before the people, and said: Naboth blessed GOD and the king. And they brought him out of the city, and stoned him to death.

And they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

And when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and dead, she said unto Anab, Arise, and take the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money. For Naboth liveth no more, but is dead.

And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he arose, and went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, and took it.

But the word of the LORD came unto Elijah the Thisbite, saying: 18. Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria. (Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.)

And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Thou hast slain, and thou hast taken. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood.

And Ahab said unto Elijah, Hast thou ever found me thine enemy? And he said, Yea, I have found thee, because thou art sold to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy seed; and I will cut off from Ahab him also that pisseth against the wall, and that is shut up and left in Israel.

And I will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for provocation, that thou hast provoked to anger, and made Israel to sin.

And the LORD spake also concerning Jezebel, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel upon the wall of Jezreel.

He that dieth of Ahab in the city shall the dogs eat: and he that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

So there was none so sold to do evil in the sight of the LORD as Ahab: for Jezebel his wife persuaded him so.

And he made himself a great abomination to walk after idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.

And when Ahab heard these words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his body, and fasted, and slept in sackcloth, and walked miserably.

And the word of the LORD came unto Elijah the Thisbite, saying: 29. Hast thou not seen Ahab bowing down before me? Because he bowed down before me, I will not bring evil upon his life: but upon his son’s life will I bring evil upon his house.
(1 Kings)
Chapter 22
Ahab’s downfall. Jehoshaphat’s and Ahaziah’s government.

And three years passed, and there was no war between the Syrians and Israel.

And in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel.

And the king of Israel said unto his servants: Know ye not that Ramoth is ours in Gilead; and we sit still, and take them not at the hand of the king of Syria?

And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth in Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, I will be as thou art, and my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Ask ye this day the word of the LORD.

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets of four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go to Ramoth in Gilead to battle, or shall I leave it? And they said: Go up, and the LORD
deliver it into the hand of the king.

And Jehoshaphat said: Is there no more prophet of the LORD here, that we should inquire of him?

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet a man, Micah the son of Jemla, of whom the LORD may be inquired of. But I am grieved for him: for he knoweth me no good, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, The king speaketh not so.

And the king of Israel called unto a chamberlain, and said, Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Jemla.

And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, sat every man in his seat, clothed with garments, in the place before the door of the gate of Samaria: and all the prophets prophesied before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Cnaenah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Herewith shalt thou thrust the Syrians, until thou have cleared them up.

And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying: Go up to Ramoth in Gilead, and be blessed: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

And the messenger that went to call Micaiah said unto him, Behold, the words of the prophets are all good for the king: now therefore let thy word also be as the word of them, and speak good.

And Micah said, As the LORD liveth, I will speak what the LORD shall say unto me.

And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Shall we go up to Ramoth in Gilead to fight, or shall we leave it? And he said unto him, Yea, go up, and prosper: for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.

And the king said unto him again, I charge thee that thou tell me no other thing but the truth in the name of the LORD.

And he said: I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep having no shepherd.
And the LORD said, Have these no master? Return every one of them in peace.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he knew me no good thing, but only evil?

And he said, Hear now therefore the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab to go up, and fall at Ramoth in Gilead? And one said this, and another said that.

And a spirit came out, and stood before the LORD, and said: I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, With what?

And he said: I will go out, and be a false spirit in all his prophets’ mouths. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and shalt deliver it: go out, and do so.

Now, behold, the LORD hath put a false spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and the LORD hath spoken evil of thee.

And Zedekiah the son of Cnaenah came near, and smote Micaiah on the beacons, and said, How? Is the Spirit of the LORD departed from me, that he should speak unto thee?

And Micah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt pass from chamber to chamber, that thou shalt hide thyself.

And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and let him dwell with Amon the mayor, and with Joash the king’s son,

And say, Thus saith the king, Put this man in prison, and feed him with bread and with water of affliction, until I come again in peace.

And Micah said, If thou return in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And said, Hearken, all ye people.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth in Gilead.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Disguise thyself, and come into the battle with thy garments on. And the king of Israel disguised himself also, and went into the battle.

And the king of Syria commanded the captains of his chariots, which were thirty and two, saying: Ye shall not fight against small nor great, but against the king of Israel only.

And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they thought that he was the king of Israel, and fell upon him with strife: but Jehoshaphat cried out.

And when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back
from him behind.

And a man drew his bow about, and shot the king of Israel between the armour and the hengel. And he said unto his charioteer, Turn thine hand, and bring me out of the host; for I am sore.

And the battle increased that day, and the king stood in the chariot against the Syrians, and died in the evening. And the blood flowed from the wounds into the midst of the chariot.

And they proclaimed in the army, when the sun was down, saying, Go every man to his city, and to his country.

So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried him in Samaria.

And when they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, the dogs licked up the blood thereof (and the harlots washed it), according to the word of the LORD which he spake.

And the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

So Ahab passed away with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

And he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Asuba, a daughter of Zilhi.

And he walked in all the way of his father Asa, and