Parallel Bible results for "2 chronicles 18"

2 Chronicles 18

Common English Bible CEB

1 Even though Jehoshaphat already had great wealth and honor, he allied himself with Ahab through marriage.

2 A few years later, while Jehoshaphat was visiting Ahab in Samaria, Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for Jehoshaphat and those who were with him in order to persuade him to attack Ramoth-gilead.

3 "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" Israel's King Ahab asked Judah's King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat replied, "I and my people will be united with you and your people in battle.

4 But," Jehoshaphat said to Israel's king, "first, let's see what the LORD has to say."

5 So Israel's king gathered four hundred prophets and asked them, "Should we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not?" "Attack!" the prophets answered. "God will hand it over to the king."

6 But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there any other prophet of the LORD around whom we could ask?"

7 "There's one other man who could ask the LORD for us," Israel's king told Jehoshaphat, "but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, only bad. His name is Micaiah, Imlah's son." "The king shouldn't speak like that!" Jehoshaphat said.

8 So Israel's king called an officer and ordered, "Bring Micaiah, Imlah's son, right away."

9 Now Israel's king and Judah's King Jehoshaphat were sitting on their thrones dressed in their royal robes at the threshing floor beside the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them.

10 Zedekiah, Chenaanah's son, made iron horns for himself and said, "This is what the LORD says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans until there's nothing left of them!"

11 The other prophets agreed: "Attack Ramoth-gilead and win! The LORD will hand it over to the king!"

12 Meanwhile, the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Listen, the prophets all agree that the king will succeed. You should say the same thing they say and prophesy success."

13 But Micaiah answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what God tells me to say."

14 When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not?" "Attack and win!" Micaiah answered. "The LORD will hand it over to the king."

15 But the king said, "How many times must I demand that you tell me the truth when you speak in the LORD's name?"

16 Then Micaiah replied, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd! And then the LORD said: ‘They have no master. Let them return safely to their own homes.'"

17 Then Israel's king said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you? He never prophesies anything good about me, only bad."

18 Then Micaiah said, "Listen now to the LORD's word: I saw the LORD enthroned with all the heavenly forces stationed at his right and at his left.

19 The LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Israel's King Ahab so that he attacks Ramoth-gilead and dies there?' There were several suggestions,

20 until one particular spirit approached the LORD and said, ‘I will persuade him.' ‘How?' the LORD asked.

21 ‘I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. The LORD agreed: ‘You will succeed in persuading him! Go ahead!'

22 So now, since the LORD placed a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, it is the LORD who has pronounced disaster against you!"

23 Zedekiah, Chenaanah's son, approached Micaiah and slapped him on the cheek. "Just how did the LORD's spirit leave me to speak to you?" he asked.

24 Micaiah answered, "You will find out on the day you try to hide in an inner room."

25 "Arrest him," ordered Israel's king, "and turn him over to Amon the city governor and to Joash the king's son.

26 Tell them, ‘The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him minimum rations of bread and water until I return safely.'"

27 "If you ever return safely," Micaiah replied, "then the LORD wasn't speaking through me." Then he added, "Mark my words, every last one of you!"

28 So Israel's king and Judah's King Jehoshaphat attacked Ramoth-gilead.

29 Israel's king said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself when we go into battle, but you should wear your royal attire." When the king of Israel had disguised himself, they entered the battle.

30 Meanwhile, Aram's king had commanded his chariot officers, "Don't bother with anyone big or small. Fight only with Israel's king."

31 When the chariot officers saw Jehoshaphat, they assumed that he must be Israel's king, so they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, the LORD helped him, and God lured them away from him.

32 When the chariot officers realized that he wasn't Israel's king, they stopped chasing him.

33 Someone, however, randomly shot an arrow that struck Israel's king between the joints in his armor. "Turn around and get me out of the battle," the king told his chariot driver. "I've been hit!"

34 While the battle raged all that day, Israel's king stood propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. But that evening he died, just as the sun was going down.

The Message Bible MSG

1 But even though Jehoshaphat was very rich and much honored, he made a marriage alliance with Ahab of Israel.

2 Some time later he paid a visit to Ahab at Samaria. Ahab celebrated his visit with a feast - a huge barbecue with all the lamb and beef you could eat. But Ahab had a hidden agenda; he wanted Jehoshaphat's support in attacking Ramoth Gilead.

3 Then Ahab brought it into the open: "Will you join me in attacking Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said, "You bet. I'm with you all the way; you can count on me and my troops."

4 Then Jehoshaphat said, "But before you do anything, ask God for guidance."

5 The king of Israel got the prophets together - all 400 of them - and put the question to them: "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or should I hold back?" "Go for it," they said. "God will hand it over to the king."

6 But Jehoshaphat dragged his feet, "Is there another prophet of God around here we can consult? Let's get a second opinion."

7 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "As a matter of fact, there is another. But I hate him. He never preaches anything good to me, only doom, doom, doom - Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king shouldn't talk about a prophet like that!" said Jehoshaphat.

8 So the king of Israel ordered one of his men, "Quickly, get Micaiah son of Imlah."

9 Meanwhile, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat were seated on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, resplendent in front of the Samaria city gates. All the prophets were staging a prophecy-performance for their benefit.

10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had even made a set of iron horns, and brandishing them, called out, "God's word! With these horns you'll gore Aram until there's nothing left of them!"

11 All the prophets chimed in, "Yes! Go for Ramoth Gilead! An easy victory! God's gift to the king!"

12 The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him, "The prophets have all said Yes to the king. Make it unanimous - vote Yes!"

13 But Micaiah said, "As sure as God lives, what God says, I'll say."

14 With Micaiah before him, the king asked him, "So, Micaiah - do we attack Ramoth Gilead? Or do we hold back?" "Go ahead," he said, "an easy victory! God's gift to the king."

15 "Not so fast," said the king. "How many times have I made you promise under oath to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth?"

16 "All right," said Micaiah, "since you insist . . . I saw all of Israel scattered over the hills, sheep with no shepherd. Then God spoke, 'These poor people have no one to tell them what to do. Let them go home and do the best they can for themselves.'"

17 The king of Israel turned to Jehoshaphat, "See! What did I tell you? He never has a good word for me from God, only doom."

18 Micaiah kept on, "I'm not done yet; listen to God's word: I saw God enthroned, and all the Angel Armies of heaven standing at attention, ranged on his right and his left.

19 And God said, "How can we seduce Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead?" Some said this, and some said that.

20 Then a bold angel stepped out, stood before God, and said, "I'll seduce him." "And how will you do it?" said God.

21 "Easy," said the angel, "I'll get all the prophets to lie." "That should do it," said God; "On your way - seduce him!"

22 "And that's what has happened. God filled the mouths of your puppet prophets with seductive lies. God has pronounced your doom."

23 Just then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came up and slapped Micaiah in the face, saying, "Since when did the Spirit of God leave me and take up with you?"

24 Micaiah said, "You'll know soon enough; you'll know it when you're frantically and futilely looking for a place to hide."

25 The king of Israel had heard enough: "Get Micaiah out of here! Turn him over to Amon the city magistrate and to Joash the king's son

26 with this message: 'King's orders! Lock him up in jail; keep him on bread and water until I'm back in one piece.'"

27 Micaiah said, If you ever get back in one piece, I'm no prophet of God. He added, When it happens, O people, remember where you heard it!

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went ahead and attacked Ramoth Gilead.

29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Wear my kingly robe; I'm going into battle disguised." So the king of Israel entered the battle in disguise.

30 Meanwhile, the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders (there were thirty-two of them), "Don't bother with anyone whether small or great; go after the king of Israel and him only."

31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "There he is! The king of Israel!" and took after him. Jehoshaphat yelled out,

32 and the chariot commanders realized they had the wrong man - it wasn't the king of Israel after all. God intervened and they let him go.

33 Just then someone, without aiming, shot an arrow into the crowd and hit the king of Israel in the chink of his armor. The king told his charioteer, "Turn back! Get me out of here - I'm wounded."

34 All day the fighting continued, hot and heavy. Propped up in his chariot, the king watched from the sidelines. He died that evening.