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1 Kings 19
And Ahab told Jezebel all that EliYah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to EliYah, saying, So let the elohim do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5 And he laid down and slept under a juniper-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid himself down again. 7 And the angel of Yahweh came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you. 8 And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of Elohim.
9 And he came there to a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, EliYah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the Elohim of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Yahweh. And, behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake: 12 and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when EliYah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice to him, and said, What are you doing here, EliYah? 14 And he said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the Elohim of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And Yahweh said to him, Go, return on the way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when you come, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi shall you anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shall you anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu kill; and him that escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha kill. 18 Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and EliYah passed over to him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after EliYah, and said, Let me, I pray you, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you? 21 And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after EliYah, and ministered to him.
1 Kings 20
And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, In this manner says Ben-hadad, 3 Your silver and your gold is mine; your wives also and your children, even the best, are mine. 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, It is according to your saying, my sovereign, O king; I am yours, and all that I have. 5 And the messengers came again, and said, In this manner speaks Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed to you, saying, You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks mischief: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I did not deny him. 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen to him, neither consent. 9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my Sovereign the king, All that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again. 10 And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, The elohim do so to 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 who girds on his armor boast himself as he who puts it off. 12 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 to his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
13 And, behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, In this manner says Yahweh, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, In this manner says Yahweh, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, You. 15 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 thousand.
16 And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him. 17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There have come out men from Samaria. 18 And he said, Whether they have come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they have come out for war, take them alive. 19 So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 And they each killed his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out, and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22 And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen yourself, and mark, and see what you do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you. 23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their mighty one is a mighty one of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place; 25 and number for yourself an army, like the army that you have 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 listened to 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, to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered, and were given provisions and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. 28 And a man of Elohim came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, In this manner says Yahweh, Because the Syrians have said, Yahweh is an elohim of the hills, but he is not an elohim of the valleys; therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 29 And they encamped 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 killed of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31 And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, we pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save your life. 32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says, I pray you, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? He is my brother. 33 Now the men observed diligently, and were quick to catch what was on his mind; and they said, Your brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go you, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And I, said Ahab, will let you go with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the word of Yahweh, Strike me, I pray you. And the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion shall kill you. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him. 37 Then he found another man, and said, Strike me, I pray you. And the man struck him, striking and wounding him. 38 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 to the king; and he said, Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver. 40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it. 41 And he quickly took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned that he was of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, In this manner says Yahweh, Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people. 43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
1 Kings 21
And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, close by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seems good to you, I will give you the worth of it in money. 3 And Naboth said to Ahab, Far be it from me, by Yahweh, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you. 4 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 you the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread? 6 And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give you my vineyard. 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry: I will give you 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 to the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10 and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, You cursed Elohim and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him to death.
11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13 And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him: and the base fellows bore witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth cursed Elohim and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned, and is dead. 15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth has been stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead. 16 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 possession of it.
17 And the word of Yahweh came to EliYah the Tishbite, saying, 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 And you shall speak to him, saying, In this manner says Yahweh, Have you killed, and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, In this manner says Yahweh, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours. 20 And Ahab said to EliYah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel: 22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel also spoke Yahweh, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. 24 He that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and he that dies in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat. 25 (But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.)
27 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 softly. 28 And the word of Yahweh came to EliYah the Tishbite, saying, 29 Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the evil upon his house.
1 Kings 22
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. 2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, Have you not known that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray you, for the word of Yahweh. 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Almighty will deliver it into the hand of the king. 7 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh besides, that we may inquire of him? 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Do not let the king say so. 9 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah. 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and said, In this manner says Yahweh, With these shall you push the Syrians, until they are consumed. 12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king.
13 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let your word, I pray you, be like the word of one of them, and speak you good. 14 And Micaiah said, As Yahweh lives, what Yahweh says to me, that will I speak. 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go up and prosper; and Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king. 16 And the king said to him, How many times shall I command you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh? 17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Yahweh said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 19 And Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And Yahweh 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 that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Yahweh, and said, I will entice him. 22 And Yahweh said to him, With what? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You shall entice him, and shall prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you.
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh go from me to speak to you? 25 And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day, when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. 26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, In this manner says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear you peoples, all of you.
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-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 out. 33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34 And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor: therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am severely wounded. 35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was propped up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at evening; and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his country.
37 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 to the word of Yahweh which he spoke. 39 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 chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he turned not aside from doing that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh: however the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46 And the remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land. 47 And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they did not go for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. 50 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 place.
51 Ahaziah 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 over Israel. 52 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, 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, in which he made Israel to sin. 53 And he served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
