I Kings 22

1. And they continued three years; there was no war between Syria and Israel.

2. Now it came to pass in the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to see the king of Israel.

3. And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we are quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?”

4. And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth in Gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you; my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

5. And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire at the word of the LORD today.”

6. And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth in Gilead to battle, or shall I hold back?” And they said, “Go up! For the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”

7. And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides that we might inquire of Him?”

8. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD. But I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

9. And the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

10. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah each sat on his throne, having put on their robes on a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets prophesied before them.

11. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself. And he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until you have crushed them.’ ”

12. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth in Gilead and prosper, for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hands.”

13. And the messenger that had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good.”

14. And Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

15. So he came to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth in Gilead to battle, or shall we hold off?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”

16. And the king said to him, “How many times shall I adjure you that you tell me nothing but what is true in the name of the LORD?”

17. And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each man return to his house in peace.’ ”

18. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?”

19. And he said, “Hear therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.

20. And the LORD said, ‘Who shall entice Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth in Gilead?’ And one said this way, and another said that way.

21. And there came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’

22. And the LORD said to him, ‘With what?’ And he said, ‘I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And He said, ‘You shall entice him and succeed also. Go forth and do so.’

23. And now, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.”

24. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?”

25. And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see in that day when you shall go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

26. And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son,

27. And say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this one in the prison and feed him with the bread of affliction and the water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ‘ ”

28. And Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hearken, O people, all of you!”

29. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth in Gilead.

30. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and enter into the battle, but you put on your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

31. But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two commanders of the chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small nor great ones, but with the king of Israel.”

32. And it came to pass when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel.” And they turned aside to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.

33. Then it came to pass when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

34. And a man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the breastplate. And he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn your hand and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

35. And the battle increased that day. And the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. And the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.

36. And there went a cry throughout the army when the sun was going down, saying, “Each to his city, and each to his land.”

37. And the king died and came to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.

38. Then as one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed his armor, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke.

39. And the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

40. And Ahab lay with his fathers. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.

41. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

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

43. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing right in the eyes of the LORD, but the high places were not taken away, for the people offered and burned incense yet in the high places.

44. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the kings of Israel.

45. And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

46. And the rest of the sodomites which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

47. There was then no king in Edom; only a deputy was king.

48. Jehoshaphat had ten ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.

49. And Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not.

50. And Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.

51. Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he reigned two years over Israel.

52. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin,

53. For he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.