2 Krønikebok 18
1 Josafat vant stor rikdom og ære. Han inngikk svogerskap med Akab;
Jehoshaphat became very wealthy and was greatly honored. But then he arranged for one of his family to marry someone from the family of King Ahab [of Israel].
2 og nogen år efter drog han ned til Akab i Samaria, og Akab lot slakte småfe og storfe i mengde for ham og de folk han hadde med sig, og han tilskyndte ham til å dra op imot Ramot i Gilead.
Several years later, he went down [from Jerusalem] to Samaria to visit Ahab. Ahab welcomed him and the people who had come with him by slaughtering many sheep and cattle [for a feast].
3 Akab, Israels konge, sa til Josafat, Judas konge: Vil du dra med mig til Ramot i Gilead? Han svarte: Som du, så jeg, og som ditt folk, så mitt folk - vi vil være med dig i krigen.
Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you [and your army] go with my army to attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region]?” Jehoshaphat replied, “My soldiers and I will go to the battle when you tell us to go.”
4 Og Josafat sa fremdeles til Israels konge: Søk dog først å få vite hvad Herren sier!
Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
5 Da kalte Israels konge profetene sammen; det var fire hundre mann; og han spurte dem: Skal vi dra i strid mot Ramot i Gilead, eller skal jeg la det være? De svarte: Dra op! Gud vil gi det i kongens hånd.
So the king of Israel gathered all his 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we go to attack the people of Ramoth [city], or should we not do that?” They replied, “Yes, go [and attack them] because God will enable your army to defeat them.”
6 Men Josafat sa: Er her ikke nogen annen Herrens profet, så vi kunde spørre Herren til råds gjennem ham?
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
7 Israels konge svarte Josafat: Der er ennu en mann gjennem hvem vi kan spørre Herren til råds; men jeg hater ham fordi han ikke spår godt om mig, men bare ondt alle sine dager, det er Mika, Jimlas sønn. Josafat sa: Kongen skulde ikke si så!
The king of Israel replied, “There is still one man here, whom we can ask to find out what Yahweh wants, his name is Micaiah, the son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never says anything good about me. He always predicts [that] bad [things will happen to me].” Jehoshaphat replied, “King Ahab, you should not say that!”
8 Da kalte Israels konge på en av hoffolkene og sa: Skynd dig og hent Mika, Jimlas sønn!
So the king of Israel told one of his officials to summon Micaiah immediately.
9 Imens satt Israels konge og Josafat, Judas konge, i kongelig skrud, hver på sin trone, på en treskeplass ved inngangen til Samarias port; og alle profetene stod foran dem og fremsa sine spådommer.
The king of Israel and the king of Judah were sitting there on their thrones, wearing their royal robes. They were at the place where people threshed grain, near the gate of Samaria [city]. All of [Ahab’s] prophets were standing in front of them, predicting what was going to happen.
10 Og Sedekias, Kena'anas sønn, gjorde sig horn av jern og sa: Så sier Herren: Med disse skal du stange syrerne til du får gjort ende på dem.
[One of them whose name was] Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled the horns of a bull. He proclaimed to Ahab, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With horns [like these], your [army] will keep attacking the army of Syria [like a bull attacks another animal], until you completely destroy them.’”
11 Og alle profetene spådde likedan og sa: Dra op til Ramot i Gilead! Så skal du ha lykke med dig, og Herren skal gi det i kongens hånd.
All the other prophets [of Ahab] agreed. They said, “Yes! If you attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them.”
12 Og budet som var gått for å tilkalle Mika, sa til ham: Profetene spår med en munn godt for kongen; la nu også dine ord stemme overens med deres og spå godt!
The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen to me! All the other prophets are unitedly predicting that the king will be successful [in the battle]. So be sure to agree with them and say that the king’s army will be successful!”
13 Mika svarte: Så sant Herren lever: Hvad min Gud sier, det vil jeg tale.
But Micaiah said, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell the king only what Yahweh tells me to say.”
14 Da han nu kom til kongen, sa kongen til ham: Mika! Skal vi dra i krig til Ramot i Gilead, eller skal jeg la det være? Han svarte: Dra op! Så skal I ha lykke med eder, og de skal gis i eders hånd.
When Micaiah arrived, the king [of Israel] asked him, “Should we go to attack Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
15 Men kongen sa til ham: Hvor mange ganger skal jeg besverge dig at du ikke skal tale annet til mig enn sannhet i Herrens navn?
But King Ahab [realized that Micaiah was lying, 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]!”
16 Da sa han: Jeg så hele Israel spredt utover fjellene likesom en fårehjord som ikke har hyrde; og Herren sa: Disse har ingen herre; la dem vende tilbake i fred, hver til sitt hus!
Then Micaiah replied, “[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.’”
17 Da sa Israels konge til Josafat: Var det ikke det jeg sa til dig: Han spår ikke godt om mig, men bare ondt?
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.”
18 Men Mika sa: Så hør da Herrens ord! Jeg så Herren sitte på sin trone og hele himmelens hær stå på hans høire og venstre side.
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 [standing around him], on his right side and on his left side.
19 Og Herren sa: Hvem vil overtale Akab, Israels konge, til å dra op til Ramot i Gilead, så han faller der? og den ene sa så og den annen så.
And Yahweh said, ‘Who can persuade Ahab, the king of Israel, 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.
20 Da gikk ånden frem og stilte sig for Herrens åsyn og sa: Jeg skal overtale ham. Og Herren spurte ham: Hvorledes?
“Finally one spirit, [having received a message from Satan], came to Yahweh and said, ‘I can do it!’ “Yahweh asked him, ‘How will you do it?’
21 Han svarte: Jeg vil gå avsted og være en løgnens ånd i alle hans profeters munn. Da sa Herren: Ja, du skal overtale ham, og det skal også lykkes dig; gå avsted og gjør så!
“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!’
22 Se, nu har Herren lagt en løgnens ånd i disse dine profeters munn, men Herren har varslet ulykke for dig.
“So now [I tell you that] Yahweh has caused your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
23 Da trådte Sedekias, Kena'anas sønn, frem og slo Mika på kinnet og sa: På hvilken vei er Herrens Ånd gått over fra mig for å tale med dig?
Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah 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?”
24 Mika svarte: Det skal du få se den dag du flykter fra kammer til kammer for å skjule dig.
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 Syrian soldiers]!”
25 Da sa Israels konge: Ta Mika og før ham tilbake til byens høvedsmann Amon og til kongesønnen Joas
King Ahab commanded [his soldiers], “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
26 og si: Så sier kongen: Sett ham i fangehuset og la ham leve på fangekost til jeg kommer uskadd hjem igjen!
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]!”
27 Mika sa: Kommer du uskadd hjem igjen, så har Herren ikke talt gjennem mig. Og han sa: Hør dette, I folk alle sammen!
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]!”
28 Så drog Israels konge og Judas konge Josafat op til Ramot i Gilead.
So the king of Israel and the king of Judah [led their armies] to Ramoth, in [the] Gilead [region].
29 Og Israels konge sa til Josafat: Jeg vil forklæ mig og så gå i striden; men ta du dine vanlige klær på! Så forklædde Israels konge sig, og de gikk i striden.
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 the king of Israel disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
30 Men kongen i Syria hadde befalt sine vogn-høvedsmenn: I skal ikke stride mot nogen, hverken liten eller stor, bare mot Israels konge.
The King of Syria told his soldiers who were driving the chariots, “Attack only the king of Israel!”
31 Da nu vogn-høvedsmennene så Josafat, sa de: Dette er Israels konge. Og de omringet ham for å stride. Da satte Josafat i et høit rop, og Herren hjalp ham; Gud vendte dem bort fra ham.
So when the soldiers who were driving the Syrian chariots saw Jehoshaphat [wearing the royal robes], they thought “He must be the king of Israel!”
32 For da vogn-høvedsmennene så at det ikke var Israels konge, vendte de sig fra ham igjen.
So they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, Yahweh helped him, and they realized that he was not the king of Israel. And God caused them to stop pursuing him.
33 Men en mann spente sin bue på lykke og fromme og traff Israels konge mellem brynjeskjørtet og brynjen. Da sa han til vognstyreren: Vend om og før mig ut av hæren! Jeg er såret.
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!”
34 Men striden blev stadig hårdere den dag, og Israels konge holdt sig opreist i vognen mot syrerne like til om aftenen; men på den tid solen gikk ned, døde han.
The battle continued all that day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrian soldiers. And late in the afternoon, when the sun was setting, he died.
