1 En toe Josafat rykdom en eer in oorvloed gehad het, het hy hom verswaer met Agab.
2 En n verloop van enkele jare het hy afgetrek na Agab, na Samar¡a, en Agab het vir hom en die manskappe wat by hom was, skape en beeste in menigte geslag en hom aangehits om teen Ramot in G¡lead op te trek.
3 Toe sê Agab, die koning van Israel, vir Josafat, die koning van Juda: Sal u met my saam na Ramot in G¡lead trek? En hy antwoord hom: Ek is soos u, en my volk soos u volk, en ons sal saam met u in die oorlog wees.
4 Verder het Josafat aan die koning van Israel gesê: Raadpleeg tog eers die woord van die HERE.
5 Toe laat die koning van Israel die profete, vier honderd man, bymekaarkom en sê vir hulle: Sal ons teen Ramot in G¡lead trek om te veg, of sal ek dit laat staan? En hulle antwoord: Trek op, en God sal dit in die hand van die koning gee.
6 Maar Josafat sê: Is hier nie nog 'n profeet van die HERE, dat ons deur hom kan raadpleeg nie?
7 En die koning van Israel antwoord Josafat: Daar is nog een man om die HERE deur hom te raadpleeg; maar ,k haat hom, want hy profeteer oor my niks goeds nie, maar altyd onheil; dit is Miga, die seun van Jimla. En Josafat sê: Die koning moet nie so spreek nie!
8 Daarop roep die koning van Israel 'n hofdienaar en sê: Gaan haal gou vir Miga, die seun van Jimla.
9 Onderwyl die koning van Israel en Josafat, die koning van Juda, elkeen op sy troon sit, beklee met koninklike klere, en hulle op 'n dorsvloer sit by die ingang van die poort van Samar¡a, en al die profete voor hulle profeteer,
10 het Sedek¡a, die seun van Kena„na, vir hom ysterhorings gemaak en gesê: So spreek die HERE: Hiermee sal u die Arameërs stoot totdat hulle vernietig is.
11 En so het al die profete geprofeteer en gesê: Trek op na Ramot in G¡lead en u sal voorspoedig wees, en die HERE sal dit in die hand van die koning gee.
12 Toe sê die boodskapper wat gegaan het om Miga te roep, vir hom d¡t: Kyk, die woorde van die profete is uit een mond goed vir die koning: laat jou woord nou tog wees soos die van een van hulle, en spreek goeie dinge.
13 Maar Miga sê: So waar as die HERE leef, wat God my sal sê, dit sal ek spreek!
14 Toe hy by die koning kom, sê die koning vir hom: Miga, sal ons na Ramot in G¡lead trek om te veg, of sal ek dit laat staan? En hy antwoord: Trek op, en u sal voorspoedig wees, en hulle sal in julle hand gegee word.
15 En die koning sê vir hom: Hoeveel maal moet ek jou besweer dat jy niks as die waarheid in die Naam van die HERE tot my moet spreek nie?
16 Daarop antwoord hy: Ek het die hele Israel gesien, verstrooid op die berge soos skape wat geen wagter het nie. En die HERE het gesê: Hulle het geen heer nie; laat hulle elkeen in vrede teruggaan na sy huis.
17 Toe sê die koning van Israel vir Josafat: Het ek u nie gesê hy profeteer oor my niks goeds nie, maar onheil?
18 Verder sê hy: Daarom, hoor die woord van die HERE: Ek het die HERE sien sit op sy troon, terwyl al die hemelse leërskare aan sy regter-- en sy linkerhand staan.
19 En die HERE het gesê: Wie sal Agab, die koning van Israel, oorhaal, dat hy kan optrek en val by Ramot in G¡lead? En die een het so gesê, en die ander weer so.
20 Toe kom die gees vorentoe en gaan voor die aangesig van die HERE staan en sê: Ek sal hom oorhaal. En die HERE vra hom: Waarmee?
21 En hy sê: Ek sal uitgaan en 'n leuengees word in die mond van al sy profete. En Hy sê: Jy sal oorhaal, ja, jy sal ook oorwin; gaan uit en doen so.
22 En nou, kyk, die HERE het 'n leuengees in die mond van hierdie profete van u gegee, terwyl die HERE tog onheil oor u gespreek het.
23 Daarop kom Sedek¡a, die seun van Kena„na, nader en hy slaan Miga op die kakebeen en sê: Langs watter weg het die Gees van die HERE van my af weggegaan om met jou te spreek?
24 En Miga antwoord: Kyk, jy sal dit sien op dieselfde dag as jy van kamer tot kamer sal gaan om jou weg te steek.
25 Maar die koning van Israel sê: Neem Miga en bring hom terug by Amon, die owerste van die stad, en by Joas, die seun van die koning.
26 En julle moet sê: So spreek die koning: Sit hierdie man in die gevangenis en spysig hom met brood van verdrukking en water van verdrukking totdat ek behoue tuiskom.
27 Daarop sê Miga: As u ooit behoue tuiskom, dan het die HERE nie deur my gespreek nie. Verder sê hy: Volke, luister almal saam!
28 En die koning van Israel en Josafat, die koning van Juda, het opgetrek na Ramot in G¡lead.
29 En die koning van Israel het aan Josafat gesê: Ek sal my onkenbaar maak en in die geveg kom; trek u maar u eie klere aan. So het die koning van Israel hom dan onkenbaar gemaak, en hulle het in die geveg gegaan.
30 En die koning van Aram het die owerstes van sy strydwaens bevel gegee en gesê: Julle moet nie klein of groot beveg nie, net die koning van Israel alleen.
31 En sodra die owerstes van die waens Josafat sien, sê hulle: Dit is die koning van Israel! En hulle het hom omsingel om te veg; maar Josafat het geskreeu, en die HERE het hom gehelp, en God het hulle van hom af weggelok.
32 En toe die owerstes van die waens sien dat dit nie die koning van Israel was nie, draai hulle agter hom weg.
33 Toe het 'n man in sy eenvoudigheid die boog gespan en die koning van Israel getref tussen die aanhegsels en die pantser. Daarop sê hy aan die drywer: Ruk om en bring my uit die leër uit, want ek is gewond.
34 En die geveg het die dag toegeneem, terwyl die koning hom staande hou in die strydwa teenoor die Arameërs tot die aand toe; maar teen sononder het hy gesterwe.
1 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honour, and his son was married to Ahab's daughter.
2 And after some years he went down to Samaria to see Ahab. And Ahab made a feast for him and the people who were with him, putting to death great numbers of sheep and oxen; and he got Jehoshaphat to go with him to Ramoth-gilead.
3 For Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he said, I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.
4 Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Let us now get directions from the Lord.
5 So the king of Israel got together all the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, Am I to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And they said, Go up: for God will give it into the hands of the king.
6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there no other prophet of the Lord here from whom we may get directions?
7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is still one man by whom we may get directions from the Lord, but I have no love for him, because he has never been a prophet of good to me, but only of evil: he is Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
8 Then the king of Israel sent for one of his unsexed servants and said, Go quickly and come back with Micaiah, the son of Imla.
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were seated on their seats of authority, dressed in their robes, by the doorway into Samaria; and all the prophets were acting as prophets before them.
10 And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself iron horns and said, The Lord says, Pushing back the Aramaeans with these, you will put an end to them completely.
11 And all the prophets said the same thing, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and it will go well for you, for the Lord will give it into the hands of the king.
12 Now the servant who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, See now, all the prophets with one voice are saying good things to the king; so let your words be like theirs, and say good things.
13 And Micaiah said, By the living Lord, whatever the Lord says to me I will say.
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, are we to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And he said, Go up, and it will go well for you; and they will be given up into your hands.
15 And the king said to him, Have I not, again and again, put you on your oath to say nothing to me but what is true in the name of the Lord?
16 Then he said, I saw all Israel wandering on the mountains like sheep without a keeper; and the Lord said, These have no master: let them go back, every man to his house in peace.
17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say that he would not be a prophet of good to me, but of evil?
18 Then he said, Give ear now to the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord seated on his seat of power, and all the army of heaven in their places, at his right hand and at his left.
19 And the Lord said, How may Ahab, king of Israel, be tricked into going up to Ramoth-gilead to his death? And one said one thing and one another.
20 Then a spirit came forward and took his place before the Lord and said, I will get him to do it by a trick. And the Lord said to him, How?
21 And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of deceit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Your trick will have its effect on him: go out and do so.
22 And now, see, the Lord has put a spirit of deceit in the mouth of these prophets of yours; and the Lord has said evil against you.
23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and gave Micaiah a blow on the side of his face, saying, Where is the spirit of the Lord whose word is in you?
24 And Micaiah said, Truly, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to keep yourself safe.
25 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon, the ruler of the town, and to Joash, the king's son;
26 And say, By the king's order this man is to be put in prison, and given prison food till I come back in peace.
27 And Micaiah said, If you come back at all in peace, the Lord has not sent his word by me.
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead.
29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will make a change in my clothing, so that I do not seem to be the king, and will go into the fight; but do you put on your robes. So the king of Israel made a change in his dress, and they went to the fight.
30 Now the king of Aram had given orders to the captains of his war-carriages, saying, Make no attack on small or great, but only on the king of Israel.
31 So when the captains of the war-carriages saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. And turning about, they came round him, but Jehoshaphat gave a cry, and the Lord came to his help, and God sent them away from him.
32 Now when the captains of the war-carriages saw that he was not the king of Israel, they went back from going after him.
33 And a certain man sent an arrow from his bow without thought of its direction, and gave the king of Israel a wound where his breastplate was joined to his clothing; so he said to the driver of his war-carriage, Go to one side and take me away out of the army, for I am badly wounded.
34 But the fight became more violent while the day went on; and the king of Israel was supported in his war-carriage facing the Aramaeans till the evening; and by sundown he was dead.