Mar 19 - 1 Kings 20-22
1 Kings
1Then Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered together his entire army. And there were thirty-two kings with him, with horses and chariots. And ascending, he fought against Samaria, and he besieged it2And sending messengers into the city, to Ahab, the king of Israel3he said: "Thus says Benhadad: Your silver and your gold is mine. And your wives and your best sons are mine.4And the king of Israel responded, "In agreement with your word, my lord the king, I am yours, with all that is mine.5And the messengers, returning, said: "Thus says Benhadad, who sent us to you: Your silver and your gold, and your wives and your sons, you shall give to me6Therefore, tomorrow, at this same hour, I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants. And all that pleases them, they will put in their hands and take away.7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and he said: "Let your souls take heed, and see that he commits treachery against us. For he sent to me for my wives and sons, and for silver and gold. And I did not refuse.8And all those greater by birth, with all the people, said to him, "You should neither listen, nor acquiesce to him.9And so, he responded to the messengers of Benhadad: "Tell my lord the king: Everything about which you sent to me in the beginning, I your servant will do. But this thing, I am not able to do.10And returning, the messengers took this to him, and he sent again and said, "May the gods do these things to me, and may they add these other things, if the dust of Samaria is enough to fill the hands of all the people who follow me.11And responding, the king of Israel said, "Tell him that one who is girded should not boast the same as one who is ungirded.12Then it happened that, when Benhadad had heard this word, he and the kings were drinking in a pavilion. And he said to his servants, "Encircle the city." And they encircled it13And behold, one prophet, drawing near to Ahab, the king of Israel, said to him: "Thus says the Lord: Certainly, you have seen this entire exceedingly great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, so that you may know that I am the Lord.14And Ahab said, "By whom?" And he said to him: "Thus says the Lord: By the footmen of the leaders of the provinces." And he said, "Who should begin to do battle?" And he said, "You should.15Therefore, he took a count of the servants of the leaders of the provinces. And he found the number to be two hundred thirty-two. And he set them in order after the people, all the sons of Israel, who were seven thousand16And they went out at midday. But Benhadad was drinking; he was inebriated in his pavilion, and the thirty-two kings with him, who had arrived in order to assist him17Then the servants of the leaders of the provinces went out to the first place, at the front. And so, Benhadad sent, and they reported to him, saying: "Men have gone out from Samaria.18And he said: "If they have arrived for peace, apprehend them alive; if to do battle, capture them alive.19Therefore, the servants of the leaders of the provinces went out, and the remainder of the army was following20And each one struck down the man who came against him. And the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Also, Benhadad, the king of Syria, fled on a horse, with his horsemen21But the king of Israel, going out, struck the horses and the chariots, and he struck the Syrians with a great slaughter22Then a prophet, drawing near to the king of Israel, said to him: "Go and be strengthened. And know and see what you are doing. For in the following year, the king of Syria will rise up against you.23Then truly, the servants of the king of Syria said to him: "Their gods are the gods of the mountains; because of this, they have overwhelmed us. But it is better that we fight against them in the plains, and then we will prevail over them24Therefore, you should do this word: Remove each of the kings from your army, and set commanders in their place25And replace the number of soldiers who have been cut down of yours, and the horses, in accord with the earlier number of horses, and the chariots, in accord with the number of chariots that you had before. And we will fight against them in the plains, and you will see that we will prevail over them." And he trusted in their counsel, and he did so26Therefore, after the passing of the year, Benhadad took a count of the Syrians, and he ascended to Aphek, so that he might fight against Israel27Then the sons of Israel were numbered, and taking provisions, they set out to the opposite side. And they stretched out the camp facing them, like two little flocks of goats. But the Syrians filled the land28And one man of God, drawing near, said to the king of Israel: "Thus says the Lord: Because the Syrians have said, ‘The Lord is the God of the mountains, but he is not the God of the valleys,’ I will deliver this entire great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.29And for seven days, both sides arranged each of their battle lines. Then, on the seventh day, the war was undertaken. And the sons of Israel struck down, from the Syrians, one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day30Then those who had remained fled to Aphek, into the city. And the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men of those who had remained. Then Benhadad, fleeing, entered the city, into a room that was inside another room31And his servants said to him: "Behold, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel show clemency. And so, let us put sackcloth around our waists, and ropes on our heads, and let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will save our lives.32So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists, and they placed ropes on their heads. And they went to the king of Israel, and they said to him: "Your servant, Benhadad, says: ‘I beg you to let my soul live.’ " And he replied, "If he is still alive, he is my brother.33The men accepted this as a good sign. And hastily, they took up the word from his mouth, and they said, "Benhadad is your brother." And he said to them, "Go, and bring him to me." Therefore, Benhadad went out to him, and he lifted him onto his chariot34And he said to him: "The cities that my father took from your father, I will return. And you may make streets for yourself in Damascus, just as my father made in Samaria. And after we have made a pact, I will withdraw from you." Therefore, he formed a pact with him, and he released him35Then a certain man from the sons of the prophets said to his associate, by the word of the Lord, "Strike me." But he was not willing to strike36And he said to him: "Because you were not willing to heed the voice of the Lord, behold, you will depart from me, and a lion will slay you. And when he had departed a short distance from him, a lion found him, and slew him37But upon finding another man, he said to him, "Strike me." And he struck him, and wounded him38Then the prophet departed. And he met the king along the way, and he changed his appearance by sprinkling dust around his mouth and eyes39And when the king had passed by, he cried out to the king, and he said: "Your servant went out to do battle in close quarters. And when one man had fled, a certain person brought him to me, and he said: ‘Guard this man. For if he slips away, your life will take the place of his life, or you will weigh out one talent of silver.40And while I was distracted, turning one way and another, suddenly, he was not to be seen." And the king of Israel said to him, "This is your judgment, that which you yourself have decreed.41Then immediately, he wiped away the dust from his face, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets42And he said to him: "Thus says the Lord: Because you have released from your hand a man worthy of death, your life will take the place of his life, and your people will take the place of his people.43And so the king of Israel returned to his house, unwilling to listen, and a fury entered into Samaria
1And after these things, in that time, there was a vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, who was in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria2Therefore, Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying: "Give your vineyard to me, so that I may make for myself a garden of herbs. For it is nearby and is beside my house. And I will give to you, in place of it, a better vineyard. Or if you consider it to be more convenient for you, I will give you the price in silver, whatever it is worth.3Naboth responded to him, "May the Lord be gracious to me, lest I give to you the inheritance of my fathers.4Then Ahab went into his house, angry and gnashing his teeth over the word that Naboth, the Jezreelite, had spoken to him, saying, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And casting himself on his bed, he turned away his face to the wall, and he would not eat bread5Then Jezebel, his wife, entered to him, and she said to him: "What is this matter, by which your soul has been saddened? And why do you not eat bread?6And he responded to her: "I spoke to Naboth, the Jezreelite, and I said to him: ‘Give your vineyard to me, and accept money. Or if it pleases you, I will give to you a better vineyard, in place of it.’ And he said, ‘I will not give my vineyard to you.’ 7Then Jezebel, his wife, said to him: "You are of great authority, and you rule well in the kingdom of Israel. Rise up and eat bread, and be even-tempered. I will give the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, to you.8And so, she wrote letters in the name of Ahab, and she sealed these with his ring. And she sent to those greater by birth, and to the nobles who were in his city and living with Naboth9And this was the judgment of the letters: "Proclaim a fast, and cause Naboth to sit among the first rulers of the people10And send out two men, sons of Belial, against him. And let them speak the false testimony: ‘He has blasphemed God and king.’ And then lead him away, and stone him, and so let him die.11Then his fellow citizens, those greater by birth and the nobles who were living with him in the city, did just as Jezebel had instructed them, and just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them12They proclaimed a fast, and they caused Naboth to sit among the first rulers of the people13And bringing forward two men, sons of the devil, they caused them to sit opposite him. And they, acting indeed like diabolical men, spoke testimony against him before the multitude: "Naboth has blasphemed God and king." For this reason, they led him away, beyond the city, and they put him to death by stoning14And they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and he has died.15Then it happened that, when Jezebel had heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab: "Rise up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, who was not willing to acquiesce to you, and to give it to you in exchange for money. For Naboth is not alive, but dead.16And when Ahab had heard this, namely, that Naboth was dead, he rose up and descended to the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, so that he might take possession of it17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying18"Rise up, and descend to meet Ahab, the king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is descending to the vineyard of Naboth, so that he may take possession of it19And you shall speak to him, saying: ‘Thus says the Lord: You have killed. Moreover you have also taken possession.’ And after this, you shall add: ‘Thus says the Lord: In this place, where the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, they shall also lick your blood.’ 20And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you discovered me to be your enemy?" And he said: "I have discovered you to have been sold, so that you would do evil in the sight of the Lord21‘Behold, I will lead evil over you. And I will cut down your posterity. And I will put to death of Ahab whatever urinates against a wall, and whatever is lame, and whatever is last in Israel22And I will cause your house to be like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. For you have acted so that you provoked me to anger, and so that you caused Israel to sin.23And about Jezebel also, the Lord spoke, saying: ‘The dogs shall consume Jezebel in the field of Jezreel24If Ahab will have died in the city, the dogs will consume him. But if he will have died in the field, the birds of the air will consume him.’ 25And so, there was no other person similar to Ahab, who was sold so that he did evil in the sight of the Lord. For his wife, Jezebel, urged him on26And he became abominable, so much so that he followed the idols that the Amorites had made, whom the Lord consumed before the face of the sons of Israel27Then, when Ahab had heard these words, he tore his garments, and he put haircloth on his body, and he fasted, and he slept in sackcloth, and he walked with his head downcast28And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying29"Have you not seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Therefore, since he has humbled himself because of me, I will not lead in the evil during his days. Instead, during the days of his son, I will bring in the evil to his house.
1Then three years passed without war between Syria and Israel2But in the third year, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, descended to the king of Israel3And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Are you ignorant that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and that we have neglected to take it from the hand of the king of Syria?4And so he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you come to the battle with me at Ramoth Gilead?5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: "As I am, so also are you. My people and your people are one. And my horsemen are your horsemen." And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I beg you to inquire today of the word of the Lord.6Therefore, the king of Israel gathered together the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, "Should I go to Ramoth Gilead to make war, or should I be at peace?" They responded, "Ascend, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.7Then Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a particular prophet of the Lord, so that we may inquire by him?8And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "One man remains, by whom we may be able to inquire of the Lord: Micaiah, the son of Imlah. But I hate him. For he does not prophecy good to me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "You should not speak in this way, O king.9Therefore, the king of Israel called a certain eunuch, and he said to him, "Hurry to bring here Micaiah, the son of Imlah.10Now the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were each sitting upon his own throne, clothed in the habit of royal vestments, in a courtyard beside the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets were prophesying in their sight11Also, Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made for himself horns of iron, and he said, "Thus says the Lord: With these, you shall threaten Syria, until you destroy it.12And all the prophets were prophesying similarly, saying: "Ascend to Ramoth Gilead, and go forth to success. For the Lord will deliver it into the hands of the king.13Then truly, the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying: "Behold, the words of the prophets, as if with one mouth, are predicting good to the king. Therefore, let your word be like theirs, and speak what is good.14But Micaiah said to him, "As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord will have said to me, this shall I speak.15And so he went to the king. And the king said to him, "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead to do battle, or should we cease?" And he responded to him, "Ascend, and go forth to success, and the Lord will deliver it into the hands of the king.16But the king said to him, "I require you under oath, again and again, that you not say to me anything except what is true, in the name of the Lord.17And he said: "I saw all of Israel scattered among the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said: ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his own house in peace.’ 18Therefore, the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "Did I not tell you that he prophesies nothing good to me, but always evil?19Yet truly, continuing, he said: "Because of his, listen to the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne. And the entire army of heaven was standing beside him, to the right and to the left20And the Lord said, ‘Who will mislead Ahab, the king of Israel, so that he may ascend and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And one spoke words in this manner, and another spoke otherwise21But then a spirit went out and stood before the Lord. And he said, ‘I will mislead him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?22And he said, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said: ‘You will deceive him, and you will prevail. Go forth, and do so.23So now, behold: the Lord has given a lying spirit into the mouth of all your prophets who are here. And the Lord has spoken evil against you.24Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, drew near and struck Micaiah on the jaw, and he said, "So then, has the Spirit of the Lord left me, and spoken to you?25And Micaiah said, "You shall see in the day when you will enter into a room within a room, so that you may conceal yourself.26And the king of Israel said: "Take Micaiah, and let him dwell with Amon, the ruler of the city, and with Joash, the son of Amalech27And tell them: ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in prison, and sustain him with the bread of affliction, and with the water of distress, until I return in peace.’ 28And Micaiah said, "If you will have returned in peace, the Lord has not spoken through me." And he said, "May all the people hear it.29And so, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, ascended to Ramoth Gilead30Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "Take up your armor, and enter the battle. And be clothed in your own garments." But the king of Israel changed his clothing, and he entered the war31Now the king of Syria had instructed the thirty-two commanders of the chariots, saying, "You shall not fight against anyone, small or great, except against the king of Israel alone.32Therefore, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they suspected that he was the king of Israel. And making a violent assault, they fought against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out33And the commanders of the chariots understood that he was not the king of Israel, and so they turned away from him34But a certain man bent his bow, aiming the arrow without certitude, and by chance he struck the king of Israel, between the lungs and the stomach. Then he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me away from the army, for I have been grievously wounded.35Then the battle was undertaken throughout that day. And the king of Israel was standing on his chariot opposite the Syrians, and he died in the evening. For the blood was flowing from the wound into the joints of the chariot36And a herald proclaimed throughout the entire army, before the setting of the sun, saying: "Let each one return to his own city, and to his own land.37Then the king died, and he was carried into Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria38And they washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria. And the dogs licked up his blood. And they washed the reins, in accord with the word of the Lord which he had spoken39But the rest of the words of Ahab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he constructed, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel40And so, Ahab slept with his fathers. And Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place41Yet truly, Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, had begun to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, the king of Israel42He was thirty-five years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi43And he walked in the entire way of Asa, his father, and he did not decline from it. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet truly, he did not take away the high places. For still the people were sacrificing and burning incense in the high places.44And Jehoshaphat had peace with the king of Israel45But the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, and his works that he did, and the battles, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah46Then, too, the remnant of the effeminate, who had remained in the days of Asa, his father, he took away from the land47At that time, there was no king appointed in Idumea48Yet truly, king Jehoshaphat had made a navy on the sea, which would sail to Ophir for gold. But they were unable to go, because the ships were broken down at Eziongeber49Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants on the ships." But Jehoshaphat was not willing50And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and he was buried with them in the city of David, his father. And Jehoram, his son, reigned in his place51Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel, in Samaria, in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel for two years52And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he walked in the way of his father and his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin53Also, he served Baal, and he adored him, and he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, in accord with all that his father had done