1 Kings Chapter 22
Ahab and the False Prophets
1 Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2 In the third year, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, came down to visit the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we’re still not doing anything to take it back from the king of Aram?” 4 He asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat said, “I’m like you, my troops like yours, my horses like yours.” 5 He added, “Let’s ask first for a message from the LORD.”
6 The king of Israel gathered the prophets—about 400 men, “Should we attack Ramoth-gilead?”
“Yes, the LORD will deliver it to you.”
7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there still a prophet of the LORD we can ask?”
8 The king said, “There’s still one, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I despise him; he never prophesies anything good about me.”
9 “Don’t say that.” 1 Kg 22:1-9
10 The two kings were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes at the threshing floor by the gate of Samaria. The prophets were prophesying there. 11 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns for himself and said, “The LORD says you’ll gore the Arameans with these till they’re consumed.” 12 The prophets were all prophesying, “Attack Ramoth-gilead. The LORD will deliver it to you.”
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
13 The messenger to Micaiah told him, “The prophets agree in giving a favorable report to the king. Make your report like theirs.”
14 But Micaiah swore, “As sure as the LORD lives, I’ll say what he tells me.”
15 When he came, the king said, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth-gilead?”
He answered, “Go right on up there! The LORD is going to deliver it to you!!”
16 The king said, “How many times do I have to make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the LORD’s name?”
17 He said,
“I saw Israel scattered on the mountains
like sheep without a shepherd.
The LORD said, ‘They don’t have a master anymore;
they need to go home in peace.’” 1 Kg 22:10-17
18 The king told Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me?”
19 Micaiah said,
“Listen to the LORD’s message. I saw him on his throne and the host in heaven standing on his left and right. 20 He said, ‘Who will lure Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ One said this, another said that. 21 Then a spirit came forward, ‘I’ll lure him.’
22 ‘How?’
‘By being a deceiving spirit in his prophets.’
‘Go do it.’”
23 Micaiah said, “The LORD has put a deceiving spirit in your prophets. He’s declared disaster for you.” 1 Kg 22:18-23
24 Zedekiah came up and hit him on the cheek, “How did the LORD’s Spirit pass from me to speak to you?”
25 “You’ll see when you’re hiding in an inner room.”
26 The king said, “Take Micaiah to Amon, governor of the city, and to Joash my son. 27 Tell them the king says to put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water till I come back safely.’”
28 Micaiah said, “If you ‘come back safely,’ the LORD hasn’t spoken by me. Listen to that, all of you.”
Ahab Killed in Battle
29 Ahab and Jehoshaphat went up against Ramoth-gilead.
30 Ahab told Jehoshaphat, “I’ll disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 The king of Aram had told the 32 captains of his chariots, “Don’t fight anybody great or small except the king of Israel.” 32 When the captains saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they said, “That has to be the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to attack him, and he cried out. 33 When they saw it wasn’t the king of Israel, they turned back. 1 Kg 22:24-33
34 An Aramean archer drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel in a joint in the armor. He told the chariot driver, “Turn around and get me out of the fight. I’m seriously wounded.” 35 The battle raged that day; the king was propped up in his chariot in sight of the Arameans and died that evening. The blood from the wound ran down onto the bottom of the chariot. 36 Then a shout went through the army just before sundown, “Every man to his city and country.”
37 The king died; they took him to Samaria and buried him. 38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood (where the prostitutes took baths) like the LORD had said. 39 The rest of the acts of Ahab, the ivory palace he built, the towns he built are recorded in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 40 His son Ahaziah became king. 1 Kg 22:34-40
Jehoshaphat Rules in Judah
41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king in Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel. 42 He was 35 and ruled for 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 He followed the ways of Asa in doing what was right, but he didn’t take away the high places. People sacrificed and burned incense there. 44 He also made peace with the king of Israel.
45 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the strength he showed in his rule, the wars he fought, are recorded in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. 46 He expelled from the land the remnant of shrine sodomites from his father’s reign. 47 There wasn’t any king in Edom; a deputy served as king. 48 Jehoshaphat built ships from Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t make it; they wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahab’s son Ahaziah said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my men go with yours in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat wouldn’t let them. 50 He died and they buried him in The City of David. His son Jehoram became king. 1 Kg 22:41-50
Ahaziah Rules in Israel
51 Ahaziah became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and ruled for 2 years. 52 He did evil like his parents and JeroboamI that got Israel to sin. 53 He served and worshiped Baal, and made the LORD God of Israel angry like his father had done. 1 Kg 22:51-53
Version by Virgil Warren: christir.org