1 Kings 22

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.	1 There was a lul of three years, with no fighting between Aram and Israel.
2 In the third year, however, King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to the king of Israel,	2 Then, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah paid a visit to the king of Israel.
3 who said to his servants, "Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours and we are doing nothing to take it from the king of Aram?"	3 The king of Israel said to his officers, 'You are aware that Ramoth in Gilead belongs to us? And yet wedo nothing to wrest it away from the king of Aram.'
4 He asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you come with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, "You and I are as one, and your people and my people, your horses and my horses as well."	4 He said to Jehoshaphat, 'Wil you come with me to attack Ramoth in Gilead?' Jehoshaphat replied tothe king of Israel, 'I will be as you, my men as yours, my horses as yours.'
5 Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "Seek the word of the LORD at once."	5 Jehoshaphat, however, said to the king of Israel, 'First, please enquire what the word of Yahweh is.'
6 The king of Israel gathered together the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked, "Shall I go to attack Ramoth-gilead or shall I refrain?" "Go up," they answered. "The LORD will deliver it over to the king."	6 The king of Israel then cal ed the prophets together, about four hundred of them. 'Should I go andattack Ramoth in Gilead,' he asked, 'or should I hold back?' 'Go ahead,' they replied, 'for Yahweh has alreadygiven it to the king.'
7 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no other prophet of the LORD here whom we may consult?"	7 Jehoshaphat, however, said, 'Is there no other prophet of Yahweh here, so that we can enquirethrough him?'
8 The king of Israel answered, "There is one other through whom we might consult the LORD, Micaiah, son of Imlah; but I hate him because he prophesies not good but evil about me." Jehoshaphat said, "Let not your majesty speak of evil against you."	8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is one more man through whom we can consultYahweh, but I hate him because he never has a favourable prophecy for me, only unfavourable ones; he isMicaiah son of Imlah.' 'I hope the king's words are unjustified,' said Jehoshaphat.
9 So the king of Israel called an official and said to him, "Get Micaiah, son of Imlah, at once."	9 The king of Israel then summoned a court official and said, 'Bring Micaiah son of Imlah immediately.'
10 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were seated, each on his throne, clothed in their robes of state on a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.	10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, wearing their robes,in an open space just outside the gate of Samaria, with al the prophets in a state of ecstasy before them.
11 Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made himself horns of iron and said, "The LORD says, 'With these you shall gore Aram until you have destroyed them.'"	11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, who had made himself some iron horns, said, 'Yahweh says, "With hornslike these you wil gore the Aramaeans til you make an end of them." '
12 The other prophets prophesied in a similar vein, saying: "Go up to Ramoth-gilead; you shall succeed. The LORD will deliver it over to the king."	12 And all the prophets cried ecstatical y in the same vein, saying, 'March on Ramoth in Gilead! Success is sure, for Yahweh has already given it to the king!'
13 The messenger who had gone to call Micaiah said to him, "Look now, the prophets are unanimously predicting good for the king. Let your word be the same as any of theirs; predict good."	13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, 'Look here, what the prophets aresaying is uniformly favourable to the king. I hope you wil say the same as they do and speak favourably.'
14 "As the LORD lives," Micaiah answered, "I shall say whatever the LORD tells me."	14 Micaiah said, 'As Yahweh lives, I shal speak as Yahweh tel s me!'
15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to fight against Ramoth-gilead, or shall we refrain?" "Go up," he answered, "you shall succeed! The LORD will deliver it over to the king."	15 When he came to the king, the king said, 'Micaiah, should we go and attack Ramoth in Gilead, orshould we hold back?' He replied, 'Go ahead! Success is sure, for Yahweh has already given it to the king!'
16 But the king answered him, "How many times must I adjure you to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"	16 The king then said, 'How often must I put you on oath to tell me nothing but the truth in the name ofYahweh?'
17 So Micaiah said: "I see all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD saying, 'These have no master! Let each of them go back home in peace.'"	17 Then he spoke out: I saw al Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. AndYahweh said, 'These have no master, let them all go safely home!'
18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he prophesies not good but evil about me?"	18 At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'Did I not tell you that he never gives me favourableprophecies, but only unfavourable ones?'
19 Micaiah continued: "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD seated on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing by to his right and to his left.	19 Micaiah went on, 'Now listen to the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh seated on his throne with thewhole array of heaven standing by him, on his right and on his left.
20 The LORD asked, 'Who will deceive Ahab, so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this, another that,	20 Yahweh said, "Who will entice Ahab into marching to his death at Ramoth in Gilead?" At which someanswered one way, and some another.
21 until one of the spirits came forth and presented himself to the LORD, saying, 'I will deceive him.' The LORD asked, 'How?'	21 A spirit then came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, "I wil entice him."
22 He answered, 'I will go forth and become a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' The LORD replied, 'You shall succeed in deceiving him. Go forth and do this.'	22 "How?" Yahweh asked. He replied, "I shal go and be a deceptive spirit in the mouths of al hisprophets." Yahweh said, "You wil succeed in enticing him. Go and do it."
23 So now, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, but the LORD himself has decreed evil against you."	23 And now, you see, Yahweh has put a deceptive spirit into the mouths of al your prophets here, for infact Yahweh has pronounced disaster on you.'
24 Thereupon Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, came up and slapped Micaiah on the cheek, saying, "Has the spirit of the LORD, then, left me to speak with you?"	24 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah then came up, struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, 'Which way didYahweh's spirit leave me, to speak to you?'
25 "You shall find out," Micaiah replied, "on that day when you retreat into an inside room to hide."	25 'That is what you will find out,' Micaiah retorted, 'the day you go from room to room, trying to hide.'
26 The king of Israel then said, "Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon, prefect of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,	26 The king of Israel said, 'Seize Micaiah and hand him over to Amon, governor of the city, and Joash,the king's son,
27 and say, 'This is the king's order: Put this man in prison and feed him scanty rations of bread and water until I return in safety.'"	27 and say, "These are the king's orders: Put this man in prison and feed him on nothing but bread andwater until I am safely home." '
28 But Micaiah said, "If ever you return in safety, the LORD has not spoken through me."	28 Micaiah said, 'If you ever do get home safely, Yahweh has not spoken through me.'
29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead,	29 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah marched on Ramoth in Gilead.
30 and the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your own clothes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and entered the fray.	30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'I shal disguise myself to go into battle, but you put on yourrobes.' So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 In the meantime the king of Aram had given his thirty-two chariot commanders the order, "Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel."	31 Now, the king of Aram had given his chariot commanders the fol owing order, 'Do not attack anyoneof whatever rank, except the king of Israel.'
32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they cried out, "That must be the king of Israel!" and shifted to fight him. But Jehoshaphat shouted his battle cry,	32 So, when the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, 'That is obviously the king ofIsrael,' and surrounded him to attack. But when Jehoshaphat shouted his war cry
33 and the chariot commanders, aware that he was not the king of Israel, gave up pursuit of him.	33 the chariot commanders, realising that he was not the king of Israel, broke off their pursuit.
34 Someone, however, drew his bow at random, and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his breastplate. He ordered his charioteer, "Rein about and take me out of the ranks, for I am disabled."	34 Someone, however, drawing his bow without any special aim, shot the king of Israel between thejoints of his armour. 'Turn about!' said the king to his charioteer. 'Get me out of the fighting; I am col apsing.'
35 The battle grew fierce during the day, and the king, who was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans, died in the evening. The blood from his wound flowed to the bottom of the chariot.	35 But the battle grew fiercer as the day went on and the king had to be held upright in his chariot facingthe Aramaeans, the blood from the wound running into the bottom of the chariot, until in the evening he died.
36 At sunset a cry went through the army, "Every man to his city, every man to his land,	36 At sundown a shout ran through the ranks, 'Every man back to his town, every man back to hiscountry!
37 for the king is dead!" So they went to Samaria, where they buried the king.	37 The king is dead.' He was taken to Samaria and in Samaria the king was buried.
38 When the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, the dogs licked up his blood and harlots bathed there, as the LORD had prophesied.	38 They washed the chariot at the Pool of Samaria; the dogs licked up the blood, and the prostituteswashed in it, in accordance with the word which Yahweh had spoken.
39 The rest of the acts of Ahab, with all that he did, including the ivory palace and all the cities he built, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.	39 The rest of the history of Ahab, his entire career, the ivory house he erected, al the towns he built, isthis not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?
40 Ahab rested with his ancestors, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.	40 When Ahab fel asleep with his ancestors, his son Ahaziah succeeded him.
41 Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel.	41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi.	42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for twenty-fiveyears in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43 He followed all the ways of his father Asa unswervingly, doing what was right in the LORD'S sight.	43 In every way he followed the example of his father Asa undeviatingly, doing what is pleasing toYahweh.
44 Nevertheless, the high places did not disappear, and the people continued to sacrifice and to burn incense on the high places.	44 The high places, however, were not abolished; the people stil offered sacrifice and incense on thehigh places.
45 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.	45 Jehoshaphat was at peace with the king of Israel.
46 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, with his prowess, what he did and how he fought, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.	46 The rest of the history of Jehoshaphat, the valour he showed, the wars he waged, is this not recordedin the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?
47 He removed from the land the rest of the cult prostitutes who had remained in the reign of his father Asa.	47 The few male sacred prostitutes left over from the days of his father Asa, he expel ed from thecountry.
48 There was no king in Edom, but an appointed regent.	48 At the time, Edom had no king, and King
49 Jehoshaphat made Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold; but in fact the ships did not go, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.	49 Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage since theships were wrecked at Ezion-Geber.
50 Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants accompany your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not agree.	50 Ahaziah son of Ahab then proposed to Jehoshaphat, 'Let my men go to sea with yours.' ButJehoshaphat would not agree.
51 Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors; he was buried in his forefathers' City of David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.	51 When Jehoshaphat fel asleep with his ancestors he was buried in the City of his ancestor, David; hisson Jehoram succeeded him.
52 Ahaziah, son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; he reigned two years over Israel.	52 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king ofJudah, and reigned over Israel for two years.
53 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, behaving like his father, his mother, and Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.	53 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, by following the example of his father and mother, and ofJeroboam son of Nebat who had led Israel into sin.
54 He served and worshiped Baal, thus provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.	54 He served Baal and worshipped him, and provoked the anger of Yahweh God of Israel just as hisfather had done.