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JUNE 6
Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours,
the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the
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he refused to give you for money; for Naboth king of Syria?” So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will
is not alive, but dead.” So it was, when Ahab you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?”
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heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am
and went down to take possession of the vine- as you are, my people as your people, my hors-
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yard of Naboth the Jezreelite. es as your horses.” Also Jehoshaphat said to
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word
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the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet of the LORD today.”
Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the
he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has prophets together, about four hundred men,
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gone down to take possession of it. You shall and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth
speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”
“Have you murdered and also taken posses- So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver
sion?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, it into the hand of the king.”
‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs
licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your
blood, even yours.” ’ ”
20 So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found
me, O my enemy?” 22:6 prophets. These 400 prophets of Ahab
were not true prophets of the Lord.They wor-
And he answered, “I have found you, because shiped at Bethel in the golden-calf center set
you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of up by Jeroboam (12:28,29) and were support-
the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on ed by Ahab, whose religious policy also per-
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you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut mitted Baal worship. Their words were
off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond designed to please Ahab (v.8),so they refused
and free. I will make your house like the to begin with the authoritative “thus says the
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house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like LORD” and did not use the covenant name for
the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because Israel’s God,“LORD.”
of the provocation with which you have pro-
voked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’ And
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concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, say- 7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a
ing, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire
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Jezreel.’ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs of Him?”
to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the 8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,
air shall eat whoever dies in the field.” “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of
25 But there was no one like Ahab who sold Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD;
himself to do wickedness in the sight of the but I hate him, because he does not prophesy
LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. good concerning me, but evil.”
26 And he behaved very abominably in following And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say
idols, according to all that the Amorites had such things!”
done, whom the LORD had cast out before the 9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and
children of Israel. said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”
27 So it was, when Ahab heard those words, 10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the
that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat
his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the
went about mourning. entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the
28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah prophets prophesied before them. Now
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the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab has Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made
humbled himself before Me? Because he has horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus
humbled himself before Me, I will not bring says the LORD: ‘With these you shall gore the
the calamity in his days. In the days of his son Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” And all
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I will bring the calamity on his house.” the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to
Now three years passed without war Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will
22 between Syria and Israel. Then it came deliver it into the king’s hand.”
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to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the 13 Then the messenger who had gone to call
king of Judah went down to visit the king of Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the
Israel. words of the prophets with one accord encour-
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, age the king. Please, let your word be like the
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