-Judah-

And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burned incense yet in the high places. And the remnant of the Sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

-Israel-

And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And Ahab said unto his servants, "Know you that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we…take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?" And Ahab said unto Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle to Ramothgilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him?"

And Ahab said unto Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil."

And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Then Ahab called an officer, and said, "Hurry here Micaiah the son of Imlah."

So Micaiah came to the king. And the king said unto him, "Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we wait?"

And Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, ‘these have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.’"

And Ahab said unto Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that Micaiah would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?" And Ahab said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; And say, ‘This says the king, put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread…and with water…until I come in peace.’" And Micaiah said, "If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me…."

So the king Ahab of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel."

And Ahab said unto Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put…on your robes." And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. And a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck Ahab between the joints of the harness: Therefore Ahab said unto the driver of his chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me out of the battle; for I am wounded."

So the Ahab died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried him in there. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood…according unto the word of the LORD, which he spoke. So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. And he did 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, who made Israel to sin: For Ahaziah served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

-Judah-

And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? Therefore is wrath upon you from before the LORD. Nevertheless there are good things found in you, in that you have taken away the groves out of the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God."

And Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers. And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, "Take heed what you do: for you judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Therefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes." It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD…. And said, "Oh LORD God of our fathers, are not you God in heaven? And rule not you over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in your hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand you? Are not you our God, who did drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham your friend forever?

"…Now, look, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Look, I say, how they reward us, to come to throw us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. "O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon you." Then upon Jahaziel…a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; and he said, "…This says the LORD unto you, ‘Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand…still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.’"

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

And they rose early in the morning, and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall you prosper." And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endures forever."

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set up ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were stricken. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the front of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly.

REFERENCES

1 Kings 22:41, 43, 46; 1 Kings 22:2-4, 7-9, 15a, 17-18, 26-29, 31; 1 Kings 22:30, 34, 37-38, 40, 51-53; 2 Chronicles 19:1-7; 2 Chronicles 20:1, 3-7, 10-12, 14-15, 17-18, 20-25, 27, 29-30, 35.

CHAPTER 35