< 2 Chronicles 18 >

1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab.
Therefore, Jehoshaphat was wealthy and very famous, and he was joined by affinity to Ahab.
2 After certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. Ahab killed sheep and cattle for him in abundance, and for the people who were with him, and moved him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.
And after some years, he descended to him in Samaria. And upon his arrival, Ahab slaughtered very many sheep and oxen, for him and for the people who had arrived with him. And he persuaded him that he should ascend against Ramoth Gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?" He answered him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people. We will be with you in the war."
And Ahab, the king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, “Come with me to Ramoth Gilead.” And he answered him: “As I am, so also are you. As your people are, so also are my people. And we will be with you in war.”
4 Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of Jehovah."
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Consult, I beg you, the word of the Lord for the present circumstances.”
5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" They said, "Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king."
And so the king of Israel gathered together four hundred men of the prophets, and he said to them: “Should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or should we be quieted?” But they said, “Ascend, and God will deliver into the hand of the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him?"
And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, so that we may inquire of him as well?”
7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla." Jehoshaphat said, "Do not let the king say so."
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “There is one man, from whom we would be able to ask the will of the Lord. But I hate him, for he never prophesies good to me, but at all times evil. And it is Micaiah, the son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “You should not speak in this manner, O king.”
8 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Get Micaiah the son of Imla quickly."
Therefore, the king of Israel called one of the eunuchs, and said to him: “Quickly, summon Micaiah, the son of Imlah.”
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
Now the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were both sitting upon their thrones, clothed in royal vestments. And they were sitting in an open area, beside the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus says Jehovah, 'With these you shall push the Arameans, until they are consumed.'"
Truly, Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made for himself horns of iron, and he said: “Thus says the Lord: With these, you shall threaten Syria, until you crush it.”
11 All the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king."
And all the prophets prophesied similarly, and they said: “Ascend against Ramoth Gilead, and you shall prosper, and the Lord will deliver them into the hand of the king.”
12 The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Look, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Let your word therefore, please be like one of theirs, and speak good."
Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him: “Lo, the words of all the prophets, with one mouth, announce good to the king. Therefore, I ask you that you not dissent from them in your word, and that you speak prosperity.”
13 Micaiah said, "As Jehovah lives, whatever my God says to me, that I will speak."
And Micaiah responded to him, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God will say to me, the same shall I speak.”
14 When he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" He said, "Go up, and prosper. They shall be delivered into your hand."
Therefore, he went to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or should we be quieted?” And he responded to him: “Ascend. For everything will come to prosperity, and the enemies will be delivered into your hands.”
15 The king said to him, "How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?"
And the king said, “Again and again, I bind you by an oath, so that you will not speak to me except what is true in the name of the Lord!”
16 He said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. Jehovah said, 'These have no master. Let them return every man to his house in peace.'"
Then he said: “I saw all of Israel scattered amid the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said: ‘These have no masters. Let each one return in peace to his own house.’”
17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “Did I not tell you that this one would not prophesy to me anything good, but only what is evil?”
18 Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
Then he said: “Therefore, listen to the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing beside him, on the right and on the left.
19 Jehovah said, 'Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One spoke saying in this way, and another saying in that way.
And the Lord said: ‘Who will deceive Ahab, the king of Israel, so that he may ascend and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And when one spoke in one way, and another in another way,
20 A spirit came out, stood before Jehovah, and said, 'I will entice him.' "Jehovah said to him, 'How?'
there came forward a spirit, and he stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘In what way will you deceive him?’
21 "He said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' "He said, 'You will entice him, and will prevail also. Go forth, and do so.'
And he responded, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said: ‘You will deceive and prevail. Go forth and do so.’
22 "Now therefore, look, Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; and Jehovah has pronounced disaster concerning you."
Therefore now, behold: the Lord gave a lying spirit to the mouth of all your prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil about you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of Jehovah go from me to speak to you?"
Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, approached, and he struck Micaiah on the jaw, and he said: “In what way did the Spirit of the Lord depart from me, so that he would speak to you?”
24 Micaiah said, "Look, you shall see on that day, when you shall go into an inner room to hide yourself."
And Micaiah said: “You yourself shall see it, in that day, when you will enter a room within a room, so that you may be hidden.”
25 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;
Then the king of Israel instructed, saying: “Take Micaiah, and lead him to Amon, the leader of the city, and to Joash, the son of Amalech.
26 and 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 in peace."'"
And you shall say: ‘Thus says the king: Send this man to prison, and give to him a little bread and a little water, until I return in peace.’”
27 Micaiah said, "If you return at all in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me." He said, "Listen, you peoples, all of you."
And Micaiah said, “If you will have returned in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “May all the people listen.”
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
And so, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, ascended against Ramoth Gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “I will change my clothing, and in this way I will go into battle. But you should be clothed in your own garments.” And the king of Israel, having changed his clothing, went to war.
30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel."
Now the king of Syria had instructed the commanders of his horsemen, saying, “You shall not fight against the least or the greatest, but only against the king of Israel.”
31 It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel." Therefore they turned around to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
And so, when the leaders of the horsemen had seen Jehoshaphat, they said, “This one is the king of Israel.” And while fighting, they surrounded him. But he cried out to the Lord, and he assisted him, and he turned them away from him.
32 It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
For when the commanders of the horsemen had seen that he was not the king of Israel, they left him.
33 A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of the chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me out of the army; for I am severely wounded."
Then it happened that one of the people shot an arrow indiscriminately, and it struck the king of Israel between the neck and the shoulder. And so he said to his chariot driver: “Turn your hand, and lead me away from the battle line. For I have been wounded.”
34 The battle increased that day. However the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot against the Arameans until the evening; and about the time of the going down of the sun, he died.
And the fight ended on that day. But the king of Israel was standing in his chariot facing the Syrians, even until evening. And he died when the sun set.

< 2 Chronicles 18 >