rsv 2Chronicles:17-18 SEEK
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Jehosh '
aphat his son reigned in his stead ,
and strengthened himself against Israel .
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He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah ,
and set garrisons in the land of Judah ,
and in the cities of E '
phraim which Asa his father had taken .
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The LORD was with Jehosh '
aphat ,
because he walked in the earlier ways of his father ;
he did not seek the Ba '
als ,
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but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments ,
and not according to the ways of Israel .
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Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand ;
and all Judah brought tribute to Jehosh '
aphat ;
and he had great riches and honor .
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His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD ;
and furthermore he took the high places and the Ashe '
rim out of Judah .
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In the third year of his reign he sent his princes ,
Ben-hail ,
Obadi '
ah ,
Zechari '
ah ,
Nethan '
el ,
and Micai '
ah ,
to teach in the cities of Judah ;
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and with them the Levites ,
Shemai '
ah ,
Nethani '
ah ,
Zebadi '
ah ,
As '
ahel ,
Shemi '
ramoth ,
Jehon '
athan ,
Adoni '
jah ,
Tobi '
jah ,
and Tobadoni '
jah ;
and with these Levites ,
the priests Eli '
shama and Jeho '
ram .
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And they taught in Judah ,
having the book of the law of the LORD with them ;
they went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people .
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And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah ,
and they made no war against Jehosh '
aphat .
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Some of the Philistines brought Jehosh '
aphat presents ,
and silver for tribute ;
and the Arabs also brought him seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats .
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And Jehosh '
aphat grew steadily greater .
He built in Judah fortresses and store-cities ,
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and he had great stores in the cities of Judah .
He had soldiers ,
mighty men of valor ,
in Jerusalem .
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This was the muster of them by fathers '
houses :
Of Judah ,
the commanders of thousands :
Adnah the commander ,
with three hundred thousand mighty men of valor ,
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and next to him Jehoha '
nan the commander ,
with two hundred and eighty thousand ,
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and next to him Amasi '
ah the son of Zichri ,
a volunteer for the service of the LORD ,
with two hundred thousand mighty men of valor .
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Of Benjamin :
Eli '
ada ,
a mighty man of valor ,
with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield ,
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and next to him Jeho '
zabad with a hundred and eighty thousand armed for war .
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These were in the service of the king ,
besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah .
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Now Jehosh '
aphat had great riches and honor ;
and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab .
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After some years he went down to Ahab in Sama '
ria .
And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him ,
and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead .
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Ahab king of Israel said to Jehosh '
aphat king of Judah , "
Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead ?"
He answered him , "
I am as you are ,
my people as your people .
We will be with you in the war ."
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And Jehosh '
aphat said to the king of Israel , "
Inquire first for the word of the LORD ."
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Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together ,
four hundred men ,
and said to them , "
Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead ,
or shall I forbear ?"
And they said , "
Go up ;
for God will give it into the hand of the king ."
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But Jehosh '
aphat said , "
Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire ?"
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And the king of Israel said to Jehosh '
aphat , "
There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD ,
Micai '
ah the son of Imlah ;
but I hate him ,
for he never prophesies good concerning me ,
but always evil ."
And Jehosh '
aphat said , "
Let not the king say so ."
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Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said , "
Bring quickly Micai '
ah the son of Imlah ."
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Now the king of Israel and Jehosh '
aphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones ,
arrayed in their robes ;
and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Sama '
ria ;
and all the prophets were prophesying before them .
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And Zedeki '
ah the son of Chena '
anah made for himself horns of iron ,
and said , "
Thus says the LORD , `
With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed .'"
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And all the prophets prophesied so ,
and said , "
Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph ;
the LORD will give it into the hand of the king ."
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And the messenger who went to summon Micai '
ah said to him , "
Behold ,
the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king ;
let your word be like the word of one of them ,
and speak favorably ."
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But Micai '
ah said , "
As the LORD lives ,
what my God says ,
that I will speak ."
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And when he had come to the king ,
the king said to him , "
Micai '
ah ,
shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle ,
or shall I forbear ?"
And he answered , "
Go up and triumph ;
they will be given into your hand ."
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But the king said to him , "
How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD ?"
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And he said , "
I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains ,
as sheep that have no shepherd ;
and the LORD said , `
These have no master ;
let each return to his home in peace .'"
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And the king of Israel said to Jehosh '
aphat , "
Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me ,
but evil ?"
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And Micai '
ah said , "
Therefore hear the word of the LORD :
I saw the LORD sitting on his throne ,
and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left ;
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and the LORD said , `
Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel ,
that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead ?'
And one said one thing ,
and another said another .
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Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD ,
saying , `
I will entice him .'
And the LORD said to him , `
By what means ?'
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And he said , `
I will go forth ,
and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets .'
And he said , `
You are to entice him ,
and you shall succeed ;
go forth and do so .'
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Now therefore behold ,
the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets ;
the LORD has spoken evil concerning you ."
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Then Zedeki '
ah the son of Chena '
anah came near and struck Micai '
ah on the cheek ,
and said , "
Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you ?"
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And Micai '
ah said , "
Behold ,
you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself ."
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And the king of Israel said , "
Seize Micai '
ah ,
and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Jo '
ash the king '
s son ;
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and say , `
Thus says the king ,
Put this fellow in prison ,
and feed him with scant fare of bread and water ,
until I return in peace .'"
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And Micai '
ah said , "
If you return in peace ,
the LORD has not spoken by me ."
And he said , "
Hear ,
all you peoples !"
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So the king of Israel and Jehosh '
aphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead .
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And the king of Israel said to Jehosh '
aphat , "
I will disguise myself and go into battle ,
but you wear your robes ."
And the king of Israel disguised himself ;
and they went into battle .
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Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots , "
Fight with neither small nor great ,
but only with the king of Israel ."
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And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehosh '
aphat ,
they said , "
It is the king of Israel ."
So they turned to fight against him ;
and Jehosh '
aphat cried out ,
and the LORD helped him .
God drew them away from him ,
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for when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel ,
they turned back from pursuing him .
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But a certain man drew his bow at a venture ,
and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate ;
therefore he said to the driver of his chariot , "
Turn about ,
and carry me out of the battle ,
for I am wounded ."
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And the battle grew hot that day ,
and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening ;
then at sunset he died .
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Jehosh '
aphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem .