¶ And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

And it came to pass in the third² year, that Jehoshaphat³ the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth⁴ in Gilead is ours, and we be still⁵, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go⁶ with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou⁷ art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire⁸, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together⁹, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up¹⁰; for the Lord¹¹ shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not¹² here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man¹³, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him;¹⁴ for he doth not prophesy good¹⁵ concerning me,¹⁶ but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the¹⁷ king say so.

Then the king of Israel called an officer¹⁸, and said, Hasten¹⁹ hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

¶ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put²⁰ on their robes, in a void place²¹ in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron²²: and he said, Thus saith²³ the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up²⁴ to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.

And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now,²⁵ the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.

And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD²⁶ saith unto me, that will I speak.

¶ So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go²⁷ against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper²⁸: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure²⁹ thee that thou tell³⁰ me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?

And he said, I saw³¹ all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep³² that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell³³ thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

And he said, Hear thou³⁴ therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD³⁵ sitting on his throne, and all the host³⁶ of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

¶ And the LORD said, Who shall persuade³⁷ Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

³⁸And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit³⁹ in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt⁴⁰ persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD⁴¹ hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD⁴² hath spoken evil concerning thee.

But Zedekiah⁴³ the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah⁴⁴ on the cheek, and said, Which way⁴⁵ went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

And Micaiah said, Behold,⁴⁶ thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber⁴⁷ to hide thyself.

And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back⁴⁸ unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow⁴⁹ in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction⁵⁰ and with water of affliction, until I come in peace⁵¹.

And Micaiah said, If thou return⁵² at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken⁵³, O people, every one of you.

¶⁵⁴So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.

¶ And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will⁵⁵ disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself,⁵⁶ and went into the battle.

But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two⁵⁷ captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight⁵⁸ neither with small nor great⁵⁹, save only with the king of Israel.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned⁶⁰ aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat⁶¹ cried out.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned⁶² back from pursuing him.

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture⁶³, and smote⁶⁴ the king of Israel between the joints of the harness⁶⁵: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded⁶⁶.

And the battle increased⁶⁷ that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst⁶⁸ of the chariot.

And there went⁶⁹ a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man⁷⁰ to his city, and every man to his own country.

So the king died, and was brought⁷¹ to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.

And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs⁷² licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.

Now the rest⁷³ of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house⁷⁴ which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¶ So Ahab slept⁷⁵ with his fathers; and Ahaziah⁷⁶ his son reigned in his stead.

¶ And Jehoshaphat⁷⁷ the son of Asa began to reign⁷⁸ over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

Jehoshaphat was thirty and five⁷⁹ years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's⁸⁰ name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

And he walked⁸¹ in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned⁸² not aside from it, doing⁸³ that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high⁸⁴ places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

And Jehoshaphat made peace⁸⁵ with the king of Israel.

Now⁸⁶ the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they⁸⁷ not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

And the remnant⁸⁸ of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

There was then no king⁸⁹ in Edom: a deputy was king.

Jehoshaphat⁹⁰ made ships⁹¹ of Tharshish⁹² to go to Ophir⁹³ for gold: but they went not;⁹⁴ for the ships were broken at Eziongeber⁹⁵.

Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

¶ And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers⁹⁶, and was buried with his fathers in the city⁹⁷ of David his father: and Jehoram⁹⁸ his son reigned in his stead.

Ahaziah the son of Ahab began⁹⁹ to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years¹⁰⁰ over Israel.

And he did evil¹⁰¹ in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way¹⁰² of his father, and in the way¹⁰³ of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:

For he served Baal¹⁰⁴, and worshipped him, and provoked¹⁰⁵ to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all¹⁰⁶ that his father had done.