1 Kings 22 — Read & Listen Online

The Father's Truth and the Lying Prophets

Chapter 22.

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and yet we do nothing to take it back from the hand of the king of Aram?" So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of our Father."

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I hold back?" And they said, "Go up, for the Sovereign Father will give it into the hand of the king."

But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of our Father here, of whom we may inquire?"

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of our Father, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly."

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says our Father: 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'" And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; our Father will give it into the hand of the king."

Micaiah Speaks the Father's Word

And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."

But Micaiah said, "As our Father lives, what our Father says to me, that I will speak."

When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall we hold back?" And he said to him, "Go up and triumph; our Father will give it into the hand of the king."

But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of our Father?"

And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And our Father said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'"

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but disaster?"

And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of our Father: I saw our Father sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him, on his right hand and on his left."

And our Father said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another.

Then a spirit came forward and stood before our Father, saying, 'I will entice him.'

And our Father said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And our Father said, 'You shall entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'

Now therefore, behold, our Father has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and our Father has declared disaster for you.

Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "Which way did the Spirit of our Father pass from me to speak to you?"

And Micaiah said, "Look, you will see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself."

And the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, and say, 'Thus says the king: Put this man in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water until I return safely.'"

And Micaiah said, "If you return safely at all, our Father has not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, all you peoples!"

Ahab Falls as the Father Foretold

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."

And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely this is the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded." And the battle raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans, and at evening he died. The blood of his wound had run into the bottom of the chariot. And about sunset a cry went through the army, "Every man to his city, and every man to his country!"

So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves there, according to the word of our Father that he had spoken.

Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat Walks Before the Father

Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 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. He walked in all the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of our Father. Yet the high places were not removed, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he removed from the land. There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king. Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," but Jehoshaphat was not willing. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Provokes the Father to Anger

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. He did what was evil in the eyes of our Father 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, who made Israel sin. He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked our Father, the God of Israel, to anger, in everything his father had done.

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