Historical
The Spirit of God Comes on Azariah
15 Now (A)the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out [a]to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: (B)Yahweh is with you when you are with Him. And (C)if you seek Him, He will be found; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3 (D)Now for many days Israel was without the true God and without (E)a teaching priest and without law. 4 But (F)in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and they searched for Him, and He was found by them. 5 (G)Now in those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for much confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 (H)And nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God threw them into confusion with every kind of distress. 7 But you, (I)be strong and do not let your hands fall limp, for there is (J)reward for your work.”
Asa Takes Away Detestable Idols
8 Now when Asa heard these words and the [b]prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he strengthened himself and took away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from (K)the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. (L)He then renewed the altar of Yahweh which was in front of the porch of Yahweh. 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon (M)who sojourned with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. 10 So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 (N)And they sacrificed to Yahweh that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. 12 (O)They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; 13 and whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, (P)should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14 Moreover, they swore an oath to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. 15 All Judah was glad concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had searched for Him with all their desire, and He was found by them. So (Q)Yahweh gave them rest on every side.
16 (R)He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image [c]as (S)an Asherah; and (T)Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not [d]removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was wholly devoted all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the holy things of his father and his own holy things: silver and gold and utensils. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Asa Wars Against Baasha
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign (U)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be a covenant between [e]you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his military forces against the cities of Israel, and they struck down Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all (V)the [f]store cities of Naphtali. 5 Now it happened that when Baasha heard of it, he ceased building up Ramah and stopped his work. 6 Then King Asa brought 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.
Asa Imprisons a Seer
7 Now at that time (W)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “(X)Because you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. 8 Were not (Y)the Ethiopians and the Lubim (Z)a vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet (AA)because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand. 9 For (AB)the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those (AC)whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” 10 Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in [g]prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
11 (AD)Now behold, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 And Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he (AE)did not seek Yahweh, but the physicians. 13 So Asa slept with his fathers. And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 And they buried him in his own tomb which he had [h]cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled (AF)with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and (AG)they made a very great fire for him.
Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah
17 (AH)Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel. 2 And he put military forces in all (AI)the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim (AJ)which Asa his father had captured.
Jehoshaphat’s Kingdom Established
3 And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, (AK)and did not act as Israel did. 5 So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and (AL)he had great riches and honor. 6 And [i]his heart took great pride in the ways of Yahweh, and again he (AM)took away the high places and the [j]Asherim from Judah.
7 Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, (AN)to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them (AO)the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. 9 And they taught in Judah, having (AP)the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 Now (AQ)the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Indeed, some of the Philistines (AR)brought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. 12 So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. 13 And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was their muster according to their fathers’ households:
of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;
15 and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000;
16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, (AS)who volunteered for Yahweh, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor;
17 and of Benjamin, Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 equipped with bow and shield;
18 and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for military duty.
19 These are they who attended on the king, apart from (AT)those whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
18 Now (AU)Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. 2 (AV)And some years later he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 And 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 Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire [k]first for the word of Yahweh.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
8 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imla.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, and they were sitting (AW)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” 11 All the prophets were also prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”
12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak that which is good.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, (AX)what my God says, that I shall speak.”
14 Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and succeed, and they will be given into your hand.” 15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” 16 So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(AY)Like sheep which have no shepherd;
And Yahweh said,
‘These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”
17 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. (AZ)I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. 19 And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 20 Then a (BA)spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ 21 And he said, ‘I will go out and be (BB)a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 22 So now, behold, (BC)Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and (BD)struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “[l]How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide.” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “(BE)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon (BF)the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “(BG)Put this man in prison and feed him [m]sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” And he said, “(BH)Listen, all you people.”
The Death of Ahab
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 garments.” 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 small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” 31 Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat (BI)cried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them away from him. 32 So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [n]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn [o]around and take me out of the [p]fight, for I am severely wounded.” 34 Now the battle raged 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.
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