Micaiah Warns King Ahab of Israel
(1 Kings 22.1-28)1 Jehoshaphat was now very rich and famous. He signed a treaty with King Ahab of Israel by arranging the marriage of his son and Ahab's daughter.
2 One day, Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab in his capital city of Samaria. Ahab slaughtered sheep and cattle and prepared a big feast to honor Jehoshaphat and the officials with him. Ahab talked about attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead, 3 and finally asked, “Jehoshaphat, would you go with me to attack Ramoth?”
“Yes,” Jehoshaphat answered. “My army is at your command. 4 But first let's ask the Lord what to do.”
5 Ahab sent for 400 prophets and asked, “Should I attack the city of Ramoth?”
“Yes!” the prophets answered. “God will help you capture the city.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Just to make sure, is there another of the Lord's prophets we can ask?”
7 “We could ask Micaiah son of Imlah,” Ahab said. “But I hate Micaiah. He always has bad news for me.”
“Don't say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. 8 Then Ahab sent someone to bring Micaiah as soon as possible.
9 All this time, Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes and were seated on their thrones at the threshing place near the gate of Samaria, listening to the prophets tell them what the Lord had said.
10 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah was one of the prophets. He had made some horns out of iron and shouted, “Ahab, the Lord says you will attack the Syrians like a bull with iron horns and wipe them out!”
11 All the prophets agreed that Ahab should attack the Syrians at Ramoth and promised that the Lord would help him defeat them.
12 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, “Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing.”
13 “I'll say whatever the living Lord my God tells me to say,” Micaiah replied.
14 Then Micaiah went up to Ahab, who asked, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth?”
“Yes!” Micaiah answered. “The Lord will help you capture the city.”
15 Ahab shouted, “Micaiah, I've told you over and over to tell me the truth! What does the Lord really say?”
16 Micaiah answered, “In a vision I saw Israelite soldiers wandering around, lost in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These troops have no leader. They should go home and not fight.’ ”
17 Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you he would bring me bad news!”
18 Micaiah replied:
I then saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. 19 The Lord asked, “Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed?”
They talked about it for a while, 20 then finally a spirit came forward and said to the Lord, “I can trick Ahab.”
“How?” the Lord asked.
21 “I'll make Ahab's prophets lie to him.”
“Good!” the Lord replied. “Now go and do it. You will be successful.”
22 Ahab, this is exactly what has happened. The Lord made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed.
23 Zedekiah walked over and slapped Micaiah on the face. Then he asked, “Do you really think the Lord would speak to you and not to me?”
24 Micaiah answered, “You'll find out on the day you have to hide in the back room of some house.”
25 Ahab shouted, “Arrest Micaiah! Take him to Prince Joash and Governor Amon of Samaria. 26 Tell them to put him in prison and to give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.”
27 Micaiah said, “If you do come back, I was wrong about what the Lord wanted me to say.” Then he told the crowd, “Don't forget what I said!”
Ahab Dies at Ramoth
(1 Kings 22.29-35)28 Ahab and Jehoshaphat led their armies to Ramoth in Gilead. 29 Before they went into battle, Ahab said, “Jehoshaphat, I'll disguise myself, but you wear your royal robe.” Ahab disguised himself and went into battle.
30 The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack only Ahab. 31 So when they saw Jehoshaphat in his robe, they thought he was Ahab and started to attack him. But Jehoshaphat prayed, and the Lord made the Syrian soldiers stop. 32 And when they realized he wasn't Ahab, they left him alone.
33 However, during the fighting a soldier shot an arrow without even aiming, and it hit Ahab between two pieces of his armor. He shouted to his chariot driver, “I've been hit! Get me out of here!”
34 The fighting lasted all day, with Ahab propped up in his chariot so he could see the Syrian troops. He stayed there until evening, and by sundown he was dead.
Ahab naJosafat tava lwifa Aram
1 Ndele Josafat eshi a yada oupuna nefimano, okwa ninga oshitenya shaAhab. 2 Ndele eshi pa pita omido dimwe, okwa ya kuAhab kuSamaria, ndele Ahab okwe mu tomena novakwaita vaye ovo va li puye, eedi neengobe dihapu. Ndele Ahab okwe mu heka a ye naye okuhomona Ramot shomuGilead. 3 Ndele Ahab, ohamba yaIsrael, ya lombwela Josafat, ohamba yaJuda, tai ti: “Hatu i tuu pamwe naave kuRamot shomuGilead?” Nokwe i nyamukula: “Aame ongaashi ove, noshiwana shange ongaashi shoye. Ohatu ka ya pamwe naave koita.” 4 Josafat okwa lombwela vali ohamba yaIsrael, ta ti: “Ndelenee pula tete ondjovo yOmwene.” 5 Opo nee ohamba yaIsrael ya ifana ovaxunganeki, ve fike pomafele ane ndele tai va pula: “Nandi ka homone tuu Ramot shomuGilead ile nandi shi efe?” Ndele venya va nyamukula: “Inda, u ke shi homone, osheshi Kalunga ote ku pe efindano.” 6 Ndelenee Josafat ta ti: “Kape na vali omuxunganeki umwe e tu pulile kOmwene?” 7 Ahab okwa nyamukula, ta ti: “Oku na vali umwe, Mikaia yaJimla, ndelenee ame ohandi mu tondo, osheshi ye ita xunganekele nge nande ouwa, ndelenee alushe owii.” Josafat okwa nyamukula: “Ino popya ngaho!” 8 Opo nee ohamba yaIsrael ya ifana elenga layo ndele tai ti: “Inda u ka tale ko diva Mikaia yaJimla.”
9 Fimbo ohamba yaIsrael naJosafat, ohamba yaJuda, keshe imwe ya kala omutumba kolukalwapangelo layo, ndele da li da djala oikutu youhamba koshipale poshivelo shaSamaria, novaxunganeki aveshe tava xunganeke moipafi yado, 10 Sedekia yaKenaana okwe li ningila eembinga doshivela ndele ta ti: “Omwene ta ti ngaha: ‘Naadi ove to ka twa Ovaarami fiyo we va mana po.’ ” 11 Novaxunganeki aveshe osho va xunganeka ndele tava ti: “Fikama u homone Ramot shomuGilead, ndele to ka mona elao, nOmwene ote ke shi yandja momake ohamba.” 12 Opo nee omutumwa ou a ya a ka tale Mikaia, okwe mu lombwela: “Tala, ovaxunganeki aveshe va xunganekela ohamba ouwa. Ondjovo yoye yo nai kale ngaashi eendjovo davo, u xunganeke oinima iwa.” 13 Ndelenee Mikaia ta ti: “Oshili, ngaashi Omwene e nomwenyo, oshili, osho Kalunga te shi lombwele nge, osho handi ka popya!”
14 Eshi e uya kohamba, ohamba tai ti kuye: “Mikaia, fye naJosafat, natu ka homone tuu Ramot shomuGilead ile ahowe?” Ndele ye ota nyamukula: “Heeno, homoneni, osheshi oshili tamu ka findana; Omwene ote mu pe efindano.” 15 Nohamba Ahab tai ti kuye: “Nge to popi naame medina lOmwene, popya oshili. Olungapi ndi na oku ku lombwela?” 16 Opo nee a nyamukula: “Ame nda mona Ovaisraeli aveshe va halakanifwa keemhunda ngaashi eedi dihe namufita. NOmwene okwa tya: ‘Vo vehe na vali omuwiliki, nava shune nombili komaumbo avo.’ ” 17 Opo Ahab okwa tya kuJosafat: “Inandi ku lombwela kutya, winya iha xunganekele nge ouwa, alushe owii ashike?” 18 Mikaia ta ti vali: “Pwilikina ondjovo yOmwene, eshi ta ti: Ame nda mona Omwene e li omutumba kolukalwapangelo laye meulu, novaengeli aveshe va kala ofika puye. 19 NOmwene okwa pula: ‘Olyelye ta ka weweleka Ahab, opo a ka homone ye a ka file muRamot?’ Ndele ovaengeli ova nyamukula shi lili nashi lili. 20 Opo nee omhepo ye uya pOmwene, ndele ya tya: ‘Ame ohandi ka weweleka Ahab.’ NOmwene okwa pula: ‘Ngahelipi?’ 21 Ndele omhepo oye mu lombwela: ‘Ame ohandi ka ya ndi ninge omhepo yoipupulu momakanya ovaxunganeki vaye aveshe.’ Ndele Omwene okwe mu lombwela: ‘Inda u ke mu weweleke, osheshi oto ka findana.’ 22 Ndele Mikaia okwe mu lombwela, ta ti: ‘Eshi sha ningwa osheshi Omwene okwa ninga ovaxunganeki voye ve ku fufye, ashike Ye mwene okwa tokola e ku tumine omupya.’ ” 23 Opo nee Sedekia a yambuka nokwa denga Mikaia enghava moshipala, nde ta ti: “Onaini hano Omhepo yOmwene ya dja mo mwaame i uye i popye mwoove?” 24 Ndele Mikaia okwa nyamukula: “Tala, ove oto ke shi mona shito mefiku to ka hondama meendjuwo kofindo.” 25 Ndelenee ohamba Ahab ya lombwela elenga: “Kwateni Mikaia, mu mu twale kuAmon, ngoloneya woshilando, nokuJoas, omona wohamba. 26 Ndele u noku va lombwela ve mu tule modolongo, vo ve mu pe omungome nomeva ongaho, fiyo ame handi aluka inandi mona oshiponga.” 27 Mikaia okwa nyamukula: “Ngeenge to aluka ino mona oshiponga, otashi ti Omwene ina popya mwaame.” Nokwa tya vali: “Keshe umwe na ude eshi nda popya!”
28 Opo nee ohamba yaIsrael naJosafat, ohamba yaJuda, da ya kuRamot shomuGilead. 29 Nohamba yaIsrael ya lombwela Josafat: “Ame ohandi djalulula, ndi lidimbike ndele handi ka ya kolwoodi.” Ove kala po wa djala oshikutu shoye shouhamba. Ohamba yaIsrael ya djalulula ndele tai i kolwoodi. 30 Nohamba yaAram ya li ya lombwela ovakulunhu vomatemba oita ndele tai ti: “Inamu lwifa vamwe ve lili, ngeenge elenga ile omufyoona, lwifeni ohamba yaIsrael aike.” 31 Novakulunhu vomatemba oita eshi va mona Josafat, ova diladila: “Oye ohamba yaIsrael,” ndele va hovela oku mu lwifa. Opo nee Josafat okwa kuwa. Omwene okwe mu kwafa, naKalunga okwe va heka po, va dje po puye. 32 Ovakulunhu vomatemba oita eshi va mona nokutya, winya ke fi ohamba yaIsrael, ova dja po puye. 33 Ndelenee omulumenhu umwe, ou a li a shila outa waye ina shoneka, okwa yasha ohamba yaIsrael pokati komwiya noshivela shoponhulo. Opo nee oya lombwela omushingi wetemba layo: “Alula etemba, u kufe nge molwoodi, osheshi nda yashwa.” 34 Ndele efiku olo olwoodi la ninga linene, onghee hano ohamba yaIsrael ya kala ofika metemba layo nokutaalela Ovaarami fiyo onguloshi. Pokuningina kwetango oya fya.
