The Divided Kingdom

ADONAI asked, 'How?' and he answered, 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' ADONAI said, 'You will succeed in enticing him. Go, and do it.'

So now ADONAI has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; meanwhile, ADONAI has ordained disaster for you."

Then Tzidkiyah the son of Kena'anah came up, slapped Mikhay'hu in the face and said, "And how did the Spirit of ADONAI leave me to speak to you?"

Mikhay'hu said, "You'll find out the day you go into an inside room, trying to hide."

The king of Isra'el said, "Seize Mikhay'hu, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and Yo'ash the king's son.

Say, 'The king says to put this man in prison; and feed him only bread and water, and not much of that, until I return in peace.'"

Mikhay'hu said, "If you return in peace at all, ADONAI has not spoken through me!" Then he added, "Did you hear me, you peoples, all of you?"

So the king of Isra'el and Y'hoshafat the king of Y'hudah went up to Ramot-Gil'ad.

The king of Isra'el said to Y'hoshafat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you, put on your robes." So the king of Isra'el disguised himself and went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had ordered the thirty-two chariot commanders, "Don't attack anyone of either high or low rank, only the king of Isra'el."

So when the chariot commanders saw Y'hoshafat they said, "This must be the king of Isra'el," and turned to attack him. But Y'hoshafat gave a yell,

so that the chariot commanders saw that he wasn't the king of Isra'el and stopped pursuing him.

However, one soldier shot an arrow at random and struck the king of Isra'el between his lower armor and his breastplate. So the king said to his chariot-driver, "Turn the reins, and take me out of the fighting; I'm collapsing from my wounds."

But the fighting grew fiercer that day; and they propped the king upright in his chariot facing Aram until he died, in the evening, with the blood streaming from his wound onto the floor of the chariot.

Around sundown, a cry spread through the ranks: "Every man to his own town! Every man to his own land!"

So the king died and was brought to Shomron, and they buried the king in Shomron.

They washed the chariot at the Pool of Shomron where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up his blood, in keeping with the word ADONAI had spoken.

Other activities of Ach'av's reign, all his accomplishments, the ivory palace he built and all the cities he built are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el.

So Ach'av slept with his ancestors, and Achazyah his son became king in his place.

Y'hoshafat the son of Asa began his reign over Y'hudah in the fourth year of Ach'av king of Isra'el.

Y'hoshafat was thirty-five years old when he began to rule, and he ruled twenty-five years in Yerushalayim. His mother's name was 'Azuvah the daughter of Shilchi.

He lived in the manner of Asa his father and did not turn away from it, doing what was right from ADONAI's perspective;

(43b) although the high places were not taken away - the people still sacrificed and presented offerings on the high places. Y'hoshafat made peace with the king of Isra'el.

Other activities of Y'hoshafat, all his power that he demonstrated and how he made war are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y'hudah.

He rid the land of the male and female cult-prostitutes remaining from the time of his father Asa.