2 'fought against it.

And he sent

messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said unto him, 3 Thus saith Ben-hadad, °Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, 4) are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, 'It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king; I am 5 thine, and all that I have. And the

messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; 6 but I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their 7 hand, and take it away. Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I de8 nied him not. And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou' not, 'neither consent. 9 °Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought 10 him word again. And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me. 11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself 12 as he that putteth it off. And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, 'Set yourselves in array. And they set them13) selves in array against the city. And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, 'and said', Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the (14 LORD. And Ahab said, By whom?

And he said, Thus saith the LORD, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he an15 swered, Thou. Then he mustered' the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he 'mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thou16 sand. And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that 17 helped him. And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men 18 come out from Samaria. And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them 19) alive. So these went out of the

city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which (20 followed them. And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on 21 an horse with horsemen. "And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the 22 Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

23

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely 24 we shall be stronger than they.

And

do this thing; take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put 25 captains in their 'room": "and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. 26 °And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, 27 to fight against Israel. And the children of Israel were 'mustered', and

were victualled', and went against them and the children of Israel lencamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled 28) the country. And 1a man of God came near and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall 29 know that I am the LORD. And they lencamped' one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen (30 in one day. But the rest filed to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an 31 inner chamber. And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, 'we! pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure 32 he will save thy life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is 33) my brother. Now the men lob

served diligently, and hasted to catch whether it were his mind'; and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34) And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And

VERSION OF 1611.

-

slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, 37 and slew him. Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smit38 ing and wounding him. °So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over' his 'eyes'. 39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt 40 pay a talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgement be; thyself hast decided it. 41 And he hasted, and took the headband away from his leyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he (42 was of the prophets. And he said

unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand Ithe man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his peo43 ple. And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and

211

came to Samaria.

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 °And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give 3 thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inher4 itance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would 5 eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest 6 no bread? And he said unto her,

4 Another reading is, to catch it from him. 5 Heb. from him.

22.3.

Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. 7 °And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 8 °So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, 'and that 9 dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the (10 people and set two men, sons of

Belial, before him, and let them! bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst curse! God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone 11 him, that he die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according! as it was written in the letters which she 12 had sent unto them. They proclaimed

a fast, and set Naboth on high among 13) the people. And 'the' two men, 'sons' of Belial, came in and sat before him: and the men of Belial bare witness! against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did "curse! God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, 14 that he died. "Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, And it came to pass, 15 and is dead. when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money for Naboth is not alive, but 16 dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possesssion of it.

17

1 Or, la letter

2 Or, lat the head of

3 That is, worthlessness.

And

Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall 25 the fowls of the air eat. (But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to do that which was evil' in the sight of the LORD, whom 26) Jezebel his wife stirred up. he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out be27 fore the children of Israel.) And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went 28 softly. And the word of the LORD

came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. 221 And they continued three years

without war between Syria and Is2 rael. And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of (3 Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we be still,

ix. 10, 36.

6 See 2 Chr. xviii. 2, &c. 7 Or, keep silencel

thy posterity.. inhabitants. .and; XXII. 2 on;

and take it not out of the hand of the 4 king of Syria? And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. 5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the 6 word of the LORD to-day. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand 7) of the king. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here besides a prophet of the LORD, that we might inquire 8) of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king 9 say so. "Then the king of Israel

called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly! Micaiah the son of Imlah. 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, 'arrayed in their robes, in 2an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. (11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah

made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until 12 they be consumed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the 13 hand of the king". And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak 'thou 14 good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith 15) unto me, that will I speak. And

when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go up', and prosper; 'and' the LORD shall deliver it into the hand

16 of the king. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of 17 the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the 'mountains', as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return every man 18 to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but 19) evil? And he said, Therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner; and another said on 21 that manner. And there came forth

a spirit, and stood before the LORD, (22 and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt lentice him, and shalt prevail 23 also go forth, and do so. °Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and the LORD hath 24 spoken evil concerning thee. Then' Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah 'camel near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto 25 thee? "And Micaiah said, Behold,

thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber 26 to hide thyself. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; 27 and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in 28 peace. And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you. 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to 30 Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle;

but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and 31 went into the battle. Now the king

of Syria had commanded 'the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. 32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel; and they turned aside to fight against him and Jehoshaphat cried 33 out. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they *34 turned back from pursuing him. And a certain man drew his bow lat a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am 35 sore wounded. And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into (36 the bottom of the chariot. And there went a 'cry! throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every 37 man to his country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; (now the harlots washed themselves there ;) according unto the word of the LORD 39 which he spake. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built', and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chroni40 cles of the kings of Israel? So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

41

04 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the

1 Heb. in his simplicity.

2 Or, the lower armour and the breastplate

fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 °Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was (43 Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: 'howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people 'still sacrificed and burnt incense in the 44 high places. And Jehoshaphat made 45 peace with the king of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the 46 kings of Judah? And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he 'put 47 away out of the land. And there

was no king in Edom: a deputy was 48 king. Jehoshaphat made ships of

Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were 49 broken at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehosha50 phat would not. 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 stead.

51

Ähaziah 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 52 over Israel. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, 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,

wherein he made Israel to sin. 53 °And he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

23