1 Kings 22

Ahab & Jehoshaphat Go to War; Ahab Dies

1 For three years, there was no war between Aram and Israel.

2 But in the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah rolled up to the king of Israel.

3 The king of Israel told his officials, “You all know Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us, right, And we just chilling, not snatching it back from the king of Aram!”

4 He asked Jehoshaphat, "You are going to ride with me to fight against Ramoth-Gilead,” Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I am with you, my people are your people, my horses are your horses.”

5 But Jehoshaphat also told the king of Israel, “First, let us hit up the Lord for a word.”

6 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred dudes, and asked them, “Should I roll up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight, or should I hold back?” They said, “Go for it! The Lord is going to hand it over to the king."

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not another prophet of the Lord here we can ask, Just one more?”

8 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “There is still one more dude we can ask the Lord through, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate that guy, because he never prophecies nothing good about me, only bad stuff.” Jehoshaphat said, “Nah, do not say that, King!”

9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Go quick and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”

10 Now, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, dressed in their royal gear, at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.

11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself some iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these, you are going to gore Aram until they are totally wiped out!’”

12 All the other prophets were also prophesying the same thing, saying, “Roll up to Ramoth-Gilead and win! The Lord is going to hand it over to the king.”

13 The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him, “Look, the words of the prophets are all saying good things to the king with one voice. So let your word be like one of theirs, and say something good too!”

14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord tells me, that is what I am going to speak.”

15 When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we roll up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight, or should we hold back,” He told him, “Go for it and win! The Lord is going to hand it over to the king.”

16 But the king told him, “How many times do I must make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

17 Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These people have no leader. Let them all go back to their cribs in peace.’”

18 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he never prophesies anything good about me, only bad?”

19 Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, with all the heavenly army standing around Him on His right and on His left.”

20 “And the Lord said, ‘Who is going to trick Ahab so he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that.”

21 “Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will trick him.’” The Lord asked him, ‘How?’”

22 “He said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You will trick him and you will succeed. Go do it!’”

23 “So now, look, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has spoken disaster against you.”

24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up and slapped Micaiah in the face and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?”

25 Micaiah said, “You will find out on that day when you must run and hide in an inner room.”

26 The king of Israel said, “Grab Micaiah and take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son.”

27 “And tell them, ‘This is what the king says: “Throw this dude in jail and feed him nothing but bread and water until I come back in peace.”’”

28 Micaiah said, “If you ever come back in peace, then the Lord has not spoken through me!” And he added, “Listen up, all you people!”

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead.

30 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “I am going to disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

31 Now, the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight anyone, big or small, except for the king of Israel himself!”

32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “That must be the king of Israel!” So they surrounded him to fight. But Jehoshaphat cried out.

33 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they pulled back from chasing him.

34 But a random dude pulled back his bow and shot the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. So Ahab told his chariot driver, “Turn around and get me out of the battle, because I am hurt!”

35 The battle got heavy that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He bled out in the chariot until evening. And at sunset, he died.

36 As the sun was setting, a cry went out through the army: “Every man to his city, every man to his own land!”

37 So the king passed away and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (and the prostitutes bathed there), according to the word of the Lord that He had spoken.

39 As for the rest of Ahab’s story, everything he did, and the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he built, is it not written in the book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel,

40 Ahab passed away and joined his ancestors. And his son Ahaziah took over as king.

Jehoshaphat’s Later Rule in Judah

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab’s rule in Israel.

42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mama’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

43 He walked in all the ways of his pops Asa and did not curve from it, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But the high places were not removed; the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

45 As for the rest of Jehoshaphat’s story, his power, and how he fought, is it not written in the book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah,

46 He also got rid of the rest of the male shrine prostitutes who were still left from the days of his pops Asa.

47 (There was no king in Edom; a governor was ruling there.)

48 Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never made it, because the ships crashed at Ezion Geber.

49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab told Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants ride with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused.

50 Jehoshaphat passed away and joined his ancestors, and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David his father. And his son Jehoram took over as king.

Ahaziah Rules Israel

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s rule in Judah, and he ruled over Israel for two years.

52 He did what was whack in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his pops and his mama, and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

53 He served Baal and bowed down to him, ticking off the Lord, the God of Israel, just like his pops had done.