THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 22 ©
Ahab, intending to make war against the Syrians, v. 1, etc. is advised by Jehoshaphat, first to ask counsel of God by his prophets, 5. Ahab’s prophets advise him to do it, 6. Especially Zedekiah, 11. Micah a prophet of the Lord dissuaded it, 13. Is smitten for it by Zedekiah, 24. And put in prison by Ahab, 26. Ahab goes forth to battle, is shot, and dies, 29. The dogs lick his blood, 38. Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, 41. Ahaziah the son of Ahab reigns in his father’s stead, 52.
AND 1they continued 2three years without war between Syria and Israel.
And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphata the king of Judah came down to 3the king of Israel.
And the king of Israel said unto his 4servants, Know ye that 5Ramoth in Gilead is 6ours, and we 7be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, 8I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, 9Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.
Then the king of Israel gathered 10the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD 11besides, that we might enquire of him?
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, 12Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire 13of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth 14not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, 15Let not the king say so.
Then the king of Israel called an 16officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.
And theb king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on 17their robes, in a 18void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all 19the prophets prophesied before them.
And 20Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him 21horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the 22LORD, 23With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and 24prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king 25with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is 26good.
And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.
¶So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, 27Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true 28in the name of the LORD?
And he said, 29I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, 30These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, 31Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
And 32he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: Ic33saw the LORD 34sitting on his throne, and all the 35host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? 36And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
And there came forth 37a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a 38lying spirit in the mouth of all 39his prophets. And he said, 40Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and 41do so.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken 42evil concerning thee.
But 43Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and 44smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which 45way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt 46see in that day, when thou shalt go 47into an inner chamber to 48hide thyself.
And the king of Israel 49said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow 50in the prison, and feed him with bread 51of affliction and 52with water of affliction, until I 53come 54in peace.
And Micaiah said, If thou return 55at all in peace, the 56LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, 57Hearken, O people, every one of you.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will 58disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on 59thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.
But the king of Syria commanded 60his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with 61small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And 62they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat 63cried out.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back 64from pursuing him.
And a certain man 65drew a bow atd a 66venture, and 67smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore 68he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am 69wounded.
And the battle increased that day: and the 70king was stayed up 71in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the 72midst of the chariot.
And there went 73a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
¶So the king died, and 74was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and 75they washed his armour; 76according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the 77ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written 78in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
¶And Jehoshaphate the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
Jehoshaphat was 79thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned 80twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
And he 81walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless 82the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.
And Jehoshaphat made peace 83with the king of Israel.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written 84in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And the remnant of the 85sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.
86There was then no king in Edom: a 87deputy was king.
Jehoshaphat 88made ships of 89Tharshish to go to 90Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at 91Ezion-geber.
Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat 92would not.
¶And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
¶Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned 93two years over Israel.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and 94walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:
For he served 95Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.