מלכים א 22
| וישבו שלש שנים אין מלחמה בין ארם ובין ישראל׃ | 1 |
For almost three years there was no war between Syria and Israel.
| ויהי בשנה השלישית וירד יהושפט מלך יהודה אל מלך ישראל׃ | 2 |
Then King Jehoshaphat, who ruled Judah, went to [visit] King Ahab, who ruled Israel.
| ויאמר מלך ישראל אל עבדיו הידעתם כי לנו רמת גלעד ואנחנו מחשים מקחת אתה מיד מלך ארם׃ | 3 |
[While they were talking, ] Ahab said to his officials, “Do you realize that the Syrians are still occupying our city of Ramoth in [the] Gilead [region]? And we are doing nothing to retake that city!”
| ויאמר אל יהושפט התלך אתי למלחמה רמת גלעד ויאמר יהושפט אל מלך ישראל כמוני כמוך כעמי כעמך כסוסי כסוסיך׃ | 4 |
Then he turned to 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.”
| ויאמר יהושפט אל מלך ישראל דרש נא כיום את דבר יהוה׃ | 5 |
Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
| ויקבץ מלך ישראל את הנביאים כארבע מאות איש ויאמר אלהם האלך על רמת גלעד למלחמה אם אחדל ויאמרו עלה ויתן אדני ביד המלך׃ | 6 |
So Ahab summoned about 400 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.”
| ויאמר יהושפט האין פה נביא ליהוה עוד ונדרשה מאותו׃ | 7 |
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
| ויאמר מלך ישראל אל יהושפט עוד איש אחד לדרש את יהוה מאתו ואני שנאתיו כי לא יתנבא עלי טוב כי אם רע מיכיהו בן ימלה ויאמר יהושפט אל יאמר המלך כן׃ | 8 |
The King of Israel replied, “There is one man we can talk to. We can ask him if he can find out what Yahweh wants. His name is Micaiah; he is the son of Imlah. But I hate him, because when he (prophesies/tells what God says to him) 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!”
| ויקרא מלך ישראל אל סריס אחד ויאמר מהרה מיכיהו בן ימלה׃ | 9 |
So the king of Israel told one of his officers to summon Micaiah immediately.
| ומלך ישראל ויהושפט מלך יהודה ישבים איש על כסאו מלבשים בגדים בגרן פתח שער שמרון וכל הנביאים מתנבאים לפניהם׃ | 10 |
The king of Israel and the king of Judah were wearing their (royal robes/robes that showed that they were kings). They were sitting on thrones at the place where people threshed grain, near the gate of Samaria [city]. All of Ahab’s prophets were standing in front of the kings, (prophesying/predicting what was going to happen).
| ויעש לו צדקיה בן כנענה קרני ברזל ויאמר כה אמר יהוה באלה תנגח את ארם עד כלתם׃ | 11 |
One of them, whose name was Zedekiah, the 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 Syrians [like a bull attacks another animal] [MET], until you completely destroy them!’”
| וכל הנבאים נבאים כן לאמר עלה רמת גלעד והצלח ונתן יהוה ביד המלך׃ | 12 |
All the [other] prophets [of Ahab] agreed. They said, “Yes! If you go up to attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them!”
| והמלאך אשר הלך לקרא מיכיהו דבר אליו לאמר הנה נא דברי הנביאים פה אחד טוב אל המלך יהי נא דבריך כדבר אחד מהם ודברת טוב׃ | 13 |
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 Syrians. So be sure that you agree with them and say (what will be favorable/that the king’s army will be successful).”
| ויאמר מיכיהו חי יהוה כי את אשר יאמר יהוה אלי אתו אדבר׃ | 14 |
But Micaiah replied, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell him only what Yahweh tells me to say.”
| ויבוא אל המלך ויאמר המלך אליו מיכיהו הנלך אל רמת גלעד למלחמה אם נחדל ויאמר אליו עלה והצלח ונתן יהוה ביד המלך׃ | 15 |
When Micaiah came to Ahab, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to fight against [the people of] Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
| ויאמר אליו המלך עד כמה פעמים אני משבעך אשר לא תדבר אלי רק אמת בשם יהוה׃ | 16 |
But King Ahab [realized that Micaiah was (lying/being sarcastic), so he] said to Micaiah, “I have told you [RHQ] many times that you must always tell only the truth when you say what Yahweh [has revealed to you]!”
| ויאמר ראיתי את כל ישראל נפצים אל ההרים כצאן אשר אין להם רעה ויאמר יהוה לא אדנים לאלה ישובו איש לביתו בשלום׃ | 17 |
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.’”
| ויאמר מלך ישראל אל יהושפט הלוא אמרתי אליך לוא יתנבא עלי טוב כי אם רע׃ | 18 |
Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you [RHQ] that he never predicts [that] anything good [will happen to me]! He [always] predicts [that] bad things [will happen to me].”
| ויאמר לכן שמע דבר יהוה ראיתי את יהוה ישב על כסאו וכל צבא השמים עמד עליו מימינו ומשמאלו׃ | 19 |
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.
| ויאמר יהוה מי יפתה את אחאב ויעל ויפל ברמת גלעד ויאמר זה בכה וזה אמר בכה׃ | 20 |
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.
| ויצא הרוח ויעמד לפני יהוה ויאמר אני אפתנו ויאמר יהוה אליו במה׃ | 21 |
Finally one [evil] spirit came to Yahweh and said, ‘I can do it!’
| ויאמר אצא והייתי רוח שקר בפי כל נביאיו ויאמר תפתה וגם תוכל צא ועשה כן׃ | 22 |
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!’
| ועתה הנה נתן יהוה רוח שקר בפי כל נביאיך אלה ויהוה דבר עליך רעה׃ | 23 |
So now [I tell you that] Yahweh has caused all of your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
| ויגש צדקיהו בן כנענה ויכה את מיכיהו על הלחי ויאמר אי זה עבר רוח יהוה מאתי לדבר אותך׃ | 24 |
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?” [RHQ]
| ויאמר מיכיהו הנך ראה ביום ההוא אשר תבא חדר בחדר להחבה׃ | 25 |
Micaiah replied, “You will find out for yourself [which of us Yahweh’s Spirit has truly spoken to] on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide [from the Syrian troops]!”
| ויאמר מלך ישראל קח את מיכיהו והשיבהו אל אמן שר העיר ואל יואש בן המלך׃ | 26 |
King Ahab commanded [his soldiers], “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
| ואמרת כה אמר המלך שימו את זה בית הכלא והאכילהו לחם לחץ ומים לחץ עד באי בשלום׃ | 27 |
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!”
| ויאמר מיכיהו אם שוב תשוב בשלום לא דבר יהוה בי ויאמר שמעו עמים כלם׃ | 28 |
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]!”
| ויעל מלך ישראל ויהושפט מלך יהודה רמת גלעד׃ | 29 |
So the King of Israel and the King of Judah [led their armies] to Ramoth, in [the] Gilead [region].
| ויאמר מלך ישראל אל יהושפט התחפש ובא במלחמה ואתה לבש בגדיך ויתחפש מלך ישראל ויבוא במלחמה׃ | 30 |
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/robe that shows that you are a king).” So Ahab disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
| ומלך ארם צוה את שרי הרכב אשר לו שלשים ושנים לאמר לא תלחמו את קטן ואת גדול כי אם את מלך ישראל לבדו׃ | 31 |
The King of Syria told this to his thirty-two men who were driving the chariots: “Attack only the king of Israel!”
| ויהי כראות שרי הרכב את יהושפט והמה אמרו אך מלך ישראל הוא ויסרו עליו להלחם ויזעק יהושפט׃ | 32 |
So when the men who were driving the Syrian chariots saw Jehoshaphat [wearing (his royal robes/clothes that showed he was the king)], they pursued him. They shouted, “There is the king of Israel!” But when Jehoshaphat cried out,
| ויהי כראות שרי הרכב כי לא מלך ישראל הוא וישובו מאחריו׃ | 33 |
they realized that he was not the king of Israel. So they stopped pursuing him.
| ואיש משך בקשת לתמו ויכה את מלך ישראל בין הדבקים ובין השרין ויאמר לרכבו הפך ידך והוציאני מן המחנה כי החליתי׃ | 34 |
But one [Syrian] 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!”
| ותעלה המלחמה ביום ההוא והמלך היה מעמד במרכבה נכח ארם וימת בערב ויצק דם המכה אל חיק הרכב׃ | 35 |
The battle continued all the day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrian troops. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of the chariot. And late in the afternoon he died.
| ויעבר הרנה במחנה כבא השמש לאמר איש אל עירו ואיש אל ארצו׃ | 36 |
Just as the sun was going down, someone among the Israeli troops shouted, “[The battle is ended!] Everyone should return home!”
| וימת המלך ויבוא שמרון ויקברו את המלך בשמרון׃ | 37 |
So king Ahab died, and they took his body [in the chariot] to Samaria [city] and buried his body there.
| וישטף את הרכב על ברכת שמרון וילקו הכלבים את דמו והזנות רחצו כדבר יהוה אשר דבר׃ | 38 |
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.
| ויתר דברי אחאב וכל אשר עשה ובית השן אשר בנה וכל הערים אשר בנה הלוא הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים למלכי ישראל׃ | 39 |
The account/record of the other things that happened while Ahab was ruling, and about the palace decorated with much ivory [that they built for him], and the cities that were built for him, was written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
| וישכב אחאב עם אבתיו וימלך אחזיהו בנו תחתיו׃ | 40 |
When Ahab died, his body was buried where his ancestors were buried. Then his son Ahaziah became king.
| ויהושפט בן אסא מלך על יהודה בשנת ארבע לאחאב מלך ישראל׃ | 41 |
Before King Ahab died, when he had been ruling in Israel for four years, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat started to rule in Judah.
| יהושפט בן שלשים וחמש שנה במלכו ועשרים וחמש שנה מלך בירושלם ושם אמו עזובה בת שלחי׃ | 42 |
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.
| וילך בכל דרך אסא אביו לא סר ממנו לעשות הישר בעיני יהוה אך הבמות לא סרו עוד העם מזבחים ומקטרים בבמות׃ | 43 |
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 the people had built] on the hilltops. So the people continued to offer sacrifices [to idols] on those altars and burned incense there.
| וישלם יהושפט עם מלך ישראל׃ | 44 |
Jehoshaphat also made [a] peace [agreement] with the king of Israel.
| ויתר דברי יהושפט וגבורתו אשר עשה ואשר נלחם הלא הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים למלכי יהודה׃ | 45 |
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 the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
| ויתר הקדש אשר נשאר בימי אסא אביו בער מן הארץ׃ | 46 |
Jehoshaphat’s father Asa [had tried to expel] the male prostitutes that stayed at the pagan shrines, but some of them were still there. Jehoshaphat got rid of them.
| ומלך אין באדום נצב מלך׃ | 47 |
At that time, there was no king in Edom; a ruler who had been appointed by Jehoshaphat ruled there.
| יהושפט עשר אניות תרשיש ללכת אופירה לזהב ולא הלך כי נשברה אניות בעציון גבר׃ | 48 |
Jehoshaphat [ordered some Israeli men to] build a fleet/group of ships to sail [south] to [the] Ophir [region] to get gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion-Geber/Elath, so the ships never sailed.
| אז אמר אחזיהו בן אחאב אל יהושפט ילכו עבדי עם עבדיך באניות ולא אבה יהושפט׃ | 49 |
Before the ships were wrecked, Ahab’s son Ahaziah suggested to Jehoshaphat, “Allow my sailors to go with your sailors,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
| וישכב יהושפט עם אבתיו ויקבר עם אבתיו בעיר דוד אביו וימלך יהורם בנו תחתיו׃ | 50 |
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.
| אחזיהו בן אחאב מלך על ישראל בשמרון בשנת שבע עשרה ליהושפט מלך יהודה וימלך על ישראל שנתים׃ | 51 |
Before King Jehoshaphat died, when he had been ruling in Judah for 17 years, Ahab’s son Ahaziah began to rule in Israel. Ahaziah ruled in Samaria for two years.
| ויעש הרע בעיני יהוה וילך בדרך אביו ובדרך אמו ובדרך ירבעם בן נבט אשר החטיא את ישראל׃ | 52 |
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, doing the [evil] things that his father and mother had done and the evil things that Jeroboam had done—the king who had led all the Israeli people to sin [by worshiping idols].
| ויעבד את הבעל וישתחוה לו ויכעס את יהוה אלהי ישראל ככל אשר עשה אביו׃ | 53 |
Ahaziah bowed in front of Baal’s idol and worshiped it. That caused Yahweh, the God who was the true God of the Israeli people, to become very angry, just as Ahaziah’s father had caused Yahweh to become angry.
