The Prophet Micaiah Warns Ahab
(2 Chronicles 18.2-27)1 There was peace between Israel and Syria for the next two years, 2 but in the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to see King Ahab of Israel.
3 Ahab asked his officials, “Why is it that we have not done anything to get back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria? It belongs to us!” 4 And Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?”
“I am ready when you are,” Jehoshaphat answered, “and so are my soldiers and my cavalry. 5 But first let's consult the Lord.”
6 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. “The Lord will give you victory.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the Lord?”
8 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.
9 Then Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once.
10 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. 11 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.’” 12 All the other prophets said the same thing. “March against Ramoth and you will win,” they said. “The Lord will give you victory.”
13 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.”
14 But Micaiah answered, “By the living Lord I promise that I will say what he tells me to!”
15 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.”
16 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?”
17 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.’”
18 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good for me? It's always something bad!”
19 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. 20 The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?’ Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, 21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ 22 ‘How?’ the Lord asked. 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.’”
23 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!”
24 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?”
25 “You will find out when you go into some back room to hide,” Micaiah replied.
26 Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, “Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash. 27 Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely.”
28 “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
(2 Chronicles 18.28-34)29 Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead. 30 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.
31 The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel. 32 So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But when he cried out, 33 they realized that he was not the king of Israel, and they stopped their attack. 34 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!”
35 While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. The blood from his wound ran down and covered the bottom of the chariot, and at evening he died. 36 Near sunset the order went out through the Israelite ranks: “Each of you go back to your own country and city!”
37 So died King Ahab. His body was taken to Samaria and buried. 38 His chariot was cleaned up at the pool of Samaria, where dogs licked up his blood and prostitutes washed themselves, as the Lord had said would happen.
39 Everything else that King Ahab did, including an account of his palace decorated with ivory and of all the cities he built, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 40 At his death his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah
(2 Chronicles 20.31—21.1)41 In the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah 42 at the age of thirty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; but the places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 44 Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, all his bravery and his battles, are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 46 He got rid of all the male and female prostitutes serving at the pagan altars who were still left from the days of his father Asa.
47 The land of Edom had no king; it was ruled by a deputy appointed by the king of Judah.
48 King Jehoshaphat had ocean-going ships built to sail to the land of Ophir for gold; but they were wrecked at Eziongeber and never sailed. 49 Then King Ahaziah of Israel offered to let his men sail with Jehoshaphat's men, but Jehoshaphat refused the offer.
50 Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Jehoram succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Israel
51 In the seventeenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years. 52 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of his father Ahab, his mother Jezebel, and King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin. 53 He worshiped and served Baal, and like his father before him, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.
Kēbo-aob Mikajab ge Axaba ra ǃkhâikhom
(2 Kroniks 18:2-27)1 ǃNona kurigu ǁaeba i ge toro-e Siriab tsî Israeli tsîkha ǁaegu ge hâ tama hâ i, 2 xawe ǃnonaǁî kurib ǃnâb ge Judab gao-aob Josafata, Israeli gao-aob Axab ǁga ge ǃgû.
3 Gao-aob Axab ge ǁîb di ǂamkhoega ǃoa ge mî: “Sago ge Gileadi ǃnâ ǂnôa ǃās Ramots a sada di ǃkhaisa ǃgâise a ǂan, xawe da ge ǁîsa Siriab gao-aoba xu hō-oas ǃaroma xū-i xare-e dī tama hâ.” 4 Tsîb ge Axaba Josafata ge dî: “ǃGûts nî tita ǀkha, Ramots ǃoagu sī nî ǃkhamse?”
Ob ge Josafata ge ǃeream: “Tita ge sats ǀkha a ǀgui, ti toroǃkhamaogu ge a sa tsî ti hāgu ge a sa, 5 xawe aibe ǃKhūb ai dî re.”
6 Ob ge gao-aob Axaba kēbo-aogu, ǁaubexa hakakaidisiga ǂgaiǀhao tsî ǁîga ge dî: “ǃKham ta sī nî Ramots ǃoagu tamas ka io ta nî ǀû?”
O gu ge ǁîga “ǃKham sī, ǃKhūb ǁîs ǂama dansa nî mā tsi xuige” ti ge ǃeream.
7 Xaweb ge Josafata “ǀNî kēbo-ao-i, ǁî-i ǃnâ-u khom ǃKhūba nî dî-e nēpa a ǀkhai?” ti ge dî.
8 Ob ge Axaba ge ǃeream: “ǀGuib ge noxopa hâ, Imlab ôab Mikajaba, xawe ta ge tita ǁîba ǁkhan hâ, tita xab ǀgui ǃgâi xū-i tsîna kēbo tama tsî tsū xūn ǀguina ra kēbo xui-ao.”
Josafati ge “Tā ǁnāti mî” ti ge ǃeream.
9 Ob ge Axaba gao-ommi di ǂamkhoeba ǂgai tsî ge mîmā, îb Mikajaba ǃhaese sī ū.
10 Gao-aob Axab tsî gao-aob Josafati tsîkha ge gao-aosi sarana ana hâse, dāǃnâǃkhais tawa, Samarias dao-ams ais ai tronra âkha ai ge ǂnôa i, tsî gu ge kēbo-aogu hoaga ǁîkha ais ai gere kēbo. 11 ǁÎgu di ǀguib Sedekiab, Kenaanab ôab ge ǂnūǀuri ǁnâkha dībasen tsî ge mî: “Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: ‘Nēkha ǀkhats ge Siriaǁîn ǃoagu ǃkham tsî ǁîna hoaragase nî hîkākā.’ ” 12 Nau kēbo-aogu hoagu ge ǁnās ǁkhāsa ge mî: “Ramots Gileadi ǃnâ ǂnôas ǃoagu sī ǃkham dants nî xuige. ǃKhūb ge dansa nî mā tsi.”
13 Mikajaba ge ǂgaiǃgû sîsabeb ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Nau kēbo-aogu hoagu ge gao-aob ǃgâiba ǃoa go kēbo, xuige sats tsîna ǁnāti dī, î gao-aob ǃgâib ǃoa ǃhoa re.”
14 Xaweb ge Mikajaba “ǃKhūb a ûitsama ǃkhais ao ta ge ǃKhūb ga mîba te khami nî mî” ti ge ǃeream.
15 Tsî Mikajab ge hā, ob ge gao-aoba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Mikajatse, ǃkham ge sī nî Ramots ǃoagu tamas ka io ǀû ge nî?”
“ǃKham sī, dan go nî xuige. ǃKhūb ge dansa nî mā go” tib ge Mikajaba ge ǃeream.
16 Xaweb ge gao-aoba ge mî: “Mâtikō ǃnāde ta kha nî mîba tsi, tita ǀkhats ga ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ ǃhoa, ots amab ǀguiba nî mîba te ǃkhaisa?”
17 Ob ge Mikajaba ge mî: “Tita ge Israeli di toroǃkhamaoga, ǃûi-ao-e ūhâ tama gūn khami gu ǃhomgu ai ǀgaruǀgaruhe hâse ge mû. Tsîb ge ǃKhūba ge mî: ‘ǁÎgu ge ǂgaeǂgui-ao-e ūhâ tama hâ, xuige ab mâb hoaba ǂkhîb ǃnâ oms âb ǁga oa.’ ”
18 Ob ge gao-aob Axaba Josafata ǃoa ge mî: “Mîba tsi tama ta hâ ǁîb tita xa ǃgâi xū-i tsîna kēbo tama tsî tsū xūn ǀguina ra kēbo ǃkhaisa.”
19 ǃAruǀîb ge Mikajaba ge mî: “ǃGâ nēsi tare-eb ǃKhūba ra mîsa. Tita ge ǃKhūba trons âb aib ǂnôase ge mû tsî ǀhomǃgāgu ge ǁîb di hoa ǀkhākha ai ge mâ i. 20 Tsîb ge ǃKhūba ge dî: ‘Tari-e Axaba nî ǃhoaǁnâdana, îb Ramots ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa sī ǃgamhe?’ O gu ge ǀhomǃgāga nēba nēti tsî nauba nauti ge mî. 21 Ob ge ǀgui gagaba aisǀkhāb ǁga ǂoaxa tsî ǃKhūb ais ai hā mâ tsî ge mî: ‘Tita ge ǁîba nî ǃhoaǁnâdana’ 22 ‘Mâ ǀgaub ai?’ tib ge ǃKhūba a dî, ob ge gagaba ge mî: ‘Tita ge Axab kēbo-aogu hoaga sī ǂhumiba nî ǃhoa kai.’ Ob ge ǃKhūba ge mî: ‘ǃGû, î sī gāxaǃnâ bi ǁnāsats nî hōbē xuige.’ ”
23 ǃAruǀîb ge Mikajaba ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge ge dī nē kēbo-aogu sagu nî ǂhumiba tsisa, xaweb ge ǃKhūba tsūǀkhāba sats ai nî hā kai.”
24 Ob ge Sedekiaba ǀgūse sī tsî Mikajaba ais ǃnâ ǁapu tsî ge dî: “Mâ ǁaeba xub ǃKhūb di gagaba tita xu ǂoa tsî sats ǀkha ra ǃhoa?”
25 Ob ge Mikajaba “ǁNāsats ge ǂganaga hâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâts ga gaugausents nîse ǂgâ, o nî mû” ti ge ǃeream.
26 Gao-aob ge ǁîb ǂamkhoegu di ǀguiba ge mîmā: “Mikajaba ǃkhō, î ǁîba ǃās ǂgaeǂgui-aob Amonni tsî gaoǀgôab Joasi tsîkha ǁga ǃgû-ū, 27 î ǁîkha mîba, î kha ǃkhō-oms ǃnâ ǂgā tsî pere-i tsî ǁgam-i tsîn ǀguina mā bi, tita ǂuruse nî oahās kōse.”
28 Ob ge Mikajaba ge mî: “ǂUrusets nî oahās karao, ob ge ǃKhūba tita ǃnâ-u go ǃhoa tama hâ i.” Tsîb ge ǃaruǀî “Sago hoago nēsa ǁnâu re” ti ge mî.
Gao-aob Axab di ǁōb
(2 Kroniks 18:28-34)29 ǁNās khaoǃgâ kha ge Israeli gao-aob Axab tsî Judab gao-aob Josafati tsîkha Gileadi ǃnâ ǂnôa ǃās Ramots ǁga ge ǃgû, ǁîsa kha sī nî ǁnāǂamga. 30 Ob ge Axaba Josafata ǃoa “Toroǃkhams ǀkha khom nî tsoatsoas aiǃâ ta ge tita mûǃāhe ta tidese nî ǀkharaǀkharasen, xawe satsa sa gaosaraba ana” ti ge mî. ǁNātib ge Israeli gao-aoba ǀkharaǀkharasen hâse ǃkhams ǃnâ ge ǂgâ.
31 Siriab di gao-aob ge ǃnonadisi ǃkhōdana-aogu ǁîb torokunidi diga ge mîmā, î gu tā ǀnî khoe-i xare-i ǃoagu ǃkham, î gu Israeli gao-aob ǀguiba ǁnāǂam. 32 O gu ge ǁîga gao-aob Josafata gu ge mûo Israeli gao-aob ti ǂâi tsî ǁîba gere ǁnāǂam ǂgao. Xawe Josafati ge ǃau, 33 o gu ge ǁîb Israeli gao-ao tama ǃkhaisa ge ǂan tsî ǁîba sauruǃgonsa ge ǀû. 34 Xaweb ge ǀguib ǁîgu diba ǂā-eb ge ǁkhâuo, Israeli gao-aoba ǁkhaiǁkhausarab a ǂâǁaresa ǃkhaib ǃnâ-u ge ǁkhâuhō. Ob ge ǁîba torokuniǃnari-aob âb ǃoa “Tsuihe ta go xuige dabasen, î ǃkhamsa xu ūǂui te” ti ge mî.
35 Toroǃkhams ge kaise ge ǀgai tsîb ge gao-aoba Siriaǁîgu ǃoa-ai torokunis âb ǀkha ge mâǀgara. ǀHapis âba xu ra ǂoaxa ǀaob ge torokunis ǃnâ gere dâu tsîb ge ǃuia ge ǁō. 36 Tsî sores ǂgâb aiǃâ i ge mîmā-e Israeli toroǂnubis ǃnâ ge ǂgaiǂuihe: “Ab mâ khoeb hoaba ǁîb di ǃhūb tsî ǃās ǁga oa.”
37 ǁNātib ge gao-aoba ge ǁō tsîs ge ǁîb sorosa Samarias tawa sī-ūhe tsî ǁnāpa ge ǁkhōhe. 38 ǁÎb di torokunis ge Samarias di ǀaus tawa a ǁāǃnâhe, on ge arina ǁîb ǀaoba gere tsā tsî di ge ǀai-aodi tsîna ǁnāpa gere ǁāsen. Nēs ge ǃKhūb ge ǀnai mî hâ i khami ge ī.
39 Nau ǃnaeǃkhaidi Axab didi, dīb ge xūn hoan, ǁîb ommi ǂkhoaǁgûgu ǀkha ge anisa ib tsî ǃādi hîab ge kurudi tsîn ge ǃNaeǃkhaidi ǂKhanis Israeli Gao-aogu dis ǃnâ a xoamâisa. 40 Axab ǁōb khaoǃgâb ge ǁîb ôab Ahasiaba ǁîb soas ǃnâ ge gao-ao kai.
Judab gao-aob Josafati
(2 Kroniks 20:31—21:1)41 Hakaǁî kurib Israeli gao-aob Axab ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâb ge Asab ôab Josafata ge Judab gao-ao kai. 42 Josafati ge ǃnonadisikoroǀa kurixab a hîa ge gao-ao kai tsî ǀgamdisikoroǀa kuriga Jerusalems ǃnâ gere ǂgaeǂgui. ǁÎb îs ge Asubas, Silhib ôasa. 43 ǁÎb ge ǁîb îb Asab ǁkhāb khami ǃKhūb mûǁae ǂhanuna gere dī, xawe di ge ǀgapigu ai hâ ǀgoreǀîǃkhaide ge hîkākāhe tama hâ i tsîn ge khoena noxopa ǁnāpa gere ǁguiba. 44 Tsî Josafati ge Israeli gao-aob ǀkha ǂkhîba ge dī.
45 Josafati ge dī xūn, ǁîb di ǁkhoaǂgaoxa dīgu tsî torogu hîab ge ǃkhamgu tsîn hoan ge ǃNaeǃkhaidi ǂKhanis Judab Gao-aogu dis ǃnâ a xoamâisa. 46 ǁÎb ge ǁîb îb Asab ǂgaeǂguis ǁaeba xu ge ǃgau hâ i ǀai-aogu hoaga ǃhūba xu ge ǃhaeǂui.
47 Edomǃhūb ge gao-ao-e ge ūhâ tama hâ i tsîb ge ǃnaka ǂnôa gao-aoba ǃhūba gere ǂgaeǂgui.
48 Josafati ge ǃhuniǀurib ǃaroma Ofiri ǁga nî ī doe-omde ge kuru, xawe di ge Esiongebers ǃnâ di ge ǂkhôahe xui-ao ǃnariǂoa tama ge i. 49 Ob ge Axab ôab Ahasiaba Josafati ǃoa “A gu ti khoega sagu ǀkha ǀguipa doe-omdi ǀkha ǃnariǂoa re” ti ge mî, xaweb ge Josafata ǂgao tama ge i.
50 Josafati ge ǁō tsî ǁîb aboxagu di ǀhobas ǃnâ Davidi ǃĀs ǃnâ ge ǁkhōhe tsîb ge ǁîb ôab Joramma ǁîb soas ǃnâ ge gao-ao kai.
Israeli gao-aob Ahasiab
51 Disihûǀaǁî kurib Judab gao-aob Josafati ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâb ge Axab ôab Ahasiaba ge Israeli gao-ao kai tsîb ge ǀgam kurikha Israela ge gaoǂam. 52 ǁÎb ge ǁîb îb Axab tsî ǁîb îs Isabels tsîra tsî gao-aob Jerobeammi Israelǁîna ge ǁore kaib ǁkhāb khami ǃKhūb mûǁae ǂhanu tamana ge dī. 53 ǁÎb ge Baala ǃoaba tsî ǀgoreǀî tsî ǁîb îb ǁkhāb khami ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba ge ǁaiǁai.
