| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. | 1There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. |
| 2However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel, | 2In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of Israel. |
| 3who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” | 3The king of Israel said to his servants, "Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria." |
| 4So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” | 4Then he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal." |
| 5But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” | 5Then Jehoshaphat added, "First seek an oracle from the LORD." |
| 6So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” | 6So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?" They said, "Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king." |
| 7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?” | 7But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD still here, that we may ask him?" |
| 8The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. | 8The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can seek the LORD's will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say such things." |
| 9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” | 9The king of Israel summoned an official and said, "Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah." |
| 10Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. | 10Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. |
| 11Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’ ” | 11Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the LORD says, 'With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.'" |
| 12And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.” | 12All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king." |
| 13Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.” | 13Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success." |
| 14But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.” | 14But Micaiah said, "As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what the LORD tells me to say." |
| 15When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” | 15When he came before the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?" He answered him, "Attack! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king." |
| 16But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?” | 16The king said to him, "How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?" |
| 17So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’ ” | 17Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said, 'They have no master. They should go home in peace.'" |
| 18Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?” | 18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?" |
| 19Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. | 19Micaiah said, "That being the case, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. |
| 20And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. | 20The LORD said, 'Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?' One said this and another that. |
| 21Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. | 21Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said, 'I will deceive him.' The LORD asked him, 'How?' |
| 22And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ | 22He replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' The LORD said, 'Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.' |
| 23So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.” | 23So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the LORD has decreed disaster for you." |
| 24Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?” | 24Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, "Which way did the LORD's spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?" |
| 25Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.” | 25Micaiah replied, "Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide." |
| 26And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, | 26Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king's son. |
| 27and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’ ” | 27Say, 'This is what the king says, "Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water until I safely return."'" |
| 28But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!” | 28Micaiah said, "If you really do safely return, then the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Take note, all you people." |
| 29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. | 29The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. |
| 30And the 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. | 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and then enter into the battle; but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. |
| 31Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” | 31Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel." |
| 32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. | 32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "He must be the king of Israel." So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. |
| 33And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. | 33When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. |
| 34However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!” | 34Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer, "Turn around and take me from the battle line, because I'm wounded." |
| 35The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. | 35While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. |
| 36As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army: “Every man to his own city, and every man to his own land!” | 36As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, "Each one should return to his city and to his homeland." |
| 37So the king died and was brought to Samaria, where they buried him. | 37So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. |
| 38And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken. | 38They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); dogs licked his blood, just as the LORD had said would happen. |
| 39As for the rest of the acts of Ahab, along with all his accomplishments and the ivory palace and all the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? | 39The rest of the events of Ahab's reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. |
| 40And Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place. | 40Ahab passed away. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king. |
| 41In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah. | 41In the fourth year of King Ahab's reign over Israel, Asa's son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. |
| 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. | 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. |
| 43And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however, were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. | 43He followed in his father Asa's footsteps and was careful to do what the LORD approved. However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. |
| 44Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. | 44Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel. |
| 45As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? | 45The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat's reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. |
| 46He banished from the land the male shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa. | 46He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. |
| 47And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king. | 47There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. |
| 48Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber. | 48Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. |
| 49At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants,” but Jehoshaphat refused. | 49Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my sailors join yours in the fleet," but Jehoshaphat refused. |
| 50And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place. | 50Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king. |
| 51In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years. | 51In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah, Ahab's son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for two years over Israel. |
| 52And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. | 52He did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed in the footsteps of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. |
| 53Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done. | 53He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, angering the LORD God of Israel just as his father had done. |
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