21

1After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

3Naboth said to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”

4Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”

6He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

7Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth. 9She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 10Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”

11The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them. 12They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

15When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

16When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’”

20Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”

He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight. 21Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel. 22I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.” 23Yahweh also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. 24The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field.”

25But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26He did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.

27When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently.

28Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29“See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”

22

1They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. 2In the third year, 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 do nothing, and don’t 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 Yahweh’s word.”

6Then 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.”

7But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may inquire of him?”

8The 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.”

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 himself horns of iron, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’” 12All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper; for Yahweh 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 Yahweh lives, what Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh’s name?”

17He 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.’”

18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

19Micaiah 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. 20Yahweh said, ‘Who will 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 Yahweh, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

22Yahweh 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, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you.”

24Then 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?”

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, ‘The king says, “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, Yahweh 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, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

32When 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. 33When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, 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 around, 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 Yahweh’s word 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 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. 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 fought, 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 ruled. 48Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go, for the ships wrecked 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 his father David’s city. 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 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. 53He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.