The Prophet Micaiah Warns Ahab
(1 Kings 22.1-28)1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah became rich and famous, he arranged a marriage between a member of his family and the family of King Ahab of Israel. 2 A number of years later Jehoshaphat went to the city of Samaria to visit Ahab. To honor Jehoshaphat and those with him, Ahab had a large number of sheep and cattle slaughtered for a feast. He tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 3 He asked, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “I am ready when you are, and so is my army. We will join you.” 4 Then he added, “But first let's consult the Lord.”
5 So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, “Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?”
“Attack it,” they answered. “God will give you victory.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the Lord?”
7 Ahab answered, “There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad.”
“You shouldn't say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
8 So King Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once.
9 The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 10 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.’” 11 All the other prophets said the same thing. “March against Ramoth and you will win,” they said. “The Lord will give you victory.”
12 Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, “All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same.”
13 But Micaiah answered, “By the living Lord I will say what my God tells me to!”
14 When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?”
“Attack!” Micaiah answered. “Of course you'll win. The Lord will give you victory.”
15 But Ahab replied, “When you speak to me in the name of the Lord, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?”
16 Micaiah answered, “I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.’”
17 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you that he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad!”
18 Micaiah went on: “Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him. 19 The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and get killed at Ramoth?’ Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, 20 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ ‘How?’ the Lord asked. 21 The spirit replied, ‘I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.’ The Lord said, ‘Go and deceive him. You will succeed.’”
22 And Micaiah concluded: “This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!”
23 Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, “Since when did the Lord's spirit leave me and speak to you?”
24 “You will find out when you go into some back room to hide,” Micaiah replied.
25 Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, “Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash. 26 Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely.”
27 “If you return safely,” Micaiah exclaimed, “then the Lord has not spoken through me!” And he added, “Listen, everyone, to what I have said!”
The Death of Ahab
(1 Kings 22.29-35)28 Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 29 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself, but you wear your royal garments.” So the king of Israel went into battle in disguise.
30 The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel. 31 So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat gave a shout, and the Lord God rescued him and turned the attack away from him. 32 The chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, so they stopped pursuing him. 33 By chance, however, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow which struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. “I'm wounded!” he cried out to his chariot driver. “Turn around and pull out of the battle!” 34 While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. At sunset he died.
Omuprofete Mikaja ma rongo Ahab
(1Ozo 22:1-28)1 Josafat, ombara ya Juda, tja rira omutumbe nomutjiukwa, wa hungira orukupo rwomundu weṱunḓu re nora Ahab, ombara ya Israel. 2 Kombunda yozombura tjiva, Josafat wa ya kOsamaria okukavarura Ahab. Nu Ahab wa zepa ozonḓu nozongombe ozengi okutjitira Josafat na imba mba ri puna ye omukandi. Eye wina wa rora okupopa Josafat e rikute kuna ye kutja ve karwise otjihuro Ramot mOgilead. 3 Ahab wa pura Josafat a tja: “Mo yenene okuyenda puna ami okukarwisa Ramot mOgilead?”
Josafat wa zira a tja: “Ove tji we rirongere puna otjimbumba tjoye tjovita, ami wina me rirongere puna ihi otjandje. Matu rikutu kuna ove.” 4 Tjazumba a tja: “Nungwari rutenga pura Muhona otjiṋa hi.”
5 Ahab otja woronganisa ovaprofete mangara omasere yane ne ve pura nai: “Hi karwise Ramot mOgilead?”
Owo va zira ave tja: “Ketjirwise! Ndjambi me ku pe outoṋi.”
6 Nungwari Josafat wa pura nai: “kape nomuprofete warwe ngu ma sora okutupurira ku Muhona are?”
7 Ahab wa zira a tja: “Ingee pena umwe, ingwi Mikaja, omuzandu wa Imla. Nungwari ami mbe mu tonda, eye tjinga e he ndji ukire otjiṋa otjiwa, posi ya aruhe tjinga e ndji ukira oviwonga uriri.”
Josafat wa zira a tja: “O tja nao.”
8 Ombara Ahab otja isana omukarere ombondo wondjuwo youhona ne mu raere kutja a kaete Mikaja tjimanga.
9 Ozombara azeyembari za haama kovihavero vyazo vyouhona potjitondero pendje yomuvero wa Samaria, aza zara otupera twazo twouhona; novaprofete avehe va ukira momurungu wazo. 10 Umwe wovaprofete mba, ngwa ri nena Sidkija, omuzandu wa Kenana, we riungurira ozonya zovitenda, na tja ku Ahab: “Muhona ma tja nai: ‘Ove mo rwisa Ovasirie nozonya otja inḓa, nga tji we ve yandeke.’ ” 11 Ovaprofete avehe varwe va hungira tjingetjo nave tja: “Karwise Ramot mOgilead, nove moka toṋa. Muhona me ku pe outoṋi.”
12 Omukarere ingwi ombondo ngwa ya okukaeta Mikaja wa tja nai ku ye: “Ovaprofete avehe varwe va ukira ombara ouṋingandu, nove tjita otja ovakweṋu wina.”
13 Nungwari Mikaja wa zira a tja: “Tjiri, tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo ami me hungire imbi Ndjambi mbi me ndji raere.”
14 Neye tje ya kombara Ahab, eye we mu pura na tja ku ye: “Mika, ami nombara Josafat ngatu karwise Ramot mOgilead?”
Mikaja wa zira a tja: “Twendeye, nu mamu ka toṋa. Muhona me mu pe outoṋi.”
15 Nungwari Ahab we mu zira a tja: “Tji mo hungire ku ami mena ra Muhona, hungira ouatjiri! Mbi sokukuraera ovikando vingapi?”
16 Mikaja wa zira a tja: “Ami mba muna Ovaisrael avehe ava rimbara kozondunda tjimuna ozonḓu nḓe hi nomurise. Nu Muhona wa tja: ‘Ovandu mba kave nomunane, ve esa ve yaruke kozoyawo mohange.’ ”
17 Ahab wa tja nai ku Josafat: “Ami mbe ku raera kutja Mika kemee ndji ukire otjiṋa otjiwa; aruhe me ndji ukire oviwonga uriri!”
18 Mikaja wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Nambano puratena ku imbi Muhona mbi ma hungire. Ami mba munu Muhona a haama kotjihavero tje tjouhona meyuru, ovaengeri ve avehe ava kurama posi ye. 19 Muhona wa pura a tja: ‘Owaṋi ngu ma popo Ahab kutja a kaṱire kOramot mOgilead?’ Ovaengeri tjiva va hungira otjiṋa tjimwe nu imba ovakwao va hungira otjiṋa tjarwe, 20 nga ombepo imwe tji ya kayenda komurungu, ai ya ku Muhona nai tja: ‘Ami me mu popo.’ Muhona we i pura nai: ‘Mo mu popo omuhingo uṋe?’ 21 Ombepo ya zira ai tja: ‘Ami me katjita kutja ovaprofete va Ahab avehe ve kore ovizeze!’ Muhona wa tja ku yo: ‘Twende u kemupope. Ove moka toṋa!’ ”
22 Nu Mikaja wa mana okuhungira na tja ku Ahab: “Pa tjitwa nai, Muhona wa tjita kutja ovaprofete voye ve ku korere ovizeze. Nungwari Muhona omuini we ku yengera otjiwonga!”
23 Sidkija, omuzandu wa Kenana, wa ya ku Mikaja ne mu tono orupyu kotjitama na tja ku ye: “Ombepo ya Muhona ya za mo vi mu ami nai kahungira na ove?”
24 Mikaja wa zira nai: “Ove mo rimunine omuini meyuva ndo tji mo kerihoreka metuwo romokwara.”
25 Ombara Ahab wa rakiza komukarere we umwe na tja: “Kambura Mikaja u mu tware ku Amon, ingwi ongooneya yotjihuro, na ku Joas, omuzandu wombara. 26 Ve raera kutja ve mu yumbe motjovakamburwa, nu ve mu pe ozomboroto nomeva uriri, nga tji mba kotoka nokuhinatjipo.”
27 Mikaja wa zira a tja: “Tji wa kotoka nokuhinatjipo, okutja Muhona ka hungirire notjinyo tjandje.” Neye wina wa weza na tja nai: “Auhe weṋu nga puratene ku inga ngu mba hungire.”
Onḓiro ya Ahab
(1Ozo 22:29-35)28 Ahab, ombara ya Israel, na Josafat, ombara ya Juda, otji va karwisa otjihuro Ramot mOgilead. 29 Ahab wa tja nai ku Josafat: “Tji matu i kovita ami me riteturura, nungwari ove mo i awe ri zarisa otja ombara.” Ombara ya Israel otji ya ya kovita aye riteturura.
30 Ombara ya Sirie ya rakizire kovatye vomatemba wayo wovita kutja ave ha nanene omundu warwe motjirwa posi yombara ya Israel aiyerike. 31 Owo tji va muna ombara Josafat, avehe va tjangovasi eye onguri ombara ya Israel, nave mu rwisa. Nungwari Josafat wa ravaera ku wo, nu Muhona, Ndjambi, we mu yama, na isa ko otjirwa ku ye. 32 Ovatye vomatemba wovita tji va muna kutja eye kangu ri ngwi ombara ya Israel, otji va isa okumutezera. 33 Nungwari Omusirie wa yumba otjiku ohei na yaha ombara Ahab pomahakaeneno wombanda ye yotjitenda nekwamo. Ahab wa ravaera komuhinge wetemba re rovita a tja: “Mba yahwa!” Neye we mu raera kutja a pitise etemba motjirwa. 34 Otjirwa ngunda atja handja, ombara Ahab wa tjaererwa metemba re rovita a hungamasana nOvasirie. Momahitiro weyuva eye otja koka.
