1 Kings 22

Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. 2It happened in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3The king of Israel said to his servants, Do you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we do nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria? 4He said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth-gilead? Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses. 5Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please inquire first for the word of Allah. 6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? They said, Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. 7But Jehoshaphat said, Isn’t there here a prophet of Allah besides, that we may inquire of him? 8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Allah, Micaiah Ibn Imlah: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. Jehoshaphat said, The king shouldn’t say that.9Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Get quickly Micaiah Ibn Imlah. 10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11Zedekiah Ibn Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, Thus says Allah, With these shall you push the Syrians, until they are consumed. 12All the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Allah will deliver it into the hand of the king. 13The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, See now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good. 14Micaiah said, As Allah lives, what Allah says to me, that will I speak. 15When he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain? He answered him, Go up and prosper; and Allah will deliver it into the hand of the king. 16The king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Allah? 17Micaiah said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Allah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. 18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 19Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word of Allah: I saw Allah sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20Allah said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? One spoke in this manner; and another spoke in that manner. 21There came forth a spirit, and stood before Allah, and said, I will entice him. 22Allah said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’He said, ‘You shall entice him, and shall prevail also: go forth, and do so.’ 23Now therefore, behold, Allah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Allah has spoken evil concerning you. 24Then Zedekiah Ibn Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the Spirit of Allahgo from me to speak to you? 25Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day, when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. 26The king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 27and say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return safely. 28Micaiah said, If you return safely at all, Allah has not spoken by me. He said, Hear, you peoples, all of you. 29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes. The king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 31Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel. 32It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel; and they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armour: therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around, and take me out of the battle; for I am severely wounded. 35The battle increased that day: and the king was propped up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at evening; and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36There went a shout throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his country. 37So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria (now the prostitutes washed themselves there); and the dogs licked up his blood, according to the word of Allah which he spoke. 39Now 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? 40So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. 41Jehoshaphat Ibn Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah Bint Shilhi. 43He walked in all the way of Asa his father; He did not turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Allah: however the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. 44Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 45Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46The rest of the male shrine prostitutes, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he banished from the land. 47There was no king in Edom: a deputy was king. 48Jehoshaphat made a fleet of merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold: but they did not go; for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber. 49Then Ahaziah Ibn Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not agree. 50Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of Dawud his father; Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 51Ahaziah Ibn Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52He did that which was evil in the sight of Allah, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam Ibn Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin. 53He served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked Allah, the God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

 

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