2 Chronicles 17-19

Young's Literal Translation

17 And Jehoshaphat his son reigneth in his stead, and he strengtheneth himself against Israel,

² and putteth a force in all the fenced cities of Judah, and putteth garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.

³ And Jehovah is with Jehoshaphat, for he hath walked in the first ways of David his father, and hath not sought to Baalim,

⁴ for to the God of his father he hath sought, and in His commands he hath walked, and not according to the work of Israel.

⁵ And Jehovah doth establish the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah give a present to Jehoshaphat, and he hath riches and honour in abundance,

⁶ and his heart is high in the ways of Jehovah, and again he hath turned aside the high places and the shrines out of Judah.

⁷ And in the third year of his reign he hath sent for his heads, for Ben-Hail, and for Obadiah, and for Zechariah, and for Nethaneel, and for Michaiah, to teach in cities of Judah,

⁸ and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijath, and Tob-Adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

⁹ And they teach in Judah, and with them [is] the Book of the Law of Jehovah, and they go round about into all cities of Judah, and teach among the people.

¹⁰ And here is a fear of Jehovah on all kingdoms of the lands that [are] round about Judah, and they have not fought with Jehoshaphat;

¹¹ and of the Philistines they are bringing in to Jehoshaphat a present, and tribute silver; also, the Arabians are bringing to him a flock, rams seven thousand an seven hundred, and he-goats seven thousand and seven hundred.

¹² And Jehoshaphat is going on and becoming very great, and he buildeth in Judah palaces and cities of store,

¹³ and he hath much work in cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty of valour, [are] in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ And these [are] their numbers, for the house of their fathers: Of Judah, heads of thousands, Adnah the head, and with him mighty ones of valour, three hundred chiefs.

¹⁵ And at his hand [is] Jehohanan the head, and with him two hundred and eighty chiefs.

¹⁶ And at his hand [is] Amasiah son of Zichri, who is willingly offering himself to Jehovah, and with him two hundred chiefs, mighty of valour.

¹⁷ And of Benjamin: mighty of valour, Eliada, and with him, armed with bow and shield, two hundred chiefs.

¹⁸ And at his hand [is] Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty chiefs, armed ones of the host.

¹⁹ These [are] those serving the king, apart from those whom the king put in the cities of fortress, in all Judah.

18 And Jehoshaphat hath riches and honour in abundance, and joineth affinity to Ahab,

² and goeth down at the end of [certain] years unto Ahab to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificeth for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people who [are] with him, and persuadeth him to go up unto Ramoth-Gilead.

³ And Ahab king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, `Dost thou go with me [to] Ramoth-Gilead?' And he saith to him, `As I -- so thou, and as thy people -- my people, even with thee in battle.'

⁴ And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, `Seek, I pray thee, this day, the word of Jehovah.'

⁵ And the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, four hundred men, and saith unto them, `Do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And they say, `Go up, and God doth give [it] into the hand of the king.'

⁶ And Jehoshaphat saith, `Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still, and we seek from him?'

⁷ And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, `Still -- one man to seek Jehovah from him, and I -- I have hated him, for he is not prophesying concerning me of good, but all his days of evil, he [is] Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, `Let not the king say so.'

⁸ And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain officer, and saith, `Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.'

⁹ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, and they are sitting in a threshing-floor at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them.

¹⁰ And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, `Thus said Jehovah,

¹¹ With these thou dost push Aram till thou hast consumed them.' And all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, `Go up [to] Ramath-Gilead and prosper, and Jehovah hath given [it] into the hand of the king.'

¹² And the messenger who hath gone to call for Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, `Lo, the words of the prophets -- one mouth -- [are] good towards the king, and let, I pray thee, thy word be like one of theirs: and thou hast spoken good.'

¹³ And Micaiah saith `Jehovah liveth, surely that which my God saith, it I speak.'

¹⁴ And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, `Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And he saith, `Go ye up, and prosper, and they are given into your hand.'

¹⁵ And the king saith unto him, `How many times am I adjuring thee, that thou speak unto me only truth in the name of Jehovah?'

¹⁶ And he saith, `I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, There are no masters to these, they turn back each to his house in peace.'

¹⁷ And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, `Did I not say unto thee, He doth not prophesy concerning me good, but rather of evil?'

¹⁸ And he saith, `Therefore, hear ye a word of Jehovah: I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on His right and His left;

¹⁹ and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab king of Israel, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? And this speaker saith thus, and that speaker thus.

²⁰ And go out doth the spirit, and stand before Jehovah, and saith, I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, With what?

²¹ and he saith, I go out, and have become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He saith, Thou dost entice, and also, thou art able; go out and do so.

²² And, now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee -- evil.'

²³ And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah cometh nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, `Where [is] this -- the way the Spirit of Jehovah passed over from me to speak with thee?'

²⁴ And Micaiah saith, `Lo, thou dost see in that day, that thou dost enter into the innermost chamber to be hidden.'

²⁵ And the king of Israel saith, `Take ye Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king,

²⁶ and ye have said, Thus said the king, Put ye this [one] in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my return in peace.'

²⁷ And Micaiah saith, `If thou dost certainly return in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, `Hear ye, O peoples, all of them!'

²⁸ And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, unto Ramoth-Gilead;

²⁹ and the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, `And thou, put on thy garments.' And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and they go into battle.

³⁰ And the king of Aram hath commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath, saying, `Ye do not fight with small or with great, except with the king of Israel by himself.'

³¹ And it cometh to pass at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they have said, `The king of Israel he is,' and they turn round against him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out, and Jehovah hath helped him, and God enticeth them from him,

³² yea, it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that it hath not been the king of Israel -- they turn back from after him.

³³ And a man hath drawn with a bow, in his simplicity, and smiteth the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he saith to the charioteer, `Turn thy hand, and thou hast brought me out of the camp, for I have become sick.'

³⁴ And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king of Israel hath been stayed up in the chariot over-against Aram till the evening, and he dieth at the time of the going in of the sun.

19 And Jehoshaphat king of Judah turneth back unto his house in peace to Jerusalem,

² and go out unto his presence doth Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, and saith unto king Jehoshaphat, `To give help to the wicked, and to those hating Jehovah, dost thou love? and for this against thee [is] wrath from before Jehovah,

³ but good things have been found with thee, for thou hast put away the shrines out of the land, and hast prepared thy heart to seek God.'

⁴ And Jehoshaphat dwelleth in Jerusalem, and he turneth back and goeth out among the people from Beer-Sheba unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and bringeth them back unto Jehovah, God of their fathers.

⁵ And he establisheth judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah, for every city,

⁶ and saith unto the judges, `See what ye are doing -- for not for man do ye judge, but for Jehovah, who [is] with you in the matter of judgment;

⁷ and now, let fear of Jehovah be upon you, observe and do, for there is not with Jehovah our God perverseness, and acceptance of faces, and taking of a bribe.'

⁸ And also in Jerusalem hath Jehoshaphat appointed of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the heads of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for strife; and they turn back to Jerusalem,

⁹ and he layeth a charge upon them, saying, `Thus do ye do in the fear of Jehovah, in faithfulness, and with a perfect heart,

¹⁰ and any strife that cometh in unto you of your brethren who are dwelling in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and command, statutes, and judgments, then ye have warned them and they become not guilty before Jehovah, and wrath hath not been on you and on your brethren; thus do ye do, and ye are not guilty.

¹¹ `And, lo, Amariah the head priest [is] over you for every matter of Jehovah, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, [is] for every matter of the king, and officers the Levites [are] before you; be strong and do, and Jehovah is with the good.'