1 Kings 22

Ahab's Request for Counsel 1 Kings 22:3–8

³Verse 3. The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we do nothing, and don’t take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴Verse 4. He 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.” ⁵Verse 5. Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for Yahweh’s word.” ⁶Verse 6. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I refrain?” They said, “Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

⁷Verse 7. But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may inquire of him?” ⁸Verse 8. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”

Micaiah's Prophecy of Defeat 1 Kings 22:9–23

⁹Verse 9. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, “Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ¹⁰Verse 10. Now 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. ¹¹Verse 11. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’” ¹²Verse 12. All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper; for Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

¹³Verse 13. The 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.” ¹⁴Verse 14. Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, what Yahweh says to me, that I will speak.” ¹⁵Verse 15. When 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 Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶Verse 16. The king said to him, “How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”

¹⁷Verse 17. He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. Yahweh said, ‘These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.’” ¹⁸Verse 18. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁹Verse 19. Micaiah said, “Therefore hear Yahweh’s word. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. ²⁰Verse 20. Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing; and another said another.

²¹Verse 21. A spirit came out and stood before Yahweh, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ²²Verse 22. Yahweh 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.’ ²³Verse 23. Now therefore, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you.”

Micaiah's Confrontation 1 Kings 22:24–28

²⁴Verse 24. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did Yahweh’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?” ²⁵Verse 25. Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.” ²⁶Verse 26. The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son. ²⁷Verse 27. Say, ‘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.”’” ²⁸Verse 28. Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

Battle and Ahab's Death 1 Kings 22:29–38

²⁹Verse 29. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰Verse 30. The 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. ³¹Verse 31. Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.” ³²Verse 32. When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out.

³³Verse 33. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴Verse 34. A 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.” ³⁵Verse 35. The 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. ³⁶Verse 36. A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

³⁷Verse 37. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸Verse 38. They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves; according to Yahweh’s word which he spoke.

Legacy of Ahab and Jehoshaphat 1 Kings 22:39–53

³⁹Verse 39. Now 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? ⁴⁰Verse 40. So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. ⁴¹Verse 41. Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴²Verse 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 the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³Verse 43. He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes. However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁴⁴Verse 44. Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. ⁴⁵Verse 45. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he fought, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ⁴⁶Verse 46. The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land.

⁴⁷Verse 47. There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled. ⁴⁸Verse 48. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go; for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber. ⁴⁹Verse 49. Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not. ⁵⁰Verse 50. Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city. Jehoram his son reigned in his place. ⁵¹Verse 51. Ahaziah 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.

⁵²Verse 52. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, 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. ⁵³Verse 53. He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger, in all the ways that his father had done so.