2 Chronicles 18 Parallel Bible Translations

2 Chronicles 18 ▼
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1 Jehoshaphat was wealthy and honorable and became Ahab's in-law. Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
2 A few years later he went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for a banquet in honor of Jehoshaphat and the people who were with him. And Ahab persuaded Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth in Gilead with him. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead.
3 King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah, |Will you go with me to Ramoth in Gilead?| Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, |I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. [We will join] your troops in battle.| Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.”
4 Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, |But first, find out what the word of the LORD is [in this matter].| And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the LORD.”
5 So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, |Should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?| |Go,| they said. |God will hand over Ramoth to you.| Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, |Isn't there a prophet of the LORD whom we could ask?| But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?”
7 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, |We can ask the LORD through Micaiah, son of Imla, but I hate him. Nothing he prophesies about me is good; it's always evil.| Jehoshaphat answered, |The king must not say that.| And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
8 The king of Israel called for an officer and said, |Quick! [Get] Micaiah, son of Imla!| Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
9 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
10 Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, |This is what the LORD says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.| And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
11 All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, |Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The LORD will hand it over to you.| And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the LORD will give it into the king’s hand.”
12 The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, |The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.| And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
13 Micaiah answered, |I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives, I will tell him whatever my God says to me.| But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”
14 When he came to the king, the king asked him, |Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?| Micaiah said, |Attack and you will win. They will be handed over to you.| And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”
15 The king asked him, |How many times must I make you take an oath in the LORD's name to tell me nothing but the truth?| But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16 So Micaiah said, |I saw Israel's troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The LORD said, 'These sheep have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'| And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, |Didn't I tell you he wouldn't prophesy anything good about me?| And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
18 Micaiah added, |Then hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing on his right and his left. And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left.
19 The LORD asked, 'Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?' Some answered one way, while others were saying something else. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that.
20 |Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the LORD, and said, 'I will deceive him.' | 'How?' the LORD asked. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “’By what means?’ the LORD asked.
21 |The Spirit answered, 'I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab's prophets.' |The LORD said, 'You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.' And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ “’I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “’You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
22 |So the LORD has put into the mouths of these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The LORD has spoken evil about you.| Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” “So now the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you.”
23 Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. |Which way did the Spirit go when he left me to talk to you?| he asked. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the LORD go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.
24 Micaiah answered, |You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide.| And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”
25 The king of Israel then said, |Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince. And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son,
26 Say, 'This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return home safely.'| and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”
27 Micaiah said, |If you really do come back safely, then the LORD wasn't speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!| And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
28 So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, |I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.| So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
30 The king of Aram had given orders to the chariot commanders. He said, |Don't fight anyone except the king of Israel.| Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, |He must be the king of Israel.| So they surrounded him in order to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him, As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him. When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him,
32 and the chariot commanders realized that Jehoshaphat wasn't the king of Israel. Then they turned away from him. For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
33 One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told the chariot driver, |Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I'm badly wounded.| But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.”
34 But the battle got worse that day, and the king propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. At sundown he died. And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.
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