I Kings Chapter 22

Melachim | Kings

They lived for three years [during which] there was not any war between Aram and Israel.
22:1
He then said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to do battle [for] Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I shall be like you, my people shall be like your people, my horses shall be like your horses.”
:4
Jehoshaphat then said to the king of Israel, “Inquire, please, today, of the word of Hashem.”
:5
Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer here a prophet of Hashem of whom we may inquire?
:7
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man through whom to inquire of Hashem; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good for me, only bad — Micaiahu son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not speak this way!”
:8
The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiahu spoke to him, saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable towards the king; please let you words be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably!”
:13
But Micaiahu said, “As Hashem lives, [I swear] that whatever Hashem says to me, that shall I speak!”
:14
The king then said to him, “I adjure you many times over that you speak to me nothing but the truth, in the name of Hashem!”
:16
[Micaiahu] then said, “I have seen all of Israel scattering to the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and Hashem saying. ‘These have no masters; let each man go to his house in peace!’”
:17
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?
:18
[Micaiahu] said [further], “Therefore listen to the word of Hashem! I have seen Hashem sitting upon His throne, with the host of Heaven standing by Him, on His right and on His left.
:19
Then the spirit came forward and stood before Hashem and said, ‘I shall lure him!’ And Hashem said, ‘How?’
:21
[The spirit] replied, ‘I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all his prophets.’ And [Hashem] said, ‘You will lure him and you will succeed! Go forth and do so!’
:22
And now, behold! Hashem has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, for Hashem has decreed evil upon you.”
:23
Micaiahu said, “If you indeed return in peace, then Hashem did not speak through me!” and he said [further], “Hear this, all the peoples!”
:28
The king of Aram commanded his thirty two chariot commanders, saying, “Do not wage war with anyone weak or strong, but only with the king of Israel himself.”
:31
A man [of Aram] drew his bow aimlessly, yet hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. …
:34
The king had died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
:37
[The driver] rinsed out the chariot at the pool of Samaria; the dogs licked up [the king’s] blood, and the harlots bathed [in it] — like the word of Hashem that He had spoken.
:38
Ahad lay with his forefather and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
:40
Jehoshaphat lay with his forefathers and was buried with his forefathers in the city of David his forefather; his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
:51
Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.
:52
He did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem, and he went in the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.
:53

Daily Holy Bible Reading

1 And they lived [peacefully] three years; there were no wars between Aram; and Israel.
2 And it was during 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: “Do you know that Ramoth-Gilead is ours, and we are doing nothing about taking it out of the hands of the king of Aram.”
4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to do battle in Ramoth Gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: “I am as you are, my people is as your people, my horses are as your horses.”
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: “Please inquire today the word of the Lord. “
6 And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men and said to them, “Shall I go on to Ramoth Gilead, to do battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Ascend, and the Lord will deliver [it] into the hands of the king.”
7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here from whom we may inquire?”
8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man from whom to inquire the word of the Lord, but I hate him for he does not prophesy good about me, only bad; Micaiah the son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say so.”
9 And the king of Israel summoned one eunuch, and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah at once.”
10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah were seated each on his throne, dressed in [their] attire in a threshing-floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself iron horns, and he said, “So said the Lord, ‘With these shall you gore the Arameans until you destroy them completely.’ “
12 And all the prophets were prophesying so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph, and the Lord will deliver [it] into the king’s hand.”
13 Now the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah, spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and you shall speak favorably.”
14 And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, for what the Lord will say to me, that will I speak.”
15 And he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall we refrain?” And he said to him, “Go up and triumph, and may the Lord deliver it into the king’s hand.”
16 And the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you that you shall not speak to me but truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 And he said, “I saw all the Israelites scattered over the mountains like sheep who have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let them return each one to his house in peace.’ “
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he does not prophesy good concerning me, only bad?”
19 And he said, “Therefore, listen to the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord seated on His throne, and all the host of heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left.
20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead?’ One said in this manner and another one said in that manner.
21 And a certain spirit came forth and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him,’ and the Lord said to him ‘How?’
22 And he said, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And He said, ‘You will entice and you will prevail. Go forth and do so.’
23 And now, behold the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, whereas the Lord spoke evil concerning you.”
24 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and he said, “Which [way] did the spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak with you?”
25 And Micaiah said, “Behold you will see on that day that you will come into a chamber within a chamber to hide.”
26 And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the mayor of the city and to Joash the king’s son.
27 And you shall say, ‘So said the king, “Place this one in prison, and feed him a scant amount of bread and a scant amount of water until I come back in peace.’ “
28 And Micaiah said: “If you will return in peace, the Lord did not speak to me.” And he said, “All the nations listen.”
29 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 battle, and you wear your [regal] garb; the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 The king of Aram commanded the thirty-two officers of his chariots saying, “Attack neither small nor great, except the king of Israel only.”
32 And it was when the officers of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat that they said: “This is but the king of Israel.” They turned upon him to attack [him] and Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 And it was when the officers of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from [going] after him.
34 A man drew his bow innocently and hit the king of Israel between the scales and the coat of mail, and he said to his charioteer, “Turn your hand and carry me out of the camp for I have become sick.”
35 The battle became more intense that day and the king was standing in the chariot against the Arameans. He died at evening and the blood of his wounds ran out into the inside of the chariot.
36 A cry passed through the camp as the sun went down saying, “Everyone to his city, every person to his country.”
37 And the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And he washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked his blood, and they washed the weapons there as according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken.
39 The remainder of the deeds of Ahab and all that he accomplished and the ivory palace which he built and all the cities that he built are written in the book of Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
40 Ahab lay with his forefathers, and Achaziah his son reigned in his place.
41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab the king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years of age when he became king; he reigned twenty- five years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 He went in all the ways of his father Asa-he did not veer from those ways-doing what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.
44 However, the high places [of worship] he did not remove. The people were still sacrificing and offering in the high places.
45 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
46 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his heroic deeds that he performed and [the wars] he fought, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
47 The remainder of the prostitutes that remained from the days of Asa his father he purged from the land.
48 There was no king in Edom; a governor was king.
49 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold; but he did not go, since the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber.
50 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat did not want.
51 Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
52 Ahaziah the son of Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and he ruled over Israel for two years.
53 He did what was bad in the eyes of the Lord. He went in the path of his father and the path of his mother, and in the path of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
54 He worshipped the Baal, he bowed to him and he provoked the Lord, God of Israel to anger, like all that his father had done.

Exposé | Moral

What Is Truth?

It may be not pleasant in your hearing.

Most people ignore or disregard truth and continue with lies; especially in matters of G-d.

Find out the basis of knowing the truth (v. 14).

Truth Hurts and Upsets.

Truth is Not Feel Good.