I Kings Chapter 22

I Kings Chapter 22
1 And they continued three year without
war between Aram [Syria] and Israel. 2
And in the third year did Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah come down to the king of
Israel.
3 (Then the king of Israel said unto his
servants, Know ye not that Ramoth
Gilead was ours? And we stay, and take
it not out of the hand of the king of Aram
[Syria]?)
4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt
thou go with me to battle against Ramoth
Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said unto the
king of Israel, I am as thou art, my
people as thy people, and mine horses as
thine horses.
5 Then Jehoshaphat said unto the king of
Israel, Ask counsel, I pray thee, of the
Lord today.
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the
prophets upon a four hundred men, and
said unto them, Shall I go against
Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I let it
alone? And they said, Go up: for the
Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the
king.
7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there here
never a prophet of the Lord more, that
we might inquire of him?
8 And the king of Israel said unto
Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man
(Michaiah the son of Imlah) by whom
we may ask counsel of the Lord, but I
hate him: for he doth not prophesy good
unto me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said,
Let not the king say so.
9 Then the king of Israel called an
Eunuch, and said, Call quickly Michaiah
the son of Imlah.
10 And the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat either
of them on his throne in their apparel in
the void place at the entering in of the
gate of Samaria, and all the prophets
prophesied before them.
11 And Zidekiah the son of Chenaanah
made him horns of iron, and said, Thus
saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push
the Aramites [Syrians], until thou hast
consumed them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so,
saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and
prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into
the king’s hand.
13 And the messenger that was gone to
call Michaiah spake unto him, saying,
Behold now, the words of the prophets
declare good unto the king with one
accord: let thy word therefore, I pray
thee, be like the word of one of them,
and speak thou good.
14 And Michaiah said, As the Lord
liveth, whatsoever the Lord saith unto
me, that will I speak.
15 So he came to the king, and the king
said unto him, Michaiah, shall we go
against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall
we leave off? And he answered him, Go
up, and prosper: and the Lord shall
deliver it into the hand of the king. 16
And the king said unto him, How oft
shall I charge thee, that thou tell me
nothing but that which is true in the name
of the Lord?
17 Then he said, I saw all Israel
scattered upon the mountains, as sheep
that had no shepherd. And the Lord said,
These have no master, let every man
return unto his house in peace.
18 (And the king of Israel said unto
Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee, that he
would prophesy no good unto me, but
evil?)
19 Again he said, Hear thou therefore
the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sit
on his throne, and all the host of heaven
stood about him on his right hand and on
his left hand.
20 And the Lord said, Who shall entice
Ahab that he may go and fall at Ramoth
Gilead? And one said on this manner,
and another said on that manner.
21 Then there came forth a spirit, and
stood before the Lord, and said, I will
entice him. And the Lord said unto him,
Where with?
22 And he said, I will go out, and be a
false spirit in the mouth of all his
prophets. Then he said, Thou shalt entice
him, and shalt also prevail: go forth, and
do so.
23 Now therefore behold, the Lord hath
put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
thy prophets, and the Lord hath
appointed evil against thee. 24 Then
Zidekiah the son of Chenaanah came
near, and smote Michaiah on the cheek
and said, When went the Spirit of the
Lord from me, to speak unto thee?
25 And Michaiah saide, Behold, thou
shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go
from chamber to chamber to hide thee.
26 And the king of Israel said, Take
Michaiah, and carry him unto Amon the
governor of the city, and unto Joash the
king’s son,
27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this
man in the prison house, and feed him
with bread of affliction, and with water
of affliction, until I return in peace. 28
And Michaiah said, If thou return in
peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me.
And he said, Hearken all ye people.
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat
the king of Judah went up to Ramoth
Gilead.
30 And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, I will change mine apparel,
and will enter into the battle, but put thou
on thine apparel. And the king of Israel
changed himself, and went into the
battle.
31 And the king of Aram [Syria]
commanded his two and thirty captains
over his chariots, saying, Fight neither
with small, nor great, save only against
the king of Israel.
32 And when the captains of the chariots
saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely it is
the king of Israel, and they turned to fight
against him: and Jehoshaphat cried.
33 And when the captains of the chariots
saw that he was not the king of Israel,
they turned back from him.
34 Then a certain man drew a bow
mightily and smote the king of Israel
between the joints of his brigandine.
Wherefore he said unto his chariot man,
Turn thine hand and carry me out of the
host: for I am hurt.
35 And the battle increased that day, and
the king stood still in his chariot against
the Aramites [Syrians], and died at even:
and the blood ran out of the wound into
the midst of the chariot.
36 And there went a proclamation
throughout the host about the going down
of the sun, saying, Every man to his city,
and every man to his own country. 37 So
the king died, and was brought to
Samaria, and they buried the king in
Samaria.
38 And one washed the chariot in the
pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up
his blood (and they washed his armor)
according unto the word of the Lord
which he spake.
39 Concerning 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 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and
Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. 41
And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to
reign upon Judah in the fourth year of
Ahab king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was five and thirty year
old, when he began to reign, and reigned
five and twenty year 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, and declined not there from,
but did that which was right in the eyes
of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places
were not taken away: for the people
offered still and burnt incense in the high
places.
44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with
the king of Israel.
45 Concerning the rest of the acts of
Jehoshaphat, and his worthy deeds that
he did, and his battles which he fought,
are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46 And the Sodomites, which remained
in the days of his father Asa, he put clean
out of the land.
47 There was then no king in Edom: the
deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made
ships of Tharshish to sail to Ophir for
gold, but they went not, for the ships
were broken at Ezion Gaber.
49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab
unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go
with thy servants in the ships, But
Jehoshaphat would not.
50 And Jehoshaphat did sleep with his
fathers, and was buried with his fathers
in the city of David his father, and
Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to
reign over Israel in Samaria, the
seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of
Judah, and reigned two years over
Israel.
52 But 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,
which made Israel to sin.
53 For he served Baal and worshiped
him, and provoked the Lord God of
Israel unto wrath, according unto all that
his father had done.