The Living Bible (143 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
But rich, popular King Jehoshaphat of Judah made a marriage alliance for his son
*
with the daughter of
*
King Ahab of Israel.
2
A few years later he went down to Samaria to visit King Ahab, and King Ahab gave a great party for him and his aides, butchering great numbers of sheep and oxen for the feast. Then he asked King Jehoshaphat to join forces with him against Ramoth-gilead.
3-5
“Why, of course!” King Jehoshaphat replied. “I’m with you all the way. My troops are at your command! However, let’s check with the Lord first.”
So King Ahab summoned 400 of his heathen prophets and asked them, “Shall we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not?”
And they replied, “Go ahead, for God will give you a great victory!”
6-7
But Jehoshaphat wasn’t satisfied. “Isn’t there some prophet of the Lord around here too?” he asked. “I’d like to ask him the same question.”
“Well,” Ahab told him, “there is one, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything but evil! His name is Micaiah (son of Imlah).”
“Oh, come now, don’t talk like that!” Jehoshaphat exclaimed. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”
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So the king of Israel called one of his aides. “Quick! Go and get Micaiah (son of Imlah),” he ordered.
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The two kings were sitting on thrones in full regalia at an open place near the Samaria gate, and all the “prophets” were prophesying before them.
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One of them, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), made some iron horns for the occasion and proclaimed, “The Lord says you will gore the Syrians to death with these!”
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And all the others agreed. “Yes,” they chorused, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will cause you to conquer.”
12
The man who went to get Micaiah told him what was happening and what all the prophets were saying—that the war would end in triumph for the king.
“I hope you will agree with them and give the king a favorable reading,” the man ventured.
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But Micaiah replied, “I vow by God that whatever God says is what I will say.”
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When he arrived before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?”
And Micaiah replied, “Sure, go ahead! It will be a glorious victory!”
15
“Look here,” the king said sharply, “how many times must I tell you to speak nothing except what the Lord tells you to?”
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Then Micaiah told him, “In my vision I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home.’”
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“Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He does it every time. He
never
prophesies
anything
but evil against me.”
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“Listen to what else the Lord has told me,” Micaiah continued. “I saw him upon his throne surrounded by vast throngs of angels.
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“And the Lord said, ‘Who can get King Ahab to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead and be killed there?’
“There were many suggestions, but finally a spirit stepped forward before the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’
“‘How?’ the Lord asked him.
21
“He replied, ‘I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all of the king’s prophets!’
“‘It will work,’ the Lord said; ‘go and do it.’
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“So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, when actually he has determined just the opposite of what they are telling you!”
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Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “You liar!” he yelled. “When did the Spirit of the Lord leave me and enter you?”
24
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Micaiah replied, “when you are hiding in an inner room!”
25
“Arrest this man and take him back to Governor Amon and to my son Joash,” the king of Israel ordered.
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“Tell them, ‘The king says to put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’”
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Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then, turning to those around them, he remarked, “Take note of what I have said.”
28
So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led their armies to Ramoth-gilead.
29
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I’ll disguise myself so that no one will recognize me, but you put on your royal robes!” So that is what they did.
30
Now the king of Syria had issued these instructions to his charioteers: “Ignore everyone but the king of Israel!”
31
So when the Syrian charioteers saw King Jehoshaphat of Judah in his royal robes, they went for him, supposing that he was the man they were after. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord to save him, and the Lord made the charioteers see their mistake and leave him.
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For as soon as they realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
33
But one of the Syrian soldiers shot an arrow haphazardly at the Israeli troops, and it struck the king of Israel at the opening where the lower armor and the breastplate meet. “Get me out of here,” he groaned to the driver of his chariot, “for I am badly wounded.”
34
The battle grew hotter and hotter all that day, and King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot, to fight the Syrians, but just as the sun sank into the western skies, he died.
As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, uninjured,
2
the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet him.
“Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the Lord?” he asked him. “Because of what you have done, God’s wrath is upon you.
3
But there are some good things about you in that you got rid of the shameful idols throughout the land, and you have tried to be faithful to God.”
4
So Jehoshaphat made no more trips to Israel after that but remained quietly at Jerusalem. Later he went out again among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim to encourage them to worship the God of their ancestors.
5
He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the larger cities,
6
and instructed them:
“Watch your step—I have not appointed you—God has; and he will stand beside you and help you give justice in each case that comes before you.
7
Be very much afraid to give any other decision than what God tells you to. For there must be no injustice among God’s judges, no partiality, no taking of bribes.”
8
Jehoshaphat set up courts in Jerusalem, too, with the Levites and priests and clan leaders and judges.
9
These were his instructions to them: “You are to act always in the fear of God, with honest hearts.
10
Whenever a case is referred to you by the judges out in the provinces, whether murder cases or other violations of the laws and ordinances of God, you are to clarify the evidence for them and help them to decide justly, lest the wrath of God come down upon you and them; if you do this, you will discharge your responsibility.”
11
Then he appointed Amariah the High Priest to be the court of final appeal in cases involving violation of sacred affairs; and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael), a ruler in Judah, as the court of final appeal in all civil cases; with the Levites as their assistants. “Be fearless in your stand for truth and honesty. And may God use you to defend the innocent,” was his final word to them.
Later on the armies of the kings of Moab, Ammon, and of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.
2
Word reached Jehoshaphat that “a vast army is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea from Syria. It is already at Hazazon-tamar” (also called Engedi).
3
Jehoshaphat was badly shaken by this news and determined to beg for help from the Lord; so he announced that all the people of Judah should go without food for a time, in penitence and intercession before God.
4
People from all across the nation came to Jerusalem to plead unitedly with him.
5
Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the new court of the Temple and prayed this prayer:
6
“O Lord God of our fathers—the only God in all the heavens, the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth—you are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you?
7
O our God, didn’t you drive out the heathen who lived in this land when your people arrived? And didn’t you give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?
8
Your people settled here and built this Temple for you,
9
truly believing that in a time like this—whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine—we can stand here before this Temple and before you—for you are here in this Temple—and cry out to you to save us; and that you will hear us and rescue us.
10
“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You wouldn’t let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so we went around and didn’t destroy them.
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Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land which you have given us.
12
O our God, won’t you stop them? We have no way to protect ourselves against this mighty army. We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you.”
13
As the people from every part of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
14
the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there—Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, who was one of the sons of Asaph).
15
“Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!
16
Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
17
But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’”
18
Then King Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.
19
Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that rang out strong and clear.
20
Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and called them to attention. “Listen to me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Believe in the Lord your God and you shall have success! Believe his prophets and everything will be all right!”
21
After consultation with the leaders of the people, he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song “His Loving-Kindness Is Forever” as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord!
22
And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other!
23
For the Ammonites and Moabites turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. And when they had finished that job, they turned against each other!
24
So, when the army of Judah arrived at the watchtower that looks out over the wilderness, as far as they could look there were dead bodies lying on the ground—not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
25
King Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder the bodies and came away loaded with money, garments, and jewels stripped from the corpses—so much that it took them three days to cart it all away!
26
On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, as it is called today, and how they praised the Lord!
27
Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them this marvelous rescue from their enemies.
28
They marched into Jerusalem accompanied by a band of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple.
29
And as had happened before, when the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God fell upon them.
30
So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God had given him rest.
31
A thumbnail sketch of King Jehoshaphat: He became king of Judah when he was thirty-five years old and reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
32
He was a good king, just as his father Asa was. He continually tried to follow the Lord
33
with the exception that he did not destroy the idol shrines on the hills, nor had the people as yet really decided to follow the God of their ancestors.
34
The details of Jehoshaphat’s reign from first to last are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in
The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
35
But at the close of his life, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went into partnership with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was a very wicked man.
36
They made ships in Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish.
37
Then Eliezer, son of Dodavahu from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, telling him, “Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your work.” So the ships met disaster and never arrived at Tarshish.