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.
Omuhunganeki Mikaia ta londodha Ahab
(1 Aak. 22:1-28)1 Omukwaniilwa gwaJuda Jehosafat sho a yambapala e ta simana, okwa hokanithitha omukwazimo lye nomukwazimo gwaAhab, omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael. 2 Omimvo dhimwe sho dha piti po, Jehosafat okwa yi koshilando Samaria, a ka talele po Ahab. Ahab okwe mu longekidhile oshituthi nokwa tsele oongombe odhindji noonzi odhindji. Okwa kambadhala okuheka Jehosafat, a ye naye molugodhi, a matukile oshilando Ramot shaGilead. 3 Ahab okwa pula Jehosafat a ti: “Oto ka ya pamwe nangame, tu ka ponokele Ramot?”
Jehosafat okwa yamukula a ti: “Ondi ilongekidha nde ku fa, nosho wo aakwiita yandje. Otatu gama kungoye.” 4 Nena okwa gwedha ko a ti: “Ihe tango tu puleni Omuwa.”
5 Ahab okwi ithanene mo aahunganeki ye thike lwopomathele gane, e te ya pula ta ti: “Nandi ye ndi ka homone Ramot nenge aawe?”
Aahunganeki oya yamukula ya ti: “Shi matukila, Omuwa ote ku pe esindano.”
6 Ihe Jehosafat okwa pula a ti: “Kape na omuhunganeki gulwe ngoka tatu vulu oku mu pula omayele gOmuwa?”
7 Ahab okwa yamukula a ti: “Oku na ngaa Mikaia yaImla. Ihe onde mu tonda, oshoka iha hunganekele ndje uuwanawa; aluhe uuwinayi auke.”
Jehosafat okwa yamukula a ti: “Ino tya ngaaka.”
8 Nena Ahab okwi ithana elenga lye e te li lombwele, li ka tale Mikaia nziya.
9 Aakwaniilwa mbaka yaali oya li ya zala oonguwo dhawo dhopaukwaniilwa e taa kuutumba kiipangelapundi yawo polupale pondje yosheelo shaSamaria, naahunganeki ayehe taa hunganeke komeho gawo. 10 Gumwe gwomuyo, Sedekia yaKenaana, okwa hambula ooniga dhiiyela iiluudhe e ta ti kuAhab: “Omuwa ota ti ngeyi: ‘Oto ka kondjitha Aasiria nooniga ndhika e to ya sindi thiluthilu.’ ” 11 Aahunganeki yalwe ayehe oye shi koleke wo taa ti: “Indeni, mu ka kondjithe Ramot notamu ka sindana. Omuwa ote ke mu pa esindano.”
12 Elenga ndiyaka lya li lya ka tala Mikaia, olya ti kuye: “Aahunganeki yalwe ayehe oya hunganekela omukwaniilwa elago, nangoye wo popya oohapu oombwanawa we ya fa.”
13 Ihe Mikaia okwa yamukula a ti: “Otandi uvaneke kOmuwa omunamwenyo kutya otandi ka popya ashike shoka ta lombwele ndje.”
14 Sho e ya koshipala shomukwaniilwa Ahab, omukwaniilwa okwe mu pula a ti: “Mikaia, tse nomukwaniilwa Jehosafat natu ka homone Ramot, nenge aawe?”
Mikaia okwa yamukula a ti: “Ka homoneni! Otamu ka sindana shili. Omuwa ote mu pe esindano.”
15 Ahab okwa yamukula a ti: “Ngele oto lombwele ndje medhina lyOmuwa, popya oshili! Olungapi ano ndi na oku shi ku lombwela?”
16 Mikaia okwa yamukula: “Ondi wete etangakwiita lyaIsrael lya halakanena kiikulundundu lya fa oonzi dhaa na omusita. NOmuwa okwa ti: ‘Aantu mbaka kaa na omukwatelikomeho; ya etheni ya ye kaandjawo nombili.’ ”
17 Ahab okwa ti kuJehosafat: “Onde ku lombwele kutya iha hunganekele ndje uuwanawa; aluhe uuwinayi auke!”
18 Mikaia okwa tsikile a ti: “Ngashingeyi pulakeneni shoka Omuwa ta ti! Onda mono Omuwa a kuutumba koshipangelapundi she megulu pamwe naayengeli ye ayehe ya thikama ontega naye. 19 Omuwa okwa pula a ti: ‘Olye ta ka kotokela Ahab, opo a ka ye a ka dhipagelwe kuRamot?’ Gumwe okwa ti shontumba nomukwawo okwa popi shongandi, 20 sigo ombepo ya holoka komeho tayi hedha kOmuwa e tayi ti: ‘Otandi ke mu kotokela.’ Omuwa okwa pula a ti: ‘To mu ende ngiini?’ 21 Ombepo oya yamukula ya ti: ‘Otandi ka popitha aahunganeki yaAhab iifundja.’ Omuwa okwa ti: ‘Inda, u ke mu kotokele. Oto shi tompola.’ ”
22 Mikaia okwa hulitha a ti: “Omuwa okwa ningi aahunganeki yoye, ye ku fundje. Ihe ye mwene okwa tokola kutya oto ka adhika koshiponga!”
23 Nena omuhunganeki Sedekia okwa yi kuMikaia e te mu dhenge kolupanda ye ta pula ta ti: “Ombepo yOmuwa oya thigi ndje po uunake, yi popye nangoye?”
24 Mikaia okwa yamukula: “Oto ke shi mona, uuna to ka ya mongulu yimwe yokonima u ka holame.”
25 Nena omukwaniilwa Ahab okwa lombwele limwe lyomomalenga ge a ti: “Kwata Mikaia, u mu fale kuAmmon, omupangeli gwoshilando, nokuJoas, omuna gwokombanda. 26 Ya lombwela, ye mu tule mondjedhililo yo ye mu pe oshikwiila nomeya ageke, sigo tandi galuka nda sindana.”
27 Mikaia okwi igidha a ti: “Ngele oto galuka wa sindana, nena Omuwa ina popitha ndje!” Oye nokwa gwedha ko a ti: “Shi pulakeneni, amuhe, shoka nda popi!”
Eso lyaAhab
(1 Aak. 22:29-35)28 Nena omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael Ahab nomukwaniilwa gwaJuda Jehosafat oya yi, ya ka homone oshilando Ramot shaGilead. 29 Ahab okwa ti kuJehosafat: “Ngele tatu yi molugodhi, otandi ki idhimbika, ihe ngoye zala oonguwo dhoye dhopaukwaniilwa.” Osho ngaaka omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael a yi molugodhi i idhimbika.
30 Omukwaniilwa gwaSiria okwa li a lombwele oondjayi dhe dhomatembakwiita omilongo ndatu nayaali, yaa homone nando olye kakele komukwaniilwa gwaIsrael. 31 Sho ya mono Jehosafat, yo ayehe oyo dhiladhila kutya oye omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael, noye mu galukile, ye mu ponokele. Ihe Jehosafat okwa kugu onkugo, nOmuwa Kalunga okwe mu hupitha e ya galula kuye. 32 Oondjayi dhomatembakwiita oya mono kutya nani ke shi omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael, noye etha oku mu landula. 33 Polumwe omukwiita Omusiria oku umbu omposi oshikuti sha yaha omukwaniilwa Ahab pokati kehuuyanza nongama ye. Ahab okwi igidha omuhingi gwetembakwiita lye a ti: “Nda yahwa, galuka, tu ze mo molugodhi!” 34 Olugodhi sho lwa li lwa kwata miiti, omukwaniilwa Ahab okwa kala e egamena metemba lye lya taalela Aasiria. Peningino lyetango okwa si.
