Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

22 Now ^[a]three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ^2 (A)In the third year, ^(B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Are you aware that ^(C)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are hesitant to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go to battle with me at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “^[b](D)Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours!”

⁵ However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord ^[c]first.” ⁶ So ^(E)the king of Israel assembled the ^[d]prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ⁷ But ^(F)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” ⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(G)all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(H)horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘^(I)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” ¹² All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

¹³ Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are ^[e]unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “^(J)As the Lord lives, whatever ^(K)the Lord says to me, I shall speak it.”

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” And he said, “^(L)Go up and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king!” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁷ So he said,

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(N)Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”

¹⁹ And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. ^(O)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and ^(P)all the ^[f]angels of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will ^[g]entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will ^[h]entice him.’ ²² And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and ^(Q)be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall ^[i]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’ ²³ Now then, behold, ^(R)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²⁴ Then ^(S)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “^(T)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you ^(U)go from one inner room to ^[j]another trying to hide yourself.” ²⁶ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷ and say, ‘This is what the king says: “^(V)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I ^[k]return safely.”’” ²⁸ But Micaiah said, “^(W)If you actually return ^[l]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^(X)Listen, all you people!”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁹ So ^(Y)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(Z)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. ³¹ Now ^(AA)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³² So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ Then, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[m]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn ^[n]around and take me out of the battle, ^(AB)for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle ^[o]raged on that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and he died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. ^36 (AC)Then the word passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his ^[p]country!”

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed out the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (it was there that the prostitutes bathed themselves) ^(AD)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken. ³⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahab and everything that he did, and ^(AE)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab ^[q]lay down with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

The New Rulers

^41 (AF)Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ^43 (AG)He walked ^[r]entirely in the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. ^(AH)However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^44 (AI)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he made war, are they not written ^(AJ)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ And the remnant of ^(AK)the cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he eliminated from the land.

⁴⁷ Now ^(AL)there was no king in Edom; a governor served as king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat built ^(AM)ships of Tarshish to go to ^(AN)Ophir for gold, but ^(AO)they did not go, because the ships were destroyed at ^(AP)Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ^50 (AQ)And Jehoshaphat ^[s]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place.

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab ^(AR)became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. ⁵² He did evil in the sight of the Lord and ^(AS)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 misled Israel into sin. ^53 (AT)So he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

David’s Command to Solomon

2 As David’s ^[a](A)time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying, ² “^(B)I am going the way of all the earth. So ^(C)be strong, and ^[b]prove yourself a man. ³ Do your duty to the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to ^[c]keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, ^(D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that ^(E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, ⁴ so that ^(F)the Lord may fulfill His ^[d]promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, ‘^(G)If your sons are careful about their way, ^(H)to walk before Me in ^[e]truth with all their heart and all their soul, ^[f](I)you shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Now you yourself also know what Joab the ^(J)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ^(K)Abner the son of Ner and to ^(L)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also ^[g]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. ^6 (M)So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to ^[h]Sheol in peace. ⁷ However, ^(N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and ^(O)let them be among those who eat at your table; ^(P)for ^[i]they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. ⁸ And behold, you have with you ^(Q)Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a painful curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when ^(R)he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ ⁹ But now do not leave him unpunished, ^(S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to ^[j]Sheol with blood.”

Death of David

¹⁰ Then ^(T)David ^[k]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in ^(U)the city of David. ¹¹ Now ^(V)the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: in Hebron he reigned for ^(W)seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. ¹² Then ^(X)Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

¹³ Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “^(Y)Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” ¹⁵ So he said, “You yourself know that ^(Z)the kingdom was mine and ^(AA)that all Israel ^[l]intended for me to be king; ^(AB)however, the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, ^(AC)for it was his from the Lord. ¹⁶ So now I am making one request of you; do not ^[m]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” ¹⁷ Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king—for he will not ^[n]refuse you—that he may give me ^(AD)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” ¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Adonijah Executed

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king stood to meet her, bowed to her, and sat on his throne; then he ^(AE)had a throne set up for the king’s mother, and ^(AF)she sat on his right. ²⁰ Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; ^(AG)do not ^[o]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not ^[p]refuse you.” ²¹ So she said, “^(AH)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” ²² But King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ^(AI)Request for him the kingdom as well—^(AJ)since he is my older brother—for him, for ^(AK)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” ²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more so, if Adonijah has ^(AL)not spoken this word against his own ^[q]life! ²⁴ Now then, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and ^(AM)has made me a house just as He ^[r]promised, Adonijah certainly shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ Then King Solomon ^(AN)sent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he ^[s]struck him so that he died.

²⁶ Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “^(AO)Go to Anathoth to your own field, ^(AP)for you ^[t]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this ^[u]time, because ^(AQ)you carried the ark of the Lord ^[v]God before my father David, and because ^(AR)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” ²⁷ So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, to fulfill ^(AS)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken regarding the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

²⁸ Now the news came to Joab ^(AT)because Joab had followed Adonijah, ^(AU)though he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and ^(AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. ²⁹ And it was reported to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and ^[w]was beside the altar. Then Solomon ^(AW)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “^(AX)Go, ^[x]execute him.” ³⁰ So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “This is what the king has said: ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Joab spoke, and so he answered me.” ³¹ And the king said to him, “^(AY)Do just as he has spoken, and ^[y]execute him and bury him, ^(AZ)so that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without ^[z]justification. ^32 (BA)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, ^(BB)because he ^[aa]struck two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know about it: ^(BC)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ^(BD)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. ^33 (BE)So their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his ^[ab]descendants forever; but for David and his ^[ac]descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” ³⁴ Then ^(BF)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and ^[ad]struck him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house ^(BG)in the wilderness. ³⁵ And ^(BH)the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed ^(BI)Zadok the priest ^(BJ)in place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

³⁶ Now the king sent men and summoned ^(BK)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not leave there for any other place. ³⁷ For on the day you leave and ^(BL)cross the ^[ae]brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you will assuredly die; ^(BM)your blood will be ^[af]on your own head.” ³⁸ Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, so your servant shall do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

³⁹ But it came about at the end of three years, that two of Shimei’s servants ran away ^(BN)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And others told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ Then Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to search for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. ⁴¹ And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. ⁴² So the king sent men and summoned Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall assuredly die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ ⁴³ Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I ^[ag]imposed on you?” ⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “^(BO)You yourself know all the evil that ^[ah]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore ^(BP)the Lord will return your evil on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon will be blessed, and ^(BQ)the throne of David will be established before the Lord forever.” ^46 (BR)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and ^[ai]struck him so that he died.

^(BS)And the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.