Ahab and the False Prophets
(2 Chronicles 18:1–11)

1And they dwelt three years without war between Aram and between Israel.

2And it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel. 3And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Have you⁺ not known that Ramoth-gilead is unto us, and we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”

4And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth-

gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Like me like you, like my people like your people, like my horses like your horses.”

5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Seek, please, today for the word of YHWH.”

6And the king of Israel gathered together the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”

And they said, “Go up, and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

7And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of YHWH still, that we may inquire of Him?”

8And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man to seek YHWH by him. I hate him, because he does not prophesy concerning me good, but rather evil: Micaiah son of Imlah.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things.”

9And the king of Israel called to one eunuch and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.”

10And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, by the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets prophesied before them.

11And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says YHWH: ‘With these you shall gore Aram until they are consumed.’”

12And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, and YHWH will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
(2 Chronicles 18:12–27)

13And the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold, please, the words of the prophets with one accord are good unto the king. Let be, please, your word like the word of one of them, and speak good.”

14And Micaiah said, “As YHWH lives, surely that which YHWH says to me, that I will speak.”

15And he came to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to war, or shall we refrain?”

And he answered to him, “Go up and prosper, for YHWH will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

16And the king said to him, “Up to how many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing to me but the truth in the name of YHWH?”

17And he said,

“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains,

like the sheep that have no shepherd.

And YHWH said, ‘These have no master;

let them return, a man to his house in peace.’”

18And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did not I say to you that he would not prophesy concerning me good, but rather evil?”

19And he said, “Therefore hear the word of YHWH. I saw YHWH sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing beside him on His right and on His left.

20And YHWH said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth-gilead?’

And thus spoke this one, and thus spoke this one.

21And a spirit came forward and stood before the face of YHWH and said, ‘I will persuade him.’†

And YHWH said to him, ‘By what?’

22And he said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’

And He said, ‘Entice him and also you will prevail. Go and do so.’

23And now, behold, YHWH has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and YHWH has declared disaster against you.”

24And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went near, and he struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Where is this that has passed over the spirit of YHWH from me to speak with you?”

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

26And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash son of the king. 27And say, thus says the king: ‘Put this one in the house of restraint, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.’”

28And Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, YHWH has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, peoples, all of them.”

Ahab’s Defeat and Death
(2 Chronicles 18:28–34)

29And the king of Israel went up, and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, to Ramoth-gilead. 30And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and come into the battle, and you put on your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

31And the king of Aram had commanded the captains of the chariots who were unto him, thirty-two, saying, “You⁺ shall not fight with small or with great, except but with the king of Israel by himself.”

32And it came to pass, the commanders of the chariots seeing Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33And it came to pass, the captains of the chariots seeing that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

34And a man drew with the bow in his simplicity, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints and between of armor. And he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn your hand and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

35And the battle increased that day, and the king was propped up in the chariot over against Aram. And he died in the evening, and the blood from the wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot. 36And a shout went throughout the army at the going in of the sun, saying,

“Each man to his city,

and each man to his own land.”

37And the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38And one washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria. And the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed, according to the word of YHWH that He had spoken.†

39And the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel?

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

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 20:31–34)

41And Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was a son of thirty-five years in his reigning, and twenty-five years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

43And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from them, doing right in the eyes of YHWH.

Nevertheless, they did not remove the high places; still the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 44And Jehoshaphat made peace with the kings of Israel.

45And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And the rest of the male shrine prostitutes, who remained from the days of Asa his father, he banished from the land. And there was no king in Edom; he set up a king.

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish† to go to Ophir for gold, and they never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah son of Ahab to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” And Jehoshaphat was not willing.

50And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Joram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel
(2 Kings 1:1–16)

51Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel two years. 52And He did evil in the eyes of YHWH and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had caused Israel to sin.

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