1 ARST For almost three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. BSB BSB: Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.
2 ARST Then King Jehoshaphat, who ruled Judah, went to visit King Ahab, who ruled Israel. BSB BSB: However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel,
3 ARST While they were talking, Ahab said to his officials,“Do you realize that the Arameans are still occupying our city of Ramoth in the region of Gilead? And we are doing nothing to retake that city!” BSB BSB: who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
4 ARST Then he turned toward Jehoshaphat and asked,“Will your army join my army to fight against the people of Ramoth and retake that city?” Jehoshaphat replied,“Certainly! I will do whatever you want, and you may command my troops. You may take my horses into battle, also.” BSB BSB: So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”
5 ARST Then he added,“But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.” BSB BSB: But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
6 ARST So Ahab summoned about four hundred of his prophets together, and he asked them,“Should my army go to fight the people in Ramoth and retake that city, or not?” They answered,“Yes, go and attack them, because God will enable your army to defeat them.” BSB BSB: So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
7 ARST But Jehoshaphat asked,“Is there no other prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?” BSB BSB: But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
8 ARST The king of Israel replied,“There is one other man we can ask. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him, because when he prophesies he never says that anything good will happen to me. He always predicts that bad things will happen to me.” Jehoshaphat replied,“King Ahab, you should not say that!” BSB BSB: The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
9 ARST So the king of Israel told one of his officers to summon Micaiah immediately. BSB BSB: So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
10 ARST The king of Israel and the king of Judah were both wearing their royal robes and sitting on thrones at a gate in the city wall of Samaria. Many prophets were speaking messages to them. BSB BSB: Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
11 ARST One of them, whose name was Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled horns of a bull. Then he proclaimed to Ahab,“This is what Yahweh says,‘With horns like these your army will keep attacking the Arameans as a bull attacks another animal, until you completely destroy them!’” BSB BSB: Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”
12 ARST All the other prophets of Ahab agreed. They said,“Yes! If you go up to attack Ramoth in Gilead, you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them!” BSB BSB: And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
13 ARST Meanwhile, the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him,“Listen to me! All the other prophets are predicting that the king’ s army will defeat the Arameans. So be sure that you agree with them and say what will be favorable.” BSB BSB: Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 ARST But Micaiah replied,“As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell Ahab only what Yahweh tells me to say.” BSB BSB: But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”
15 ARST When Micaiah came to Ahab, Ahab asked him,“Micaiah, should we go to fight against the people of Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied,“Of course you should go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!” BSB BSB: When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
16 ARST But King Ahab realized that Micaiah was being sarcastic, so he said to Micaiah,“I have told you many times that you must always tell only the truth when you say what Yahweh has revealed to you!” BSB BSB: But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
17 ARST So Micaiah said to him,“The truth is that in a vision I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said,‘Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.’” BSB BSB: So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’”
18 ARST Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,“I told you that he never predicts that anything good will happen to me! He always predicts that bad things will happen to me.” BSB BSB: Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
19 ARST But Micaiah continued, saying,“Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! In a vision I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven surrounding him, on his right side and on his left side. BSB BSB: Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear 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 and on His left.
20 ARST And Yahweh said,‘Who can persuade Ahab to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?’ Some suggested one thing, and others suggested something else. BSB BSB: And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that.
21 ARST Finally one spirit came to Yahweh and said,‘I will deceive him!’ BSB BSB: Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
22 ARST Yahweh asked him,‘How will you do it?’ The spirit replied,‘I will go and inspire all of Ahab’ s prophets to tell lies.’ Yahweh said,‘You will be successful; go and do it!’ BSB BSB: And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
23 ARST So now I tell you that Yahweh has let all of your prophets lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.” BSB BSB: So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
24 ARST Then Zedekiah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said,“Do you think that Yahweh’ s Spirit left me in order to speak to you?” BSB BSB: Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
25 ARST Micaiah replied,“You will find out for yourself to which of us Yahweh’ s Spirit has truly spoken on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide from the Aramean troops!” BSB BSB: Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
26 ARST King Ahab commanded his soldiers,“Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash. BSB BSB: And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,
27 ARST Tell them that I have commanded that they should put this man in prison and give him only bread and water. Do not give him anything else to eat until I return safely from the battle!” BSB BSB: and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”
28 ARST Micaiah replied,“If you return safely, it will be clear that it was not Yahweh who told me what to say to you!” Then he said to all those who were standing there,“Do not forget what I have said to King Ahab!” BSB BSB: But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
29 ARST So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead. BSB BSB: So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
30 ARST King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,“I will put on different clothes, in order that no one will recognize that I am the king. But you should wear your royal robe.” So Ahab disguised himself, and they both went into the battle. BSB BSB: And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 ARST The King of Aram had said to his thirty- two men who were driving the chariots,“Attack only the king of Israel!” BSB BSB: Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
32 ARST So when the men who were driving the Aramean chariots saw Jehoshaphat wearing the royal robes, they pursued him. They shouted,“There is the king of Israel!” But when Jehoshaphat cried out, BSB BSB: When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 ARST they realized that he was not the king of Israel. So they stopped pursuing him. BSB BSB: And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
34 ARST But one Aramean soldier shot an arrow at Ahab, without knowing that it was Ahab. The arrow struck Ahab between the places where the parts of his armor joined together. Ahab told the driver of his chariot,“Turn the chariot around and take me out of here! I have been severely wounded!” BSB BSB: However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
35 ARST The battle continued all the day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Aramean troops. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of the chariot. And late in the afternoon he died. BSB BSB: The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died.
36 ARST Just as the sun was going down, someone among the Israelite troops shouted,“The battle is ended! Everyone should return home!” BSB BSB: As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army: “Every man to his own city, and every man to his own land!”
37 ARST So King Ahab died, and they took his body in the chariot to Samaria and buried his body there. BSB BSB: So the king died and was brought to Samaria, where they buried him.
38 ARST They washed his chariot alongside the pool in Samaria, a pool where the prostitutes bathed. And dogs came and licked the king’ s blood, just like Yahweh had predicted would happen. BSB BSB: And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.
40 ARST When Ahab died, his body was buried where his ancestors were buried. Then his son Ahaziah became king. BSB BSB: And Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
41 ARST Before King Ahab died, when he had been ruling in Israel for four years, Asa’ s son Jehoshaphat started to rule in Judah. BSB BSB: In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah.
42 ARST Jehoshaphat was thirty- five years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty- five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. BSB BSB: Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43 ARST Jehoshaphat was a good king, just like his father Asa had been. He did things that pleased Yahweh. But while he was king, he did not remove all the pagan altars that had been built upon the hills. So the people continued to offer sacrifices to idols on those altars and burned incense there. BSB BSB: And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however, were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
44 ARST Jehoshaphat also made a peace treaty with the king of Israel. BSB BSB: Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.
45 ARST All the other things that happened while Jehoshaphat was ruling, and the great things that he did and the victories his troops won, are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Judah. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
46 ARST Jehoshaphat removed from the land the male prostitutes that still lived in that region. These were same the male prostitutes who had lived there in the time of his father Asa. BSB BSB: He banished from the land the male shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa.
47 ARST At that time, there was no king in Edom. A ruler who had been appointed by Jehoshaphat ruled there. BSB BSB: And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.
48 ARST Jehoshaphat ordered some Israelite men to build a fleet of ships to sail south to the region of Ophir to get gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion Geber, so the ships never sailed. BSB BSB: Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
49 ARST Before the ships were wrecked, Ahab’ s son Ahaziah suggested to Jehoshaphat,“Allow my sailors to go with your sailors,” but Jehoshaphat refused. BSB BSB: At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 ARST When Jehoshaphat died, his body was buried where his ancestors were buried in Jerusalem, the city where King David had ruled. Then Jehoshaphat’ s son Jehoram became king. BSB BSB: And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
51 ARST Before King Jehoshaphat died, when he had been ruling in Judah for seventeen years, Ahab’ s son Ahaziah began to rule in Israel. Ahaziah ruled in Samaria for two years. BSB BSB: In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years.
52 ARST He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, doing the evil things that his father and mother had done and the evil things that Jeroboam had done— the king who had induced all the Israelite people to sin by worshiping idols. BSB BSB: And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
53 ARST Ahaziah bowed in front of Baal’ s idol and worshiped it. That caused Yahweh, the God who is the true God of the Israelite people as well as all the world, to become very angry, just as Ahaziah’ s father had caused Yahweh to become angry. BSB BSB: Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.