1 And for three years there was no war {milchamah: armed conflict} between Aram and Israel {Yisrael: covenant people}.
2 And it happened in the third year {bashanah: measured cycle} that Jehoshaphat {Yehoshaphat: YHWH has judged}, king of Judah, went down to the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants {avadav: royal attendants}, “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, yet we lie idle instead of taking {miqqachat: attempt to seize} it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle {milchamah: organized combat} at Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “As I am, so you are; as my people {am: national group}, so your people; as my horses, so your horses.”
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Let us inquire {derashna: seek diligently} today of the word of the LORD {YHWH, Source of Guidance}.”
6 And the king of Israel gathered about four hundred prophets and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth Gilead in battle {milchamah: armed conflict}, or shall we refrain?” And they replied, “Go up, for the Lord {Adonai, Sovereign Master} will give it into the hand of the king.”
7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet {navi: one who proclaims God’s message} for the LORD {YHWH: Divine Guide} so that we may inquire from him?”
8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Revealer}, but I hate him {sonetiv: hold in contempt}, for he does not prophesy good concerning me but only evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
9 Then the king of Israel called a certain officer {saris: court attendant} and said, “Quickly {maherah: urgent command} bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
10 Now the king {melekh: sovereign ruler} of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, were sitting, each man on his throne, clothed in robes, at the threshing floor {goren: grain-separation area} at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 And Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD {YHWH, Divine Declarer}: ‘With these you will gore Aram {Aram: ancient Syrian nation} until their destruction.’”
12 And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper {hatslakh: succeed, bring about success}, for the LORD {YHWH, Divine Deliverer} will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
13 And the messenger{malakh: envoy} who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth; let your word, now, be like the word of one of them, and speak good{tov: beneficial}.”
14 Micaiah said, “As the LORD {YHWH: Ever-Living Keeper} lives {chai: solemn oath}, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”
15 And Micaiah came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-Gilead in battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and succeed, and the LORD {YHWH, Divine Sovereign} will give it into the hand of the king {melekh: ruling authority}.”
16 And the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will not speak to me except the truth {emet: unwavering faithfulness} in the name of the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Judge}?”
17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep with no shepherd {ro’eh: leader and caretaker}.” Then the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} said, “They have no masters; let each return to his house in peace.”
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy{naba: deliver oracle} good about me, but only{im: exclusive exception} evil?”
19 And he said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Revealer}: I saw the LORD sitting upon His throne, and all the host {tseva: heavenly assembly} of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left.”
20 And the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Decider} said, “Who will entice Ahab {ach’av: Israelite king} so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?” Then one spoke this way, and another spoke that way.
21 Then the spirit {ruach: unseen agent} went out and stood before the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Examiner} and said, “I will entice.” Then the LORD said to him, “With what?”
22 And he said, “I will go out and be a spirit of deception in the mouth of all his prophets {neviʾāw: divinely commissioned speakers}.” And the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Ruler} said, “You shall entice him and prevail. Go out and do so.”
23 And now, behold, the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Judge} has placed a spirit {ruach: spiritual influence} of falsehood in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.
24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek {lechi: facial side}, and he said, “Which way did the spirit of the LORD {YHWH, Discerner of Truth} pass from me to speak with you?”
25 And Micaiah said, “Behold {hinneka: emphatic summons}, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room {cheder: private chamber} to hide yourself.”
26 And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah {mikhayehuhu: prophetic prisoner} and return him to Amon, the officer {sar: chief official} of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son.”
27 And you shall say, “Thus says the king {melek: sovereign authority}: ‘Put this man in the house of the prison {kele: detention facility}, and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come back in peace.’”
28 And Micaiah said, “If you return {shuv tashuv: emphatic return} in peace, the LORD {YHWH, Prophetic Authority} has not spoken by me.” Then he said, “Hear, all peoples!”
29 So the king of Israel {melekh yiśrāʾēl: northern kingdom ruler} and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramot Gilead {ramot gilad: fortified city east of the Jordan}.
30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself {hitchapeis: conceal identity} and go into the battle {milchamah: fierce combat}; but you shall wear your garments.” Then the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
31 Now the king of Aram {Aram: ancient Syrian kingdom} commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders {sarei: chariot leaders}, saying, “Do not fight with either the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel.”
32 And it came to pass, when the chariot commanders {sarey: military officers} saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” Then they turned aside to attack him, and Jehoshaphat cried out {yiz’aq: cried for help}.
33 And it happened that when the commanders {sare: chariot leaders} saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him {acharav: behind him}.
34 And a man drew his bow at random {letumo: without deliberate aim} and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate {ben haddevaqim uven haširyān: between the armor pieces}. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn your hand and bring me out of the camp, for I am wounded.”
35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was standing {neemad: firmly stationed} in the chariot facing Aram. In the evening he died, and the blood from the wound poured out into the lap {cheik: seat area} of the chariot.
36 And the cry {harinnah: military shout} passed through the camp as the sun was setting {kavo hashemesh: sunset time}, saying, “Each man to his city, and each man to his land!”
37 So the king {melekh: sovereign ruler} died, and he came to Samaria {Šomrōn: capital of the northern kingdom}, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 They washed the chariot {rekhev: royal war vehicle} at the pool of Samaria, the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed there, according to the word of the LORD {YHWH, Prophetic Fulfiller}.
39 And the rest of the acts of Ahab {achav: Northern king} and all that he did, and the house of ivory {hasheyn: ivory palace} which he built, and all the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
40 Ahab lay down with his fathers {ʿim-ʾāw·tāv: royal death euphemism}, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place {ṭaḥ·tā·yw: as successor}.
41 And Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king {malakh: assumed royal authority} over Judah {Yehudah: southern kingdom} in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42 And Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned {malakh: exercised authority} twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Azubah {azuvah: noble lineage}, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 He walked in all the ways of his father Asa and did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Standard}. However, the high places were not removed, and the people continued sacrificing {mezabbechim: sacrificial offerings} and burning incense on the high places.
44 And Jehoshaphat {Yehoshafat: God Has Judged} made peace with the king of Israel {melech Yisrael: northern monarchy}.
45 Now the remaining acts of Jehoshaphat {Yehoshaphat: Covenant-Keeping King} and his might, what he accomplished and how he fought, are they not written in the Book of the Annals {sefer divrei hayamim: official record scroll} of the kings of Judah?
46 And the rest of the male cult prostitutes {qedesh: temple sexual servants} who had remained from the days of Asa his father, he removed them from the land {eretz: territorial domain}.
47 And there was no king in Edom {edom: Southern Territory}; a deputy {nitzav: Appointed Official} served as king.
48 And Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish{tarshish: deep-sea vessels} to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber{etsiyon gever: Red Sea port}.
49 And Ahaziah son of Ahab proposed {yelechu: diplomatic request} to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing {avah: consent withheld}.
50 And Jehoshaphat lay down {yishkav: Hebrew idiom for death} with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned {vayimlokh: assumed the throne} in his place.