Ii Paralipomenon 18
1 Fuit ergo Iosaphat dives et inclytus multum, et affinitate coniunctus est Achab.
Now Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and highly honored, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.
2 Descenditque post annos ad eum in Samariam: ad cuius adventum mactavit Achab arietes, et boves plurimos ipsi, et populo qui venerat cum eo: persuasitque illi ut ascenderet in Ramoth Galaad.
Some years later he went to pay Ahab a visit in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and the people who accompanied him, and encouraged him to attack Ramoth-gilead.
3 Dixitque Achab rex Israel ad Iosaphat regem Iuda: Veni mecum in Ramoth Galaad. Cui ille respondit: Ut ego, et tu: sicut populus tuus, et populus meus: tecumque erimus in bello.
Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Would you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “You and I are as one, and my men and your men are as one. We will join forces with you in this war.”
4 Dixitque Iosaphat ad regem Israel: Consule obsecro impraesentiarum sermonem Domini.
Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first though, please find out what the Lord says.”
5 Congregavit igitur rex Israel prophetarum quadringentos viros, et dixit ad eos: In Ramoth Galaad ad bellandum ire debemus an quiescere? At illi, Ascende, inquiunt, et tradet Deus in manu regis.
So the king of Israel brought out the prophets—four hundred of them—and he asked them, “Should we go up and attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?” “Yes, go ahead,” they replied, “for God will hand it over to the king.”
6 Dixitque Iosaphat: Numquid non est hic prophetes Domini, ut ab illo etiam requiramus?
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there another prophet of the Lord here that we can ask?”
7 Et ait rex Israel ad Iosaphat: Est vir unus, a quo possumus quaerere Domini voluntatem: sed ego odi eum, quia non prophetat mihi bonum, sed malum omni tempore: est autem Michaeas filius Iemla. Dixitque Iosaphat: Ne loquaris rex hoc modo.
“Yes, there's another man who could consult the Lord,” the king of Israel replied, “but I don't like him because he never prophesies anything good for me—it's always bad! His name is Micaiah, son of Imlah.” “You shouldn't talk like that,” said Jehoshaphat.
8 Vocavit ergo rex Israel unum de eunuchis, et dixit ei: Voca cito Michaeam filium Iemla.
The king of Israel called over one of his officials and told him, “Bring me Micaiah, son of Imlah, right away.”
9 Porro rex Israel, et Iosaphat rex Iuda uterque sedebant in solio suo, vestiti cultu regio: sedebant autem in area iuxta portam Samariae, omnesque prophetae vaticinabantur coram eis.
Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor beside the gate of Samaria, with all of the prophets prophesying in front of them.
10 Sedechias vero filius Chanaana fecit sibi cornua ferrea, et ait: Haec dicit Dominus: His ventilabis Syriam, donec conteras eam.
One of them, Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, had made himself iron horns. He announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these horns you will gore the Arameans until they're dead!”
11 Omnesque prophetae similiter prophetabant, atque dicebant: Ascende in Ramoth Galaad, et prosperaberis, et tradet eos Dominus in manu regis.
All the prophets were prophesying the same thing, saying, “Go ahead, attack Ramoth-gilead; you will be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
12 Nuncius autem, qui ierat ad vocandum Michaeam, ait illi: En verba omnium prophetarum uno ore bona regi annunciant: quaeso ergo te ut et sermo tuus ab eis non dissentiat, loquarisque prospera.
The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “Look, all the prophets are unanimous in prophesying positively to the king. So please make sure to speak positively like them.”
13 Cui respondit Michaeas: Vivit Dominus, quia quodcumque dixerit mihi Deus meus, hoc loquar.
But Micaiah replied, “As the Lord lives, I can only say what my God tells me.”
14 Venit ergo ad regem. Cui rex ait: Michaea, ire debemus in Ramoth Galaad ad bellandum, an quiescere? Cui ille respondit: Ascendite: cuncta enim prospera evenient, et tradentur hostes in manus vestras.
When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Should we go up and attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?” “Yes, go ahead and be victorious,” Micaiah replied, “for they will be handed over to the king.”
15 Dixitque rex: Iterum, atque iterum te adiuro, ut mihi non loquaris, nisi quod verum est in nomine Domini.
But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me only the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 At ille ait: Vidi universum Israel dispersum in montibus, sicut oves absque pastore: et dixit Dominus: Non habent isti dominos: revertatur unusquisque in domum suam in pace.
So Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These people have no master; let each of them go home in peace.’”
17 Et ait rex Israel ad Iosaphat: Nonne dixi tibi, quod non prophetaret iste mihi quidquam boni, sed ea, quae mala sunt?
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you he never prophesies anything good for me, only bad?”
18 At ille, Idcirco, ait, audite verbum Domini: Vidi Dominum sedentem in solio suo, et omnem exercitum caeli assistentem ei a dextris et a sinistris.
Micaiah went on to say, “So listen to what the Lord says. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, surrounded by the whole army of heaven standing to his right and to his left.
19 Et dixit Dominus: Quis decipiet Achab regem Israel ut ascendat et corruat in Ramoth Galaad? Cumque diceret unus hoc modo, et alter alio:
The Lord asked, ‘Who will trick Ahab, king of Israel, into attacking Ramoth-gilead so he will be killed there?’ One said this, another said that, and another said something else.
20 processit spiritus, et stetit coram Domino, et ait: Ego decipiam eum. Cui Dominus, In quo, inquit, decipies?
Finally a spirit came and approached the Lord and said, ‘I will trick him.’ ‘How are you going to do that?’ the Lord asked.
21 At ille respondit: Egrediar, et ero spiritus mendax in ore omnium prophetarum eius. Dixitque Dominus: Decipies, et praevalebis: egredere, et fac ita.
‘I will go and be a lying spirit and make all his prophets tell lies,’ the spirit replied. ‘That will work,’ the Lord responded. ‘Go and do it.’
22 Nunc igitur, ecce Dominus dedit spiritum mendacii in ore omnium prophetarum tuorum, et Dominus locutus est de te mala.
As you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced your death sentence.”
23 Accessit autem Sedechias filius Chanaana, et percussit Michaeae maxillam, et ait: Per quam viam transivit Spiritus Domini a me, ut loqueretur tibi?
Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went and slapped Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go when he left me to speak to you?”
24 Dixitque Michaeas: Tu ipse videbis in die illo, quando ingressus fueris cubiculum de cubiculo ut abscondaris.
“You'll soon find out when you try and find some secret place to hide!” Micaiah replied.
25 Praecepit autem rex Israel, dicens: Tollite Michaeam, et ducite eum ad Amon principem civitatis, et ad Ioas filium Amelech.
The king of Israel ordered, “Place Micaiah under arrest and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to my son Joash.
26 Et dicetis: Haec dicit rex: Mittite hunc in carcerem, et date ei panis modicum, et aquae pauxillum, donec revertar in pace.
Tell them these are the king's instructions: ‘Put this man in jail. Give him only bread and water until my safe return.’”
27 Dixitque Michaeas: Si reversus fueris in pace, non est locutus Dominus in me. Et ait: Audite omnes populi.
“If you do in fact return safely then the Lord has not spoken through me,” Micaiah declared. “Pay attention everyone to all I've said!”
28 Igitur ascenderunt rex Israel et Iosaphat rex Iuda in Ramoth Galaad.
The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went to attack Ramoth-gilead.
29 Dixitque rex Israel ad Iosaphat: Mutabo habitum, et sic ad pugnam vadam, tu autem induere vestibus tuis. Mutatoque rex Israel habitu, venit ad bellum.
The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “When I go into battle I will be in disguise, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
30 Rex autem Syriae praeceperat ducibus equitatus sui, dicens: Ne pugnetis contra minimum, aut contra maximum, nisi contra solum regem Israel.
The king of Aram had already given these orders to his chariot commanders: “Head straight for the king of Israel alone. Don't fight with anyone else, whoever they are.”
31 Itaque cum vidissent principes equitatus Iosaphat, dixerunt: Rex Israel est iste. Et circumdederunt eum dimicantes: at ille clamavit ad Dominum, et auxiliatus est ei, atque avertit eos ab illo.
So when the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “There's the king of Israel!” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat called out for help, and the Lord did help him. God redirected them away from him,
32 Cum enim vidissent duces equitatus, quod non esset rex Israel, reliquerunt eum.
for when the chariot commanders realized that he wasn't the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
33 Accidit autem ut unus e populo sagittam in incertum iaceret, et percuteret regem Israel inter cervicem et scapulas, at ille aurigae suo ait: Converte manum tuam, et educ me de acie, quia vulneratus sum.
However, an enemy archer shot an arrow at random, hitting the king of Israel between the joints of his armor by his breastplate. The king told his charioteer, “Turn around and get me out of the fight, because I've been wounded!”
34 Et finita est pugna in die illo: porro rex Israel stabat in curru suo contra Syros usque ad vesperam, et mortuus est occidente sole.
The battle lasted all day. The king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot to face the Arameans until the evening. But he died at sunset.
