial cave), which he had cut for himself in Ir Dovid, and laid him on a mishkav (bed) which was filled with sweet spices and perfumes prepared by the apothecaries art; and they burned for him a very large serefah gedolah (great fire, pyre).

17 And Yehoshaphat bno reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Yisroel.

² And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Yehudah, and set netzivim (garrisons) in Eretz Yehudah, and in the towns of Ephrayim, which Asa Aviv had captured.

³ And Hashem was with Yehoshaphat, because he walked in the darkhei Dovid Aviv harishonim, and sought not unto Ba’alim;

⁴ But sought Hashem Elohei Aviv, and walked in His mitzvot, and not after the ma’asei Yisroel.

⁵ Therefore Hashem established the Mamlachah in his yad; and all Yehudah brought to Yehoshaphat minchah; and he had osher and kavod in abundance.

⁶ And his lev was elevated in the darkhei Hashem; moreover he removed the high places and Asherim from Yehudah.

⁷ Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his sarim (officials), even to Ben-Chayil, and to Ovadyah, and to Zecharyah, and to Netanel, and to Michayahu, to teach in the cities of Yehudah.

⁸ And with them he sent Levi’im, even Shemayahu, and Netanyahu, and Zevadyahu, and Asahel, and Shemiramot, and Yehonatan, and Adoniyahu, and Tuviyahu, and Tov Adoniyah, Levi’im; and with them Elishama and Yehoram, Kohanim.

⁹ And they taught in Yehudah, and had with them the Sefer Torat Hashem, and went about throughout all the cities of Yehudah, and taught HaAm.

¹⁰ And the Pachad Hashem fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were surrounding Yehudah, so that they made no war against Yehoshaphat.

¹¹ Also some of the Pelishtim (Philistines) brought Yehoshaphat minchah, and kesef massa (tribute); and the Arabs brought him tzon, seven thousand seven hundred rams, and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

¹² And Yehoshaphat grew great exceedingly; and he built in Yehudah fortresses and storage cities.

¹³ And he had melachah rabbah in the cities of Yehudah; and the anshei milchamah, gibborei chayil were in Yerushalayim.

¹⁴ And these are the pekuddat (enrollment numbers) of them according to the Bais Avoteihem: of Yehudah, the sarei alafim; Adnah HaSar, and with him gibborei chayil three hundred elef.

¹⁵ And next to him was Yehochanan HaSar, and with him two hundred and fourscore elef.

¹⁶ And next to him was Amasyah ben Zichri, who volunteered unto Hashem, and with him two hundred elef gibbor chayil.

¹⁷ And from Binyamin, Elyada a gibbor chayil, and with him armed men with keshet and mogen two hundred elef.

¹⁸ And next to him was Yehozavad, and with him a hundred and fourscore elef battle-ready.

¹⁹ These waited on HaMelech, beside those whom HaMelech put in the fortified cities throughout all Yehudah.

18 Now Yehoshaphat had osher and kavod in abundance, and allied himself with Ach’av.

² And l’ketz shanim he went down to Ach’av in Shomron. And Ach’av killed tzon and bakar for him in abundance, and for HaAm that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramot Gil’ad.

³ And Ach’av Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramot Gil’ad? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the milchamah.

⁴ And Yehoshaphat said unto the Melech Yisroel, Inquire, now at the Devar Hashem today.

⁵ Therefore the Melech Yisroel gathered together of nevi’im four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to war against Ramot Gil’ad, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for HaElohim will deliver it into the yad HaMelech.

⁶ But Yehoshaphat said, Is there not here a navi of Hashem, that we might inquire of him?

⁷ And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, There is yet ish echad (one man), by whom we may inquire of Hashem, but I hate him because he never prophesied for tov about me, but always ra’ah; the same is Mikhay’hu ben Imla. And Yehoshaphat said, HaMelech should not say that.

⁸ And the Melech Yisroel called for one of his officials, and said, Bring at once Mikhay’hu ben Imla.

⁹ And the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah sat either of them on his kisse, clothed in their begadim, and they sat in the goren (threshing floor) at the petach (entrance) Sha’ar Shomron; and all the nevi’im prophesied before them.

¹⁰ And Tzidkiyahu ben Kena’anah had made him karnayim of barzel, and said, Thus saith Hashem, With these thou shalt gore Aram (Syria) until they be consumed.

¹¹ And all the nevi’im prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramot Gil’ad, and be victorious, for Hashem shall deliver it into the yad HaMelech.

¹² And the malach that went to call Mikhay’hu spoke to him, saying, Hinei, the divrei hanevi’im declare tov to HaMelech with peh echad (one mouth); let thy word therefore, now, be like one of theirs, and speak thou tov.

¹³ And Mikhay’hu said, As Hashem liveth, only what Elohai saith, that will I speak.

¹⁴ And when he was come to HaMelech, HaMelech said unto him, Mikhay’hu, shall we go to war against Ramot Gil’ad, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and be victorious, and they shall be delivered into your yad.

¹⁵ And HaMelech said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the emes to me in the Shem of Hashem?

¹⁶ Then he said, I saw kol Yisroel scattered upon the mountains, like tzon that have no ro’eh, and Hashem said, These have no adonim; let them return therefore every ish to his bais in shalom.

¹⁷ And the Melech Yisroel said to Yehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy tov unto me, but rah?

¹⁸ Again he said, Therefore hear the Devar Hashem: I saw Hashem sitting upon His Kisse, and all Tzva HaShomayim standing on his right and on his left.

¹⁹ And Hashem said, Who shall entice Ach’av Melech Yisroel, that he may go up and fall at Ramot Gil’ad? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

²⁰ Then there came out a ruach, and stood before Hashem, and said, I will entice him. And Hashem said unto him, How?

²¹ And he said, I will go out, and be a ruach sheker (lying spirit) in the mouth of all his nevi’im. And Hashem said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also succeed; go out, and do even so.

²² Now therefore, hinei, Hashem hath put a ruach sheker in the mouth of these thy nevi’im, and Hashem hath decreed ra’ah against thee.

²³ Then Tzidkiyahu ben Kena’anah came near, and struck Mikhay’hu upon the lechi (cheek), and said, Which way went the Ruach Hashem from me to speak unto thee?

²⁴ And Mikhay’hu said, Thou shalt find out on that yom when thou shalt go into cheder b’cheder (inner chamber) to hide thyself.

²⁵ Then the Melech Yisroel said, Take ye Mikhay’hu, and carry him back to Amon Sar HaIr, and to Yoash ben HaMelech,

²⁶ And say, Thus saith HaMelech, Put this in the bais hakeleh, and feed him with only a scanty prison diet of lechem and only mayim, until I return b’shalom.

²⁷ And Mikhay’hu said, If thou certainly return in shalom, then hath not Hashem spoken by me. And he said, Mark words, all ye people.

²⁸ So the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah went up to Ramot Gil’ad.

²⁹ And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and I will go to the milchamah; but put thou on thy robes. So the Melech Yisroel disguised himself; and they went to the milchamah.

³⁰ Now Melech Aram had commanded the commanders of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with katon or gadol, only with the Melech Yisroel.

³¹ And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariots saw Yehoshaphat, that they said, It is the Melech Yisroel. Therefore they surrounded him to fight, but Yehoshaphat cried out, and Hashem helped him; and Elohim moved them away from him.

³² For it came to pass, that, when the commanders of the chariots perceived that it was not Melech Yisroel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³³ And an ish drew a keshet at random, and struck Melech Yisroel between the devakim (joints) of the shiryon (armor); therefore he said to his chariot driver, Turn thine yad, that thou mayest take me out of the machaneh, for I am wounded.

³⁴ And the milchamah increased that day. Howbeit the Melech Yisroel propped himself up in his merkavah facing Aram (the Syrians) until the erev; and about the time of the shemesh going down he died. [T.N. This story illustrates the great difficulty in being a preacher that people will listen to: they want to hear what they want to hear, and, being set in their ways, have decided to mold the House of G-d to their stubbornness, rather than change or grow in the L-rd]