米該雅先知警告亞哈王
1亞蘭和以色列之間三年無戰事。 2第三年，猶大王約沙法來見以色列王亞哈。 3以色列王對臣僕說：「你們都知道基列的拉末是我們的領土，我們豈能坐視不理，不從亞蘭王手中奪回來呢？」 4他問約沙法：「你願意跟我一起去攻打基列的拉末嗎？」約沙法回答說：「你我不分彼此，我的民就是你的民，我的馬就是你的馬。」 5約沙法又對以色列王說：「你要先求問耶和華。」
6於是，以色列王召來約四百名先知，問他們：「我該去攻打基列的拉末嗎？」他們說：「去吧，主必把那城交在王手中。」 7但約沙法問：「這裡沒有耶和華的先知供我們求問嗎？」 8以色列王回答說：「還有一個人，是音拉的兒子米該雅，我們可以託他求問耶和華。可是我厭惡他，因為他給我的預言都是有兇無吉。」約沙法說：「王不要這樣說。」 9以色列王召來一名內侍，說：「你快把音拉的兒子米該雅帶來。」 10以色列王和猶大王約沙法身穿朝服，坐在撒瑪利亞城門前麥場的寶座上，眾先知都在他們面前說預言。 11基拿拿的兒子西底迦造了兩隻鐵角，說：「耶和華這樣說，『你必用這鐵角牴亞蘭人，直到毀滅他們。』」 12所有的先知也都預言說：「去攻打基列的拉末吧，一定得勝，耶和華必將那城交在王的手中。」
13去召米該雅的使者對米該雅說：「眾先知都異口同聲地向王說吉言，你也像他們一樣說些吉言吧。」 14米該雅回答說：「我憑永活的耶和華起誓，耶和華對我說什麼，我就說什麼。」 15米該雅來到王面前，王就問他：「米該雅啊，我們該不該去攻打基列的拉末？」米該雅回答說：「上去攻打吧，一定得勝，耶和華必將那城交在王手中。」 16王卻說：「我要你起誓多少次，你才肯奉耶和華的名對我說實話呢？」 17米該雅說：「我看見以色列人都四散在山上，好像沒有牧人的羊群一樣。耶和華說，『這些人沒有主人，讓他們各自平安地回家去吧。』」 18以色列王對約沙法說：「我不是告訴過你嗎？他給我的預言都是有兇無吉。」 19米該雅說：「你要聽耶和華的話。我看見耶和華坐在寶座上，眾天軍侍立在祂左右。 20耶和華說，『誰願意去引誘亞哈到基列的拉末去送死呢？』眾天軍議論紛紛。 21後來，有一個靈站出來對耶和華說他願意去。 22耶和華問他用什麼方法，他說，『我要去做謊言之靈，進入他眾先知的口中。』耶和華說，『你必成功誘騙他，就這樣做吧。』 23現在，耶和華已經把謊言之靈放進你這些先知口中，耶和華已決意降禍給你。」
24基拿拿的兒子西底迦聽了米該雅的話就上前打他的臉，說：「耶和華的靈怎會離開我向你說話呢？」 25米該雅說：「你躲進密室的那天就知道了。」 26以色列王下令說：「把米該雅交給亞們總督和約阿施王子， 27告訴他們，『王說，要把這人關在監牢，只給他一點餅和水，直到我平安回來。』」 28米該雅說：「你若能平安回來，耶和華就沒有藉著我說話。」他又說：「眾民啊，你們都要記住我的話。」
亞哈之死
29以色列王和猶大王約沙法出兵攻打基列的拉末。 30以色列王對約沙法說：「我要改裝上陣，你就穿王袍吧。」以色列王就改裝上陣。 31亞蘭王已經吩咐他的三十二名戰車長不要跟對方的大小軍兵交鋒，只攻擊以色列王。 32戰車長看見約沙法，以為他就是以色列王，便轉過來攻擊他。約沙法高聲喊叫， 33戰車長見他不是以色列王，便不再追殺他。 34有人隨手放了一箭，射進了以色列王的鎧甲縫中。王對駕車的說：「調轉車頭拉我離開戰場吧，我受了重傷。」 35那天的戰事非常激烈，王被人扶著站在車上，迎戰亞蘭人。到了黃昏，王就死了，車上流滿了血。 36太陽快要下山的時候，以色列軍中傳出號令，叫人各回本鄉本城。
37王死後，眾人把王的屍體運回撒瑪利亞安葬， 38並在撒瑪利亞妓女洗浴的池邊洗他的戰車，有狗來舔他的血，正如耶和華所言。 39亞哈其他的事及一切所為，包括他建造的象牙宮和各城邑，都記在《以色列列王史》上。 40亞哈與祖先同眠後，他兒子亞哈謝繼位。
約沙法做猶大王
41以色列王亞哈執政第四年，亞撒的兒子約沙法登基做猶大王。 42約沙法三十五歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政二十五年。他母親叫阿蘇巴，是示利希的女兒。 43約沙法事事效法他父親亞撒，不偏不離，做耶和華視為正的事。但他沒有拆除邱壇，人們仍在那裡獻祭燒香。 44約沙法與以色列王修好。
45約沙法其他的事蹟、功業和戰績都記在《猶大列王史》上。 46約沙法從國中除掉了他父親亞撒時代遺留的男廟妓。 47那時以東沒有王，由總督治理。 48約沙法又建造了一批他施船，要到俄斐去運載黃金，可是沒有成行，因為船隻在以旬·迦別壞了。 49後來，亞哈的兒子亞哈謝請求約沙法讓他的人跟約沙法的人一起出海，但約沙法拒絕了。 50約沙法與祖先同眠後葬在大衛城他的祖墳裡。他兒子約蘭繼位。
亞哈謝做以色列王
51猶大王約沙法執政第十七年，亞哈的兒子亞哈謝在撒瑪利亞登基做以色列王，執政兩年。 52他做耶和華視為惡的事，步他父母的後塵，效法尼八之子耶羅波安，使以色列人陷入罪中。 53他像他父親一樣供奉、祭拜巴力，惹以色列的上帝耶和華發怒。
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
1For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 3The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”
4So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
6So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”
“Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
8The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
10Dressed in their royal robes, 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. 11Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”
12All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
13The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
14But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
15When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”
“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
16The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17Then Micaiah answered, “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 go home in peace.’ ”
18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
19Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 21Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22“ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
“ ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
23“So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
24Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from22:24 Or Spirit of the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.
25Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”
26The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son 27and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
28Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead
29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into 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.” 32When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out, 33the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him.
34But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 35All day long the battle raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. 36As the sun was setting, a cry spread through the army: “Every man to his town. Every man to his land!”
37So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. 38They washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed),22:38 Or Samaria and cleaned the weapons and the dogs licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord had declared.
39As for the other events of Ahab’s reign, including all he did, the palace he built and adorned with ivory, and the cities he fortified, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 40Ahab rested with his ancestors. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
Jehoshaphat King of Judah
41Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 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. 43In everything he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.22:43 In Hebrew texts this sentence (22:43b) is numbered 22:44, and 22:44-53 is numbered 22:45-54. 44Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.
45As for the other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, the things he achieved and his military exploits, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 46He rid the land of the rest of the male shrine prostitutes who remained there even after the reign of his father Asa. 47There was then no king in Edom; a provincial governor ruled.
48Now Jehoshaphat built a fleet of trading ships22:48 Hebrew of ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail—they were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my men sail with yours,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David his father. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king.
Ahaziah King of Israel
51Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 52He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he followed the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 53He served and worshiped Baal and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.
