Day 157 of 730

¹They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

²It happened in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

³The king of Israel said to his servants, "You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we are still, and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?"

⁴He said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁵Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the Lord."

⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" They said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."

⁷But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of him?"

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Jehoshaphat said, "Do not let the king say so."

⁹Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah."

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹¹Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you shall push the Syrians, until they are consumed.'"

¹²All the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."

¹³The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good."

¹⁴Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak."

¹⁵When he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" He answered him, "Go up and prosper; and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."

¹⁶The king said to him, "How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"

¹⁷He said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, 'These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

¹⁹Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

²⁰The Lord said, 'Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said one thing; and another said another.

²¹A spirit came out and stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.'

²²The Lord said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' He said, 'You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.'

²³Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you."

²⁴Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?"

²⁵Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself."

²⁶The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son.

²⁷Say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."'"

²⁸Micaiah said, "If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me." He said, "Listen, all you people!"

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 the battle; but you put on your robes." The king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

³¹Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.

³²It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely that is the king of Israel!" and they turned aside to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out.

³³It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me out of the battle; for I am severely wounded."

³⁵The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, "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 where the prostitutes washed themselves; according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.

³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

⁴¹Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³He walked in all the way of Asa his father; He did not turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord: however the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

⁴⁴Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

⁴⁶The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land.

⁴⁷There was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they did not go; for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber.

⁴⁹Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not.

⁵⁰Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.

⁵²He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he made Israel to sin.

⁵³He served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger the Lord, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

¹Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

²Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria, and was sick. So he sent messengers, and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover of this sickness."

³But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and tell them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?

⁴Now therefore thus says the Lord, "You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die."'" Elijah departed.

⁵The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, "Why is it that you have returned?"

⁶They said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you, and tell him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you send to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"'"

⁷He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words?"

⁸They answered him, "He was a hairy man, and wearing a leather belt around his waist." He said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

⁹Then the king sent a captain of fifty with his fifty to him. He went up to him; and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. He said to him, "Man of God, the king has said, 'Come down!'"

¹⁰Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty!" Fire came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹Again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. He answered him, "Man of God, the king has said, 'Come down quickly!'"

¹²Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty!" The fire of God came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³Again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. The third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, "Man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your sight.

¹⁴Behold, fire came down from the sky, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties. But now let my life be precious in your sight."

¹⁵The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him." He arose, and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶He said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"

¹⁷So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram began to reign in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.

¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¹Lord, my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,

²lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, ripping it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me (yes, if I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary),

⁵let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.

⁶Arise, Lord, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.

⁷Let the congregation of the peoples surround you. Rule over them on high.

⁸The Lord administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness, and to my integrity that is in me.

⁹Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.

¹⁰My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judge, yes, a God who has indignation every day.

¹²If a man doesn't relent, he will sharpen his sword; he has bent and strung his bow.

¹³He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death. He makes ready his flaming arrows.

¹⁴Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

¹⁵He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made.

¹⁶The trouble he causes shall return to his own head. His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the Lord according to his righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

¹My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

²So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

³Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

⁷He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

⁸that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his holy ones.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁵who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

¹⁷who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

¹⁸for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

¹⁹None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

²⁰that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.