kjv 1Kings:12-22, SEEK
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And Rehoboam went to Shechem :
for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Jeroboam the son of Nebat ,
who was yet in Egypt ,
heard of it , (
for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon ,
and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt ;)
*
That they sent and called him .
And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came ,
and spake unto Rehoboam ,
saying ,
*
Thy father made our yoke grievous :
now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father ,
and his heavy yoke which he put upon us ,
lighter ,
and we will serve thee .
*
And he said unto them ,
Depart yet for three days ,
then come again to me .
And the people departed .
*
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men ,
that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived ,
and said ,
How do ye advise that I may answer this people ?
*
And they spake unto him ,
saying ,
If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day ,
and wilt serve them ,
and answer them ,
and speak good words to them ,
then they will be thy servants for ever .
*
But he forsook the counsel of the old men ,
which they had given him ,
and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him ,
and which stood before him :
*
And he said unto them ,
What counsel give ye that we may answer this people ,
who have spoken to me ,
saying ,
Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter ?
*
And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him ,
saying ,
Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee ,
saying ,
Thy father made our yoke heavy ,
but make thou it lighter unto us ;
thus shalt thou say unto them ,
My little finger shall be thicker than my father '
s loins .
*
And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke ,
I will add to your yoke :
my father hath chastised you with whips ,
but I will chastise you with scorpions .
*
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day ,
as the king had appointed ,
saying ,
Come to me again the third day .
*
And the king answered the people roughly ,
and forsook the old men '
s counsel that they gave him ;
*
And spake to them after the counsel of the young men ,
saying ,
My father made your yoke heavy ,
and I will add to your yoke :
my father also chastised you with whips ,
but I will chastise you with scorpions .
*
Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people ;
for the cause was from the LORD ,
that he might perform his saying ,
which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat .
*
So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them ,
the people answered the king ,
saying ,
What portion have we in David ?
neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse :
to your tents ,
O Israel :
now see to thine own house ,
David .
So Israel departed unto their tents .
*
But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah ,
Rehoboam reigned over them .
*
Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram ,
who was over the tribute ;
and all Israel stoned him with stones ,
that he died .
Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot ,
to flee to Jerusalem .
*
So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day .
*
And it came to pass ,
when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again ,
that they sent and called him unto the congregation ,
and made him king over all Israel :
there was none that followed the house of David ,
but the tribe of Judah only .
*
And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem ,
he assembled all the house of Judah ,
with the tribe of Benjamin ,
an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men ,
which were warriors ,
to fight against the house of Israel ,
to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon .
*
But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God ,
saying ,
*
Speak unto Rehoboam ,
the son of Solomon ,
king of Judah ,
and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin ,
and to the remnant of the people ,
saying ,
*
Thus saith the LORD ,
Ye shall not go up ,
nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel :
return every man to his house ;
for this thing is from me .
They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD ,
and returned to depart ,
according to the word of the LORD .
*
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim ,
and dwelt therein ;
and went out from thence ,
and built Penuel .
*
And Jeroboam said in his heart ,
Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David :
*
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem ,
then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord ,
even unto Rehoboam king of Judah ,
and they shall kill me ,
and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah .
*
Whereupon the king took counsel ,
and made two calves of gold ,
and said unto them ,
It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem :
behold thy gods ,
O Israel ,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt .
*
And he set the one in Bethel ,
and the other put he in Dan .
*
And this thing became a sin :
for the people went to worship before the one ,
even unto Dan .
*
And he made an house of high places ,
and made priests of the lowest of the people ,
which were not of the sons of Levi .
*
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month ,
on the fifteenth day of the month ,
like unto the feast that is in Judah ,
and he offered upon the altar .
So did he in Bethel ,
sacrificing unto the calves that he had made :
and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made .
*
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month ,
even in the month which he had devised of his own heart ;
and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel :
and he offered upon the altar ,
and burnt incense .
*
And ,
behold ,
there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel :
and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense .
*
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD ,
and said ,
O altar ,
altar ,
thus saith the LORD ;
Behold ,
a child shall be born unto the house of David ,
Josiah by name ;
and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee ,
and men '
s bones shall be burnt upon thee .
*
And he gave a sign the same day ,
saying ,
This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken ;
Behold ,
the altar shall be rent ,
and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out .
*
And it came to pass ,
when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God ,
which had cried against the altar in Bethel ,
that he put forth his hand from the altar ,
saying ,
Lay hold on him .
And his hand ,
which he put forth against him ,
dried up ,
so that he could not pull it in again to him .
*
The altar also was rent ,
and the ashes poured out from the altar ,
according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD .
*
And the king answered and said unto the man of God ,
Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God ,
and pray for me ,
that my hand may be restored me again .
And the man of God besought the LORD ,
and the king '
s hand was restored him again ,
and became as it was before .
*
And the king said unto the man of God ,
Come home with me ,
and refresh thyself ,
and I will give thee a reward .
*
And the man of God said unto the king ,
If thou wilt give me half thine house ,
I will not go in with thee ,
neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place :
*
For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD ,
saying ,
Eat no bread ,
nor drink water ,
nor turn again by the same way that thou camest .
*
So he went another way ,
and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel .
*
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel ;
and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel :
the words which he had spoken unto the king ,
them they told also to their father .
*
And their father said unto them ,
What way went he ?
For his sons had seen what way the man of God went ,
which came from Judah .
*
And he said unto his sons ,
Saddle me the ass .
So they saddled him the ass :
and he rode thereon ,
*
And went after the man of God ,
and found him sitting under an oak :
and he said unto him ,
Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah ?
And he said ,
I am .
*
Then he said unto him ,
Come home with me ,
and eat bread .
*
And he said ,
I may not return with thee ,
nor go in with thee :
neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place :
*
For it was said to me by the word of the LORD ,
Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there ,
nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest .
*
He said unto him ,
I am a prophet also as thou art ;
and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD ,
saying ,
Bring him back with thee into thine house ,
that he may eat bread and drink water .
But he lied unto him .
*
So he went back with him ,
and did eat bread in his house ,
and drank water .
*
And it came to pass ,
as they sat at the table ,
that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back :
*
And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah ,
saying ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD ,
and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee ,
*
But camest back ,
and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place ,
of the which the LORD did say to thee ,
Eat no bread ,
and drink no water ;
thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers .
*
And it came to pass ,
after he had eaten bread ,
and after he had drunk ,
that he saddled for him the ass ,
to wit ,
for the prophet whom he had brought back .
*
And when he was gone ,
a lion met him by the way ,
and slew him :
and his carcase was cast in the way ,
and the ass stood by it ,
the lion also stood by the carcase .
*
And ,
behold ,
men passed by ,
and saw the carcase cast in the way ,
and the lion standing by the carcase :
and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt .
*
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof ,
he said ,
It is the man of God ,
who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD :
therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion ,
which hath torn him ,
and slain him ,
according to the word of the LORD ,
which he spake unto him .
*
And he spake to his sons ,
saying ,
Saddle me the ass .
And they saddled him .
*
And he went and found his carcase cast in the way ,
and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase :
the lion had not eaten the carcase ,
nor torn the ass .
*
And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God ,
and laid it upon the ass ,
and brought it back :
and the old prophet came to the city ,
to mourn and to bury him .
*
And he laid his carcase in his own grave ;
and they mourned over him ,
saying ,
Alas ,
my brother !
*
And it came to pass ,
after he had buried him ,
that he spake to his sons ,
saying ,
When I am dead ,
then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried ;
lay my bones beside his bones :
*
For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel ,
and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria ,
shall surely come to pass .
*
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way ,
but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places :
whosoever would ,
he consecrated him ,
and he became one of the priests of the high places .
*
And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam ,
even to cut it off ,
and to destroy it from off the face of the earth .
*
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick .
*
And Jeroboam said to his wife ,
Arise ,
I pray thee ,
and disguise thyself ,
that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam ;
and get thee to Shiloh :
behold ,
there is Ahijah the prophet ,
which told me that I should be king over this people .
*
And take with thee ten loaves ,
and cracknels ,
and a cruse of honey ,
and go to him :
he shall tell thee what shall become of the child .
*
And Jeroboam '
s wife did so ,
and arose ,
and went to Shiloh ,
and came to the house of Ahijah .
But Ahijah could not see ;
for his eyes were set by reason of his age .
*
And the LORD said unto Ahijah ,
Behold ,
the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son ;
for he is sick :
thus and thus shalt thou say unto her :
for it shall be ,
when she cometh in ,
that she shall feign herself to be another woman .
*
And it was so ,
when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet ,
as she came in at the door ,
that he said ,
Come in ,
thou wife of Jeroboam ;
why feignest thou thyself to be another ?
for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings .
*
Go ,
tell Jeroboam ,
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel ,
Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people ,
and made thee prince over my people Israel ,
*
And rent the kingdom away from the house of David ,
and gave it thee :
and yet thou hast not been as my servant David ,
who kept my commandments ,
and who followed me with all his heart ,
to do that only which was right in mine eyes ;
*
But hast done evil above all that were before thee :
for thou hast gone and made thee other gods ,
and molten images ,
to provoke me to anger ,
and hast cast me behind thy back :
*
Therefore ,
behold ,
I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam ,
and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall ,
and him that is shut up and left in Israel ,
and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam ,
as a man taketh away dung ,
till it be all gone .
*
Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat ;
and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat :
for the LORD hath spoken it .
*
Arise thou therefore ,
get thee to thine own house :
and when thy feet enter into the city ,
the child shall die .
*
And all Israel shall mourn for him ,
and bury him :
for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave ,
because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam .
*
Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel ,
who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day :
but what ?
even now .
*
For the LORD shall smite Israel ,
as a reed is shaken in the water ,
and he shall root up Israel out of this good land ,
which he gave to their fathers ,
and shall scatter them beyond the river ,
because they have made their groves ,
provoking the LORD to anger .
*
And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam ,
who did sin ,
and who made Israel to sin .
*
And Jeroboam '
s wife arose ,
and departed ,
and came to Tirzah :
and when she came to the threshold of the door ,
the child died ;
*
And they buried him ;
and all Israel mourned for him ,
according to the word of the LORD ,
which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet .
*
And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam ,
how he warred ,
and how he reigned ,
behold ,
they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel .
*
And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years :
and he slept with his fathers ,
and Nadab his son reigned in his stead .
*
And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah .
Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem ,
the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel ,
to put his name there .
And his mother '
s name was Naamah an Ammonitess .
*
And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD ,
and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed ,
above all that their fathers had done .
*
For they also built them high places ,
and images ,
and groves ,
on every high hill ,
and under every green tree .
*
And there were also sodomites in the land :
and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel .
*
And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam ,
that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem :
*
And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD ,
and the treasures of the king '
s house ;
he even took away all :
and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made .
*
And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields ,
and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard ,
which kept the door of the king '
s house .
*
And it was so ,
when the king went into the house of the LORD ,
that the guard bare them ,
and brought them back into the guard chamber .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam ,
and all that he did ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
*
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days .
*
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers ,
and was buried with his fathers in the city of David .
And his mother '
s name was Naamah an Ammonitess .
And Abijam his son reigned in his stead .
*
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah .
*
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem .
And his mother '
s name was Maachah ,
the daughter of Abishalom .
*
And he walked in all the sins of his father ,
which he had done before him :
and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God ,
as the heart of David his father .
*
Nevertheless for David '
s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem ,
to set up his son after him ,
and to establish Jerusalem :
*
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD ,
and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life ,
save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite .
*
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Abijam ,
and all that he did ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam .
*
And Abijam slept with his fathers ;
and they buried him in the city of David :
and Asa his son reigned in his stead .
*
And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah .
*
And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem .
And his mother '
s name was Maachah ,
the daughter of Abishalom .
*
And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD ,
as did David his father .
*
And he took away the sodomites out of the land ,
and removed all the idols that his fathers had made .
*
And also Maachah his mother ,
even her he removed from being queen ,
because she had made an idol in a grove ;
and Asa destroyed her idol ,
and burnt it by the brook Kidron .
*
But the high places were not removed :
nevertheless Asa '
s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days .
*
And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated ,
and the things which himself had dedicated ,
into the house of the LORD ,
silver ,
and gold ,
and vessels .
*
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days .
*
And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah ,
and built Ramah ,
that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah .
*
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD ,
and the treasures of the king '
s house ,
and delivered them into the hand of his servants :
and king Asa sent them to Benhadad ,
the son of Tabrimon ,
the son of Hezion ,
king of Syria ,
that dwelt at Damascus ,
saying ,
*
There is a league between me and thee ,
and between my father and thy father :
behold ,
I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold ;
come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel ,
that he may depart from me .
*
So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa ,
and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel ,
and smote Ijon ,
and Dan ,
and Abelbethmaachah ,
and all Cinneroth ,
with all the land of Naphtali .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Baasha heard thereof ,
that he left off building of Ramah ,
and dwelt in Tirzah .
*
Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah ;
none was exempted :
and they took away the stones of Ramah ,
and the timber thereof ,
wherewith Baasha had builded ;
and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin ,
and Mizpah .
*
The rest of all the acts of Asa ,
and all his might ,
and all that he did ,
and the cities which he built ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet .
*
And Asa slept with his fathers ,
and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father :
and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead .
*
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah ,
and reigned over Israel two years .
*
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD ,
and walked in the way of his father ,
and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin .
*
And Baasha the son of Ahijah ,
of the house of Issachar ,
conspired against him ;
and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon ,
which belonged to the Philistines ;
for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon .
*
Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him ,
and reigned in his stead .
*
And it came to pass ,
when he reigned ,
that he smote all the house of Jeroboam ;
he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed ,
until he had destroyed him ,
according unto the saying of the LORD ,
which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite :
*
Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned ,
and which he made Israel sin ,
by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab ,
and all that he did ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days .
*
In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah ,
twenty and four years .
*
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD ,
and walked in the way of Jeroboam ,
and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin .
*
Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha ,
saying ,
*
Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust ,
and made thee prince over my people Israel ;
and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam ,
and hast made my people Israel to sin ,
to provoke me to anger with their sins ;
*
Behold ,
I will take away the posterity of Baasha ,
and the posterity of his house ;
and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat .
*
Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat ;
and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Baasha ,
and what he did ,
and his might ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
So Baasha slept with his fathers ,
and was buried in Tirzah :
and Elah his son reigned in his stead .
*
And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha ,
and against his house ,
even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD ,
in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands ,
in being like the house of Jeroboam ;
and because he killed him .
*
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah ,
two years .
*
And his servant Zimri ,
captain of half his chariots ,
conspired against him ,
as he was in Tirzah ,
drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah .
*
And Zimri went in and smote him ,
and killed him ,
in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah ,
and reigned in his stead .
*
And it came to pass ,
when he began to reign ,
as soon as he sat on his throne ,
that he slew all the house of Baasha :
he left him not one that pisseth against a wall ,
neither of his kinsfolks ,
nor of his friends .
*
Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha ,
according to the word of the LORD ,
which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet ,
*
For all the sins of Baasha ,
and the sins of Elah his son ,
by which they sinned ,
and by which they made Israel to sin ,
in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Elah ,
and all that he did ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah .
And the people were encamped against Gibbethon ,
which belonged to the Philistines .
*
And the people that were encamped heard say ,
Zimri hath conspired ,
and hath also slain the king :
wherefore all Israel made Omri ,
the captain of the host ,
king over Israel that day in the camp .
*
And Omri went up from Gibbethon ,
and all Israel with him ,
and they besieged Tirzah .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Zimri saw that the city was taken ,
that he went into the palace of the king '
s house ,
and burnt the king '
s house over him with fire ,
and died ,
*
For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD ,
in walking in the way of Jeroboam ,
and in his sin which he did ,
to make Israel to sin .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri ,
and his treason that he wrought ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts :
half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath ,
to make him king ;
and half followed Omri .
*
But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath :
so Tibni died ,
and Omri reigned .
*
In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel ,
twelve years :
six years reigned he in Tirzah .
*
And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver ,
and built on the hill ,
and called the name of the city which he built ,
after the name of Shemer ,
owner of the hill ,
Samaria .
*
But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD ,
and did worse than all that were before him .
*
For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat ,
and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin ,
to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did ,
and his might that he shewed ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
So Omri slept with his fathers ,
and was buried in Samaria :
and Ahab his son reigned in his stead .
*
And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel :
and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years .
*
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him .
*
And it came to pass ,
as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat ,
that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians ,
and went and served Baal ,
and worshipped him .
*
And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal ,
which he had built in Samaria .
*
And Ahab made a grove ;
and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him .
*
In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho :
he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn ,
and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub ,
according to the word of the LORD ,
which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun .
*
And Elijah the Tishbite ,
who was of the inhabitants of Gilead ,
said unto Ahab ,
As the LORD God of Israel liveth ,
before whom I stand ,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years ,
but according to my word .
*
And the word of the LORD came unto him ,
saying ,
*
Get thee hence ,
and turn thee eastward ,
and hide thyself by the brook Cherith ,
that is before Jordan .
*
And it shall be ,
that thou shalt drink of the brook ;
and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there .
*
So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD :
for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith ,
that is before Jordan .
*
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning ,
and bread and flesh in the evening ;
and he drank of the brook .
*
And it came to pass after a while ,
that the brook dried up ,
because there had been no rain in the land .
*
And the word of the LORD came unto him ,
saying ,
*
Arise ,
get thee to Zarephath ,
which belongeth to Zidon ,
and dwell there :
behold ,
I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee .
*
So he arose and went to Zarephath .
And when he came to the gate of the city ,
behold ,
the widow woman was there gathering of sticks :
and he called to her ,
and said ,
Fetch me ,
I pray thee ,
a little water in a vessel ,
that I may drink .
*
And as she was going to fetch it ,
he called to her ,
and said ,
Bring me ,
I pray thee ,
a morsel of bread in thine hand .
*
And she said ,
As the LORD thy God liveth ,
I have not a cake ,
but an handful of meal in a barrel ,
and a little oil in a cruse :
and ,
behold ,
I am gathering two sticks ,
that I may go in and dress it for me and my son ,
that we may eat it ,
and die .
*
And Elijah said unto her ,
Fear not ;
go and do as thou hast said :
but make me thereof a little cake first ,
and bring it unto me ,
and after make for thee and for thy son .
*
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel ,
The barrel of meal shall not waste ,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail ,
until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth .
*
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah :
and she ,
and he ,
and her house ,
did eat many days .
*
And the barrel of meal wasted not ,
neither did the cruse of oil fail ,
according to the word of the LORD ,
which he spake by Elijah .
*
And it came to pass after these things ,
that the son of the woman ,
the mistress of the house ,
fell sick ;
and his sickness was so sore ,
that there was no breath left in him .
*
And she said unto Elijah ,
What have I to do with thee ,
O thou man of God ?
art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance ,
and to slay my son ?
*
And he said unto her ,
Give me thy son .
And he took him out of her bosom ,
and carried him up into a loft ,
where he abode ,
and laid him upon his own bed .
*
And he cried unto the LORD ,
and said ,
O LORD my God ,
hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn ,
by slaying her son ?
*
And he stretched himself upon the child three times ,
and cried unto the LORD ,
and said ,
O LORD my God ,
I pray thee ,
let this child '
s soul come into him again .
*
And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah ;
and the soul of the child came into him again ,
and he revived .
*
And Elijah took the child ,
and brought him down out of the chamber into the house ,
and delivered him unto his mother :
and Elijah said ,
See ,
thy son liveth .
*
And the woman said to Elijah ,
Now by this I know that thou art a man of God ,
and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth .
*
And it came to pass after many days ,
that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year ,
saying ,
Go ,
shew thyself unto Ahab ;
and I will send rain upon the earth .
*
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab .
And there was a sore famine in Samaria .
*
And Ahab called Obadiah ,
which was the governor of his house . (
Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly :
*
For it was so ,
when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD ,
that Obadiah took an hundred prophets ,
and hid them by fifty in a cave ,
and fed them with bread and water .)
*
And Ahab said unto Obadiah ,
Go into the land ,
unto all fountains of water ,
and unto all brooks :
peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive ,
that we lose not all the beasts .
*
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it :
Ahab went one way by himself ,
and Obadiah went another way by himself .
*
And as Obadiah was in the way ,
behold ,
Elijah met him :
and he knew him ,
and fell on his face ,
and said ,
Art thou that my lord Elijah ?
*
And he answered him ,
I am :
go ,
tell thy lord ,
Behold ,
Elijah is here .
*
And he said ,
What have I sinned ,
that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab ,
to slay me ?
*
As the LORD thy God liveth ,
there is no nation or kingdom ,
whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee :
and when they said ,
He is not there ;
he took an oath of the kingdom and nation ,
that they found thee not .
*
And now thou sayest ,
Go ,
tell thy lord ,
Behold ,
Elijah is here .
*
And it shall come to pass ,
as soon as I am gone from thee ,
that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not ;
and so when I come and tell Ahab ,
and he cannot find thee ,
he shall slay me :
but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth .
*
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD ,
how I hid an hundred men of the LORD '
S prophets by fifty in a cave ,
and fed them with bread and water ?
*
And now thou sayest ,
Go ,
tell thy lord ,
Behold ,
Elijah is here :
and he shall slay me .
*
And Elijah said ,
As the LORD of hosts liveth ,
before whom I stand ,
I will surely shew myself unto him to day .
*
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab ,
and told him :
and Ahab went to meet Elijah .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Ahab saw Elijah ,
that Ahab said unto him ,
Art thou he that troubleth Israel ?
*
And he answered ,
I have not troubled Israel ;
but thou ,
and thy father '
s house ,
in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD ,
and thou hast followed Baalim .
*
Now therefore send ,
and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel ,
and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty ,
and the prophets of the groves four hundred ,
which eat at Jezebel '
s table .
*
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel ,
and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel .
*
And Elijah came unto all the people ,
and said ,
How long halt ye between two opinions ?
if the LORD be God ,
follow him :
but if Baal ,
then follow him .
And the people answered him not a word .
*
Then said Elijah unto the people ,
I ,
even I only ,
remain a prophet of the LORD ;
but Baal '
s prophets are four hundred and fifty men .
*
Let them therefore give us two bullocks ;
and let them choose one bullock for themselves ,
and cut it in pieces ,
and lay it on wood ,
and put no fire under :
and I will dress the other bullock ,
and lay it on wood ,
and put no fire under :
*
And call ye on the name of your gods ,
and I will call on the name of the LORD :
and the God that answereth by fire ,
let him be God .
And all the people answered and said ,
It is well spoken .
*
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal ,
Choose you one bullock for yourselves ,
and dress it first ;
for ye are many ;
and call on the name of your gods ,
but put no fire under .
*
And they took the bullock which was given them ,
and they dressed it ,
and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon ,
saying ,
O Baal ,
hear us .
But there was no voice ,
nor any that answered .
And they leaped upon the altar which was made .
*
And it came to pass at noon ,
that Elijah mocked them ,
and said ,
Cry aloud :
for he is a god ;
either he is talking ,
or he is pursuing ,
or he is in a journey ,
or peradventure he sleepeth ,
and must be awaked .
*
And they cried aloud ,
and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets ,
till the blood gushed out upon them .
*
And it came to pass ,
when midday was past ,
and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice ,
that there was neither voice ,
nor any to answer ,
nor any that regarded .
*
And Elijah said unto all the people ,
Come near unto me .
And all the people came near unto him .
And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down .
*
And Elijah took twelve stones ,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob ,
unto whom the word of the LORD came ,
saying ,
Israel shall be thy name :
*
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD :
and he made a trench about the altar ,
as great as would contain two measures of seed .
*
And he put the wood in order ,
and cut the bullock in pieces ,
and laid him on the wood ,
and said ,
Fill four barrels with water ,
and pour it on the burnt sacrifice ,
and on the wood .
*
And he said ,
Do it the second time .
And they did it the second time .
And he said ,
Do it the third time .
And they did it the third time .
*
And the water ran round about the altar ;
and he filled the trench also with water .
*
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice ,
that Elijah the prophet came near ,
and said ,
LORD God of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and of Israel ,
let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel ,
and that I am thy servant ,
and that I have done all these things at thy word .
*
Hear me ,
O LORD ,
hear me ,
that this people may know that thou art the LORD God ,
and that thou hast turned their heart back again .
*
Then the fire of the LORD fell ,
and consumed the burnt sacrifice ,
and the wood ,
and the stones ,
and the dust ,
and licked up the water that was in the trench .
*
And when all the people saw it ,
they fell on their faces :
and they said ,
The LORD ,
he is the God ;
the LORD ,
he is the God .
*
And Elijah said unto them ,
Take the prophets of Baal ;
let not one of them escape .
And they took them :
and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon ,
and slew them there .
*
And Elijah said unto Ahab ,
Get thee up ,
eat and drink ;
for there is a sound of abundance of rain .
*
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink .
And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ;
and he cast himself down upon the earth ,
and put his face between his knees ,
*
And said to his servant ,
Go up now ,
look toward the sea .
And he went up ,
and looked ,
and said ,
There is nothing .
And he said ,
Go again seven times .
*
And it came to pass at the seventh time ,
that he said ,
Behold ,
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea ,
like a man '
s hand .
And he said ,
Go up ,
say unto Ahab ,
Prepare thy chariot ,
and get thee down ,
that the rain stop thee not .
*
And it came to pass in the mean while ,
that the heaven was black with clouds and wind ,
and there was a great rain .
And Ahab rode ,
and went to Jezreel .
*
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah ;
and he girded up his loins ,
and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel .
*
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done ,
and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword .
*
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah ,
saying ,
So let the gods do to me ,
and more also ,
if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time .
*
And when he saw that ,
he arose ,
and went for his life ,
and came to Beersheba ,
which belongeth to Judah ,
and left his servant there .
*
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 LORD ,
take away my life ;
for I am not better than my fathers .
*
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree ,
behold ,
then an angel touched him ,
and said unto him ,
Arise and eat .
*
And he looked ,
and ,
behold ,
there was a cake baken on the coals ,
and a cruse of water at his head .
And he did eat and drink ,
and laid him down again .
*
And the angel of the LORD came again the second time ,
and touched him ,
and said ,
Arise and eat ;
because the journey is too great for thee .
*
And he arose ,
and did eat and drink ,
and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God .
*
And he came thither unto a cave ,
and lodged there ;
and ,
behold ,
the word of the LORD came to him ,
and he said unto him ,
What doest thou here ,
Elijah ?
*
And he said ,
I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts :
for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant ,
thrown down thine altars ,
and slain thy prophets with the sword ;
and I ,
even I only ,
am left ;
and they seek my life ,
to take it away .
*
And he said ,
Go forth ,
and stand upon the mount before the LORD .
And ,
behold ,
the LORD passed by ,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains ,
and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD ;
but the LORD was not in the wind :
and after the wind an earthquake ;
but the LORD was not in the earthquake :
*
And after the earthquake a fire ;
but the LORD was not in the fire :
and after the fire a still small voice .
*
And it was so ,
when Elijah heard it ,
that he wrapped his face in his mantle ,
and went out ,
and stood in the entering in of the cave .
And ,
behold ,
there came a voice unto him ,
and said ,
What doest thou here ,
Elijah ?
*
And he said ,
I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts :
because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant ,
thrown down thine altars ,
and slain thy prophets with the sword ;
and I ,
even I only ,
am left ;
and they seek my life ,
to take it away .
*
And the LORD said unto him ,
Go ,
return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus :
and when thou comest ,
anoint Hazael to be king over Syria :
*
And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel :
and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room .
*
And it shall come to pass ,
that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay :
and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay .
*
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel ,
all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal ,
and every mouth which hath not kissed him .
*
So he departed thence ,
and found Elisha the son of Shaphat ,
who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him ,
and he with the twelfth :
and Elijah passed by him ,
and cast his mantle upon him .
*
And he left the oxen ,
and ran after Elijah ,
and said ,
Let me ,
I pray thee ,
kiss my father and my mother ,
and then I will follow thee .
And he said unto him ,
Go back again :
for what have I done to thee ?
*
And he returned back from him ,
and took a yoke of oxen ,
and slew them ,
and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen ,
and gave unto the people ,
and they did eat .
Then he arose ,
and went after Elijah ,
and ministered unto him .
*
And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together :
and there were thirty and two kings with him ,
and horses ,
and chariots :
and he went up and besieged Samaria ,
and warred against it .
*
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city ,
and said unto him ,
Thus saith Benhadad ,
*
Thy silver and thy gold is mine ;
thy wives also and thy children ,
even the goodliest ,
are mine .
*
And the king of Israel answered and said ,
My lord ,
O king ,
according to thy saying ,
I am thine ,
and all that I have .
*
And the messengers came again ,
and said ,
Thus speaketh Benhadad ,
saying ,
Although I have sent unto thee ,
saying ,
Thou shalt deliver me thy silver ,
and thy gold ,
and thy wives ,
and thy children ;
*
Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time ,
and they shall search thine house ,
and the houses of thy servants ;
and it shall be ,
that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes ,
they shall put it in their hand ,
and take it away .
*
Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land ,
and said ,
Mark ,
I pray you ,
and see how this man seeketh mischief :
for he sent unto me for my wives ,
and for my children ,
and for my silver ,
and for my gold ;
and I denied him not .
*
And all the elders and all the people said unto him ,
Hearken not unto him ,
nor consent .
*
Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad ,
Tell my lord the king ,
All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do :
but this thing I may not do .
And the messengers departed ,
and brought him word again .
*
And Benhadad sent unto him ,
and said ,
The gods do so unto me ,
and more also ,
if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me .
*
And the king of Israel answered and said ,
Tell him ,
Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Benhadad heard this message ,
as he was drinking ,
he and the kings in the pavilions ,
that he said unto his servants ,
Set yourselves in array .
And they set themselves in array against the city .
*
And ,
behold ,
there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel ,
saying ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
Hast thou seen all this great multitude ?
behold ,
I will deliver it into thine hand this day ;
and thou shalt know that I am the LORD .
*
And Ahab said ,
By whom ?
And he said ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces .
Then he said ,
Who shall order the battle ?
And he answered ,
Thou .
*
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces ,
and they were two hundred and thirty two :
and after them he numbered all the people ,
even all the children of Israel ,
being seven thousand .
*
And they went out at noon .
But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions ,
he and the kings ,
the thirty and two kings that helped him .
*
And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first ;
and Benhadad sent out ,
and they told him ,
saying ,
There are men come out of Samaria .
*
And he said ,
Whether they be come out for peace ,
take them alive ;
or whether they be come out for war ,
take them alive .
*
So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city ,
and the army which followed them .
*
And they slew every one his man :
and the Syrians fled ;
and Israel pursued them :
and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen .
*
And the king of Israel went out ,
and smote the horses and chariots ,
and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter .
*
And the prophet came to the king of Israel ,
and said unto him ,
Go ,
strengthen thyself ,
and mark ,
and see what thou doest :
for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee .
*
And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him ,
Their gods are gods 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 .
*
And do this thing ,
Take the kings away ,
every man out of his place ,
and put captains in their rooms :
*
And number thee an army ,
like the army that thou hast 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 hearkened unto their voice ,
and did so .
*
And it came to pass at the return of the year ,
that Benhadad numbered the Syrians ,
and went up to Aphek ,
to fight against Israel .
*
And the children of Israel were numbered ,
and were all present ,
and went against them :
and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids ;
but the Syrians filled the country .
*
And there came a man of God ,
and spake unto the king of Israel ,
and said ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
Because the Syrians have said ,
The LORD is God of the hills ,
but he is not God of the valleys ,
therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand ,
and ye shall know that I am the LORD .
*
And they pitched 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 slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day .
*
But the rest fled to Aphek ,
into the city ;
and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left .
And Benhadad fled ,
and came into the city ,
into an inner chamber .
*
And his servants said unto him ,
Behold now ,
we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings :
let us ,
I pray thee ,
put sackcloth on our loins ,
and ropes upon our heads ,
and go out to the king of Israel :
peradventure he will save thy life .
*
So they girded sackcloth on their loins ,
and put ropes on their heads ,
and came to the king of Israel ,
and said ,
Thy servant Benhadad saith ,
I pray thee ,
let me live .
And he said ,
Is he yet alive ?
he is my brother .
*
Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him ,
and did hastily catch it :
and they said ,
Thy brother Benhadad .
Then he said ,
Go ye ,
bring him .
Then Benhadad came forth to him ;
and he caused him to come up into the chariot .
*
And Benhadad said unto him ,
The cities ,
which my father took from thy father ,
I will restore ;
and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus ,
as my father made in Samaria .
Then said Ahab ,
I will send thee away with this covenant .
So he made a covenant with him ,
and sent him away .
*
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD ,
Smite me ,
I pray thee .
And the man refused to smite him .
*
Then said he unto him ,
Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD ,
behold ,
as soon as thou art departed from me ,
a lion shall slay thee .
And as soon as he was departed from him ,
a lion found him ,
and slew him .
*
Then he found another man ,
and said ,
Smite me ,
I pray thee .
And the man smote him ,
so that in smiting he wounded him .
*
So the prophet departed ,
and waited for the king by the way ,
and disguised himself with ashes upon his face .
*
And as the king passed by ,
he cried unto the king :
and he said ,
Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle ;
and ,
behold ,
a man turned aside ,
and brought a man unto me ,
and said ,
Keep this man :
if by any means he be missing ,
then shall thy life be for his life ,
or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver .
*
And as thy servant was busy here and there ,
he was gone .
And the king of Israel said unto him ,
So shall thy judgment be ;
thyself hast decided it .
*
And he hasted ,
and took the ashes away from his face ;
and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets .
*
And he said unto him ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction ,
therefore thy life shall go for his life ,
and thy people for his people .
*
And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased ,
and came to Samaria .
*
And it came to pass after these things ,
that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard ,
which was in Jezreel ,
hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria .
*
And Ahab spake unto Naboth ,
saying ,
Give me thy vineyard ,
that I may have it for a garden of herbs ,
because it is near unto my house :
and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it ;
or ,
if it seem good to thee ,
I will give thee the worth of it in money .
*
And Naboth said to Ahab ,
The LORD forbid it me ,
that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee .
*
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 thee the inheritance of my fathers .
And he laid him down upon his bed ,
and turned away his face ,
and would eat no bread .
*
But Jezebel his wife came to him ,
and said unto him ,
Why is thy spirit so sad ,
that thou eatest no bread ?
*
And he said unto her ,
Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite ,
and said unto him ,
Give me thy vineyard for money ;
or else ,
if it please thee ,
I will give thee another vineyard for it :
and he answered ,
I will not give thee my vineyard .
*
And Jezebel his wife said unto him ,
Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel ?
arise ,
and eat bread ,
and let thine heart be merry :
I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite .
*
So she wrote letters in Ahab '
s name ,
and sealed them with his seal ,
and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city ,
dwelling with Naboth .
*
And she wrote in the letters ,
saying ,
Proclaim a fast ,
and set Naboth on high among the people :
*
And set two men ,
sons of Belial ,
before him ,
to bear witness against him ,
saying ,
Thou didst blaspheme God and the king .
And then carry him out ,
and stone him ,
that he may die .
*
And the men of his city ,
even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city ,
did as Jezebel had sent unto them ,
and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them .
*
They proclaimed a fast ,
and set Naboth on high among the people .
*
And there came in two men ,
children of Belial ,
and sat before him :
and the men of Belial witnessed against him ,
even against Naboth ,
in the presence of the people ,
saying ,
Naboth did blaspheme God and the king .
Then they carried him forth out of the city ,
and stoned him with stones ,
that he died .
*
Then they sent to Jezebel ,
saying ,
Naboth is stoned ,
and is dead .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned ,
and was dead ,
that Jezebel said to Ahab ,
Arise ,
take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite ,
which he refused to give thee for money :
for Naboth is not alive ,
but dead .
*
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 .
*
And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite ,
saying ,
*
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 ,
Hast thou killed ,
and also taken possession ?
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 ,
even thine .
*
And Ahab said to Elijah ,
Hast thou found me ,
O mine enemy ?
And he answered ,
I have found thee :
because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD .
*
Behold ,
I will bring evil upon thee ,
and will take away thy posterity ,
and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall ,
and him that is shut up and left in Israel ,
*
And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat ,
and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah ,
for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger ,
and made Israel to sin .
*
And of Jezebel also spake the LORD ,
saying ,
The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel .
*
Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat ;
and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat .
*
But there was none like unto Ahab ,
which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD ,
whom Jezebel his wife stirred up .
*
And he did very abominably in following idols ,
according to all things as did the Amorites ,
whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel .
*
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 .
*
And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite ,
saying ,
*
Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me ?
because he humbleth himself before me ,
I will not bring the evil in his days :
but in his son '
s days will I bring the evil upon his house .
*
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel .
*
And it came to pass in the third year ,
that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel .
*
And the king of Israel said unto his servants ,
Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours ,
and we be still ,
and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria ?
*
And he said unto Jehoshaphat ,
Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead ?
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel ,
I am as thou art ,
my people as thy people ,
my horses as thy horses .
*
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel ,
Enquire ,
I pray thee ,
at the word of the LORD to day .
*
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together ,
about four hundred men ,
and said unto them ,
Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle ,
or shall I forbear ?
And they said ,
Go up ;
for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king .
*
And Jehoshaphat said ,
Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides ,
that we might enquire of him ?
*
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat ,
There is yet one man ,
Micaiah the son of Imlah ,
by whom we may enquire of the LORD :
but I hate him ;
for he doth not prophesy good concerning me ,
but evil .
And Jehoshaphat said ,
Let not the king say so .
*
Then the king of Israel called an officer ,
and said ,
Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah .
*
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne ,
having put on their robes ,
in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria ;
and all the prophets prophesied before them .
*
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron :
and he said ,
Thus saith the LORD ,
With these shalt thou push the Syrians ,
until thou have consumed them .
*
And all the prophets prophesied so ,
saying ,
Go up to Ramothgilead ,
and prosper :
for the LORD shall deliver it into the king '
s hand .
*
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him ,
saying ,
Behold now ,
the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth :
let thy word ,
I pray thee ,
be like the word of one of them ,
and speak that which is good .
*
And Micaiah said ,
As the LORD liveth ,
what the LORD saith unto me ,
that will I speak .
*
So he came to the king .
And the king said unto him ,
Micaiah ,
shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle ,
or shall we forbear ?
And he answered him ,
Go ,
and prosper :
for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king .
*
And the king said unto him ,
How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD ?
*
And he 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 the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat ,
Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me ,
but evil ?
*
And he said ,
Hear thou 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 ,
that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead ?
And one said on this manner ,
and another said on that manner .
*
And there came forth a spirit ,
and stood before the LORD ,
and said ,
I will persuade him .
*
And the LORD said unto him ,
Wherewith ?
And he said ,
I will go forth ,
and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets .
And he said ,
Thou shalt persuade him ,
and prevail also :
go forth ,
and do so .
*
Now therefore ,
behold ,
the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets ,
and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee .
*
But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near ,
and smote Micaiah on the cheek ,
and said ,
Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee ?
*
And Micaiah said ,
Behold ,
thou shalt see in that day ,
when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself .
*
And the king of Israel said ,
Take Micaiah ,
and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city ,
and to Joash the king '
s son ;
*
And say ,
Thus saith 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 .
*
And Micaiah said ,
If thou return at all in peace ,
the LORD hath not spoken by me .
And he said ,
Hearken ,
O people ,
every one of you .
*
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead .
*
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat ,
I will disguise myself ,
and enter into the battle ;
but put thou on thy robes .
And the king of Israel disguised himself ,
and went into the battle .
*
But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots ,
saying ,
Fight neither with small nor great ,
save only with the king of Israel .
*
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 .
*
And it came to pass ,
when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel ,
that they turned back from pursuing him .
*
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture ,
and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness :
wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot ,
Turn thine hand ,
and carry me out of the host ;
for I am wounded .
*
And the battle increased that day :
and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians ,
and died at even :
and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot .
*
And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun ,
saying ,
Every man to his city ,
and every man to his own country .
*
So the king died ,
and was brought to Samaria ;
and they buried the king in Samaria .
*
And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria ;
and the dogs licked up his blood ;
and they washed his armour ;
according unto the word of the LORD which he spake .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab ,
and all that he did ,
and the ivory house which he made ,
and all the cities that he built ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
*
So Ahab slept with his fathers ;
and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead .
*
And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel .
*
Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ;
and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem .
And his mother '
s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi .
*
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 burnt incense yet in the high places .
*
And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat ,
and his might that he shewed ,
and how he warred ,
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
*
And the remnant of the sodomites ,
which remained in the days of his father Asa ,
he took out of the land .
*
There was then no king in Edom :
a deputy was king .
*
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold :
but they went not ;
for the ships were broken at Eziongeber .
*
Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat ,
Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships .
But Jehoshaphat would not .
*
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 stead .
*
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 he served Baal ,
and worshipped him ,
and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel ,
according to all that his father had done .