2 Chronicles 18

ENGESVEnglish34 verses

Listen Standard · Dramatized Open in Biblight

1Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.

2After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.

3Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.”

5Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”

6But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?”

7And the king of Israel said to 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 never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

8Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

10And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”

11And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

12And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”

13But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”

14And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.”

15But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

16And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”

17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

18And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

19And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.

20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’

21And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’

22Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.”

23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?”

24And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.”

25And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son,

26and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’”

27And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

30Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.”

31As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him.

32For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

33But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

34And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.

Commentary

Chapter 18 The story of this chapter we had just as it is here related in the story of the reign of Ahab king of Israel, 1 Ki. 22. There it looks more creditable to Ahab than any thing else recorded of him that he was in league with so good a man as Jehoshaphat; here it is a great blemish in the reign of Jehoshaphat that he thus connected himself with so bad a man as Ahab. Here is, I. The alliance he contracted himself with Ahab (v. 1). II. His consent to join with him in his expedition for the recovery of Remoth—Gilead out of the hands of the Syrians (v. 2, 3). III. Their consulting with the prophets, false and true, before they went (v. 4–27). IV. The success of their expedition. Jehoshaphat hardly escaped (v. 28–32) and Ahab received his death’s wound (v. 33, 34).Verses 1-3 Here is, I. Jehoshaphat growing greater. It was said before (ch. 17:5) that he had riches and honour in abundance; and here it is said again that his wealth and honour increased upon him by piety and good management.II. Not growing wiser, else he would not have joined with Ahab, that degenerate Israelite, who had sold himself to work wickedness. What good could he get by a man that was so bad? What good could he do to a man that was so obstinately wicked—an idolater, a persecutor? With him he joined in affinity, that is, married his son Jehoram to Ahab’s daughter Athaliah.1. This was the worst match that ever was made by any of the house of David. I wonder what Jehoshaphat could promise himself by it. (1.) Perhaps pride made the match, as it does many a one, which speeds accordingly. His religion forbade him to marry his son to a daughter of any of the heathen princes that were about him—Thou shalt not take their daughters to thy sons; and, having riches and honour in abundance, he thought it a disparagement to marry him to a subject. A king’s daughter it must be, and therefore Ahab’s, little considering that Jezebel was her mother. (2.) Some think he did it in policy, hoping by this expedient to unite the kingdoms in his son, Ahab perhaps flattering him with hopes that he would make him his heir, when he intended no such thing.2. This match drew Jehoshaphat, (1.) Into an intimate familiarity with Ahab. He paid him a visit at Samaria, and Ahab, proud of the honour which Jehoshaphat did him, gave him a very splendid entertainment, according to the splendour of those times: He killed sheep and oxen for him, plain meat, in abundance, v. 2. In this Jehoshaphat did not walk so closely as he should have done in the ways of his father David, who hated the congregation of evil-doers and would not sit with the wicked (Ps. 26:5), nor desired to eat of their dainties, Ps. 141:4. (2.) Into a league with Ahab against the Syrians. Ahab persuaded him to join forces with him in an expedition for the recovery of Ramoth-Gilead, a city in the tribe of Gad, on the other side Jordan. Did not Ahab know that that, and all the other cities of Israel, did of right belong to Jehoshaphat, as heir of the house of David? With what face then could he ask Jehoshaphat to assist him in recovering it for himself, whose title to the crown was usurped and precarious? Yet Jehoshaphat, an easy man, yields to go with him: I am as thou art, v. 3. Some men’s kindnesses are dangerous, as well as their society infectious. The feast Ahab made for Jehoshaphat was designed only to wheedle him into the expedition. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance,.... Still more and more, see 2Ch 17:5, and which moved Ahab to desire friendship and affinity with him, to which Jehoshaphat agreed:

and joined affinity with Ahab; king of Israel, married his son Joram to Athaliah, a daughter of Ahab by Jezebel of Zidon; which marriage proved of bad consequence to Jehoshaphat and his family.

18:1-34 Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab. - This history we read in 1Ki 22. Abundant riches and honour give large opportunities of doing good, but they are attended with many snares and temptations. Men do not know much of the artifices of Satan and the deceitfulness of their own hearts, when they covet riches with the idea of being able to do good with them. What can hurt those whom God will protect? What can shelter those whom God will destroy? Jehoshaphat is safe in his robes, Ahab killed in his armour; for the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. We should be cautious of entangling ourselves in the worldly undertakings of evil men; and still more we should avoid engaging in their sinful projects. But, when they call upon him, God can and will bring his faithful people out of the difficulties and dangers into which they have sinfully run themselves. He has all hearts in his hand, so that he easily rescues them. Blessed is the man that putteth his trust in the Lord.

And after certain years,....

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Translations8 · 6

AMHEVG ለኢዮሣፍጥም ብዙ ብልጥግናና ክብር ነበረው፤ ለአክዓብም ጋብቻ ሆነ። አማርኛ ENGNIV Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. English BCV ኢዮሳፍጥ ድማ ብዙሕ ሃብትን ክብርን ነበሮ። ምስ ኣክኣብ ከዓ መውስቦ ገበረ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Yoshaafaax mootichi badhaadhummaa guddaa fi ulfina guddaa qaba ture; kanaaf inni fuudhaa fi heerumaan Ahaab mootichatti… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወኮኖ ለዮሳፍጥ ፈድፋደ ብዕል ወስብሐት፤ ወአውሰበ ዮሳፍጥ ብእሲተ እምቤተ አከዐብ። giz GAZGAZ Yoshaafaax mootichi badhaadhummaa guddaa fi ulfina guddaa qaba ture; kanaaf inni fuudhaa fi heerumaan Ahaab mootichatti… Afaan Oromoo AMHNIV ኢዮሣፍጥ ታላቅ ሀብትና ክብር ባገኘ ጊዜ ከአክዓብ ጋር በጋብቻ ተሳሰረ። አማርኛ SWAHSUV Basi, Yehoshafati alikuwa na mali na heshima tele, tena akafanya ujamaa na Ahabu. Kiswahili