American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
1 Kings 22
1
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.
2
And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
Reference
3
And the king of Israel said to his servants, Know you that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 4:43
4
And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
Reference
5
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray you, at the word of the LORD to day.
Reference
6
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
Reference
7
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him?
8
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Reference
People
Evil
John 7:7
Good
Micah 2:7
Kingdom
Jeremiah 38:4
Parallel theme
John 17:14
Amos 5:10
Galatians 4:16
9
Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten here Micaiah the son of Imlah.
10
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
Reference
Kingdom
Matthew 11:8
1 Kings 22:30
1 Kings 22:6
Esther 5:1
Parallel theme
Acts 25:23
Acts 12:21
Matthew 6:20
1 Kings 18:29
11
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus said the LORD, With these shall you push the Syrians, until you have consumed them.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 33:17
12
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.
13
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let your word, I pray you, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
15
So he came to the king. And the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
16
And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you that you tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
17
And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 9:36
Jeremiah 50:6
References Israel
Jeremiah 50:17
References Lord
Numbers 27:17
Zechariah 13:7
18
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
Reference
Kingdom
1 Kings 22:8
19
And he said, Hear you therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 18:10
Hebrews 1:7
Hebrews 1:14
Hebrews 12:22
Revelation 5:11
References Lord
Job 2:1
Job 1:6
Word
Ezekiel 13:2
Isaiah 1:10
Isaiah 28:14
20
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
Reference
21
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
22
And the LORD said to him, With which? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You shall persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 13:14
Job 12:16
Prophecy
Revelation 20:10
Ezekiel 14:9
References Lord
1 Kings 22:20
Spirit
Judges 9:23
1 Samuel 16:14
1 Samuel 19:9
1 Samuel 18:10
23
Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.
Reference
Evil
Isaiah 3:11
Parallel theme
Isaiah 44:20
Prophecy
Ezekiel 14:9
2 Chronicles 25:16
References Lord
1 Kings 20:42
Numbers 24:13
Spirit
Deuteronomy 2:30
24
But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak to you?
Reference
25
And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see in that day, when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 20:30
26
And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
People
27
And say, Thus said the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
Reference
28
And Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me. And he said, Listen, O people, every one of you.
Reference
29
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.
30
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put you on your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.
Reference
31
But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
Reference
32
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.
Reference
Parallel theme
Proverbs 13:20
33
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 76:10
34
And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: why he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.
Reference
35
And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the middle of the chariot.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 22:28
36
And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 14:12
37
So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
38
And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor; according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.
Reference
39
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Reference
Parallel theme
Amos 3:15
41
And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
Reference
Kingdom
2 Chronicles 20:31
42
Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
People
43
And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.
Reference
45
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46
And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.
Reference
48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.
Reference
49
Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.
50
And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
Reference
People
Kingdom
2 Chronicles 21:1
51
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:
Reference
53
For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
Summary of 1 Kings 22
This chapter records the final events of King Ahab's life and presents the contrast between false confidence and the certainty of God's word. The chapter begins with peace between Israel and Aram, but Ahab decides to recover Ramoth-gilead, a city that had been lost to Aram.
Ahab asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in battle. Jehoshaphat agrees but requests that they first seek the Lord's guidance. Ahab gathers four hundred prophets who all promise victory, but Jehoshaphat recognizes that something is missing and asks for a true prophet of the Lord.
Micaiah son of Imlah is brought before the kings. Unlike the other prophets, Micaiah refuses to speak what the kings want to hear. He reveals that Israel will be defeated and that Ahab will die. He also explains through a vision that God has allowed deception among the false prophets because Ahab has repeatedly rejected the truth.
Instead of accepting the warning, Ahab imprisons Micaiah and chooses to go into battle. He attempts to avoid the prophecy by disguising himself, while Jehoshaphat wears his royal clothing. However, God's word cannot be avoided. A random arrow strikes Ahab, and he dies as Micaiah had predicted.
Ahab's death fulfills the earlier prophecy given through Elijah after Naboth's murder. His blood is washed from his chariot, and dogs lick it, demonstrating that God's judgment was certain.
The chapter then briefly records the reign of Jehoshaphat in Judah. Unlike Ahab, Jehoshaphat generally follows the Lord and removes some forms of pagan worship, although some reforms remain incomplete. However, his political alliance with Ahab creates difficulties.
The chapter ends with Ahaziah becoming king of Israel. Like his father, he continues worshiping Baal and leading Israel away from God.
Ahab asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in battle. Jehoshaphat agrees but requests that they first seek the Lord's guidance. Ahab gathers four hundred prophets who all promise victory, but Jehoshaphat recognizes that something is missing and asks for a true prophet of the Lord.
Micaiah son of Imlah is brought before the kings. Unlike the other prophets, Micaiah refuses to speak what the kings want to hear. He reveals that Israel will be defeated and that Ahab will die. He also explains through a vision that God has allowed deception among the false prophets because Ahab has repeatedly rejected the truth.
Instead of accepting the warning, Ahab imprisons Micaiah and chooses to go into battle. He attempts to avoid the prophecy by disguising himself, while Jehoshaphat wears his royal clothing. However, God's word cannot be avoided. A random arrow strikes Ahab, and he dies as Micaiah had predicted.
Ahab's death fulfills the earlier prophecy given through Elijah after Naboth's murder. His blood is washed from his chariot, and dogs lick it, demonstrating that God's judgment was certain.
The chapter then briefly records the reign of Jehoshaphat in Judah. Unlike Ahab, Jehoshaphat generally follows the Lord and removes some forms of pagan worship, although some reforms remain incomplete. However, his political alliance with Ahab creates difficulties.
The chapter ends with Ahaziah becoming king of Israel. Like his father, he continues worshiping Baal and leading Israel away from God.