1There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years.
2In the third year, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to visit the king of Israel.
3The king of Israel said to his officials, “You know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, yet we are doing nothing to take it back from the king of Syria.”
4He then asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am with you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”
5Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please ask for Yahweh’s word first.”
6So the king of Israel gathered about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I go to battle against Ramoth Gilead, or should I not?” They answered, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can consult?”
8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can ask Yahweh, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, only evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king shouldn’t say such a thing.”
9So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah here quickly.”
10The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were sitting on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, in an open space at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
11Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and declared, “Yahweh says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians until they are completely destroyed.’”
12All the other prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and you will succeed, for Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”
13The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are all predicting success for the king with one voice. Please make your message like theirs and speak favorably.”
14Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, I will speak only what Yahweh tells me.”
15When Micaiah came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle at Ramoth Gilead, or should we not?” He answered him, “Go up and succeed! Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”
16The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”
17He said, “I saw everyone in Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. Yahweh said, ‘These people have no leader. Let each of them go home in peace.’”
18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he would never prophesy anything good about me, only bad?”
19Micaiah said, “Therefore, listen to Yahweh’s message. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the angels of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.
20Yahweh said, ‘Who will trick Ahab into going up and being killed at Ramoth Gilead?’ One angel said one thing, and another angel said something else.
21Then a spirit came forward, stood before Yahweh, and said, ‘I will trick him.’
22Yahweh asked him, ‘How?’ He answered, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will trick him, and you will succeed. Go and do it.’
23So now, look, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decided that disaster will come to you.”
24Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came up and slapped Micaiah on the cheek. He asked, “Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh leave me to speak to you?”
25Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you try to hide in an inner room.”
26The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and bring him back to Amon, the city governor, and to Joash, the king’s son.
27Tell them, ‘The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him only a poor diet of bread and water until I return safely.’”
28Micaiah said, “If you return safely at all, then Yahweh has not spoken through me.” He added, “Listen, everyone!”
29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead.
30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31Now the king of Syria had commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Don’t fight with anyone, important or not, except for the king of Israel.”
32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that’s the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out.
33When the chariot commanders realized it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from chasing him.
34A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. So the king said to his chariot driver, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I am badly wounded.”
35The battle grew more intense that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and he died in the evening. The blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.
36As the sun was setting, a cry went out through the army: “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”
37So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood. The prostitutes also bathed there. This happened just as Yahweh had said.
39Now, the rest of the actions of Ahab, everything he did, and the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he constructed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40Ahab rested with his ancestors, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
41Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year that Ahab was king of Israel.
42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43He followed the example of his father Asa in everything. He did not stray from it, doing what was right in Yahweh’s eyes. However, the places of worship on high hills were not removed, so the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
44Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, his power that he demonstrated, and how he fought, are all written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah, aren’t they?
46He removed the remaining male prostitutes from the land, who had been there since the days of his father Asa.
47Edom had no king; a governor ruled there.
48Jehoshaphat built large ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they never sailed because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.
49Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants on the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused.
50Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, his ancestor. His son Jehoram became king in his place.
51Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.
52He did what was evil in Yahweh’s sight, following the example of his father, his mother, and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.
53He served Baal and worshiped him, and he made Yahweh, the God of Israel, angry, just as his father had done in every way.