1KI 16:1
Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of
Hanani against Baasha, saying,
1KI 16:2 "Inasmuch as I exalted you from the
dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and
you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made
My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with
their sins,
1KI 16:3 behold, I will consume Baasha and
his house, and I will make your house like the house
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
1KI 16:4 "Anyone of Baasha who dies in the
city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies
in the field the birds of the heavens will eat."
1KI 16:5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha
and what he did and his might, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel?
1KI 16:6 And Baasha slept with his fathers
and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became
king in his place.
1KI 16:7 Moreover, the word of the Lord
through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came
against Baasha and his household, both because of
all the evil which he did in the sight of the Lord,
provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands,
in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he
struck it.
1KI 16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king
of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over
Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.
1KI 16:9 And his servant Zimri, commander of
half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was
at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of
Arza, who was over the household at Tirzah.
1KI 16:10 Then Zimri went in and struck him
and put him to death, in the twenty-seventh year of
Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place.
1KI 16:11 And it came about, when he became
king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he
killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave
a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his
friends.
1KI 16:12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the
household of Baasha, according to the word of the
Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the
prophet,
1KI 16:13 for all the sins of Baasha and the
sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which
they made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of
Israel to anger with their idols.
1KI 16:14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah
and all that he did, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1KI 16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa
king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah.
Now the people were camped against Gibbethon, which
belonged to the Philistines.
1KI 16:16 And the people who were camped
heard it said, "Zimri has conspired and has also
struck down the king." Therefore all Israel made
Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel
that day in the camp.
1KI 16:17 Then Omri and all Israel with him
went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah.
1KI 16:18 And it came about, when Zimri saw
that the city was taken, that he went into the
citadel of the king's house and burned the king's
house over him with fire, and died,
1KI 16:19 because of his sins which he
sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking
in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did,
making Israel sin.
1KI 16:20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri
and his conspiracy which he carried out, are they
not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Israel?
1KI 16:21 Then the people of Israel were
divided into two parts: half of the people followed
Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other
half followed Omri.
1KI 16:22 But the people who followed Omri
prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son
of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king.
1KI 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa
king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and
reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at Tirzah.
1KI 16:24 And he bought the hill Samaria from
Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on
the hill, and named the city which he built Samaria,
after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
1KI 16:25 And Omri did evil in the sight of
the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were
before him.
1KI 16:26 For he walked in all the way of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he
made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel
with their idols.
1KI 16:27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri
which he did and his might which he showed, are they
not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Israel?
1KI 16:28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and
was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king
in his place.
1KI 16:29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became
king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa
king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over
Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
1KI 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil
in the sight of the Lord more than all who were
before him.
1KI 16:31 And it came about, as though it had
been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel
the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and
went to serve Baal and worshiped him.
1KI 16:32 So he erected an altar for Baal in
the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
1KI 16:33 And Ahab also made the Asherah.
Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel
than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
1KI 16:34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite
built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss
of Abiram his first-born, and set up its gates with
the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the
word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son
of Nun.
Top of Page
1KI 17:1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of
Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of
Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there
shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by
my word."
1KI 17:2 And the word of the Lord came to
him, saying,
1KI 17:3 "Go away from here and turn
eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith,
which is east of the Jordan.
1KI 17:4 "And it shall be that you shall
drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens
to provide for you there."
1KI 17:5 So he went and did according to the
word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook
Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
1KI 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and
meat in the morning and bread and meat in the
evening, and he would drink from the brook.
1KI 17:7 And it happened after a while, that
the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the
land.
1KI 17:8 Then the word of the Lord came to
him, saying,
1KI 17:9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which
belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have
commanded a widow there to provide for you."
1KI 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath,
and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a
widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to
her and said, "Please get me a little water in a
jar, that I may drink."
1KI 17:11 And as she was going to get it, he
called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of
bread in your hand."
1KI 17:12 But she said, "As the Lord your God
lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in
the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I
am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and
prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and
die."
1KI 17:13 Then Elijah said to her, "Do not
fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little
bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me,
and afterward you may make one for yourself and for
your son.
1KI 17:14 "For thus says the Lord God of
Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted,
nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day
that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.'"
1KI 17:15 So she went and did according to
the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household
ate for many days.
1KI 17:16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted
nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to
the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
1KI 17:17 Now it came about after these
things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of
the house, became sick; and his sickness was so
severe, that there was no breath left in him.
1KI 17:18 So she said to Elijah, "What do I
have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to
me to bring my iniquity to remembrance, and to put
my son to death!"
1KI 17:19 And he said to her, "Give me your
son." Then he took him from her bosom and carried
him up to the upper room where he was living, and
laid him on his own bed.
1KI 17:20 And he called to the Lord and said,
"O Lord my God, hast Thou also brought calamity to
the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son
to die?"
1KI 17:21 Then he stretched himself upon the
child three times, and called to the Lord, and said,
"O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's life
return to him."
1KI 17:22 And the Lord heard the voice of
Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him
and he revived.
1KI 17:23 And Elijah took the child, and
brought him down from the upper room into the house
and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, "See,
your son is alive."
1KI 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now
I know that you are a man of God, and that the word
of the Lord in your mouth is truth."
Top of Page
1KI 18:1
Now it came about after many days, that the word of
the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying,
"Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on
the face of the earth."
1KI 18:2 So Elijah went to show himself to
Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
1KI 18:3 And Ahab called Obadiah who was over
the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly;
1KI 18:4 for it came about, when Jezebel
destroyed the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah
took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a
cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
1KI 18:5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go
through the land to all the springs of water and to
all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep
the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill
some of the cattle."
1KI 18:6 So they divided the land between
them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and
Obadiah went another way by himself.
1KI 18:7 Now as Obadiah was on the way,
behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and
fell on his face and said, "Is this you, Elijah my
master?"
1KI 18:8 And he said to him, "It is I. Go,
say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'"
1KI 18:9 And he said, "What sin have I
committed, that you are giving your servant into the
hand of Ahab, to put me to death?
1KI 18:10 "As the Lord your God lives, there
is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent
to search for you; and when they said, 'He is not
here,' he made the kingdom or nation swear that they
could not find you.
1KI 18:11 "And now you are saying, 'Go, say
to your master," Behold, Elijah is here."'
1KI 18:12 "And it will come about when I
leave you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you
where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab
and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I
your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.
1KI 18:13 "Has it not been told to my master
what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the
Lord, that I hid a hundred prophets of the Lord by
fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and
water?
1KI 18:14 "And now you are saying, 'Go, say
to your master," Behold, Elijah is here "';he will
then kill me."
1KI 18:15 And Elijah said, "As the Lord of
hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show
myself to him today."
1KI 18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and
told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
1KI 18:17 And it came about, when Ahab saw
Elijah that Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you
troubler of Israel?"
1KI 18:18 And he said, "I have not troubled
Israel, but you and your father's house have,
because you have forsaken the commandments of the
Lord, and you have followed the Baals.
1KI 18:19 "Now then send and gather to me all
Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets
of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at
Jezebel's table."
1KI 18:20 So Ahab sent a message among all
the sons of Israel, and brought the prophets
together at Mount Carmel.
1KI 18:21 And Elijah came near to all the
people and said, "How long will you hesitate between
two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if
Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him
a word.
1KI 18:22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I
alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's
prophets are 450 men.
1KI 18:23 "Now let them give us two oxen; and
let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up,
and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it;
and I will prepare the other ox, and lay it on the
wood, and I will not put a fire under it.
1KI 18:24 "Then you call on the name of your
god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and
the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the
people answered and said, "That is a good idea."
1KI 18:25 So Elijah said to the prophets of
Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it
first for you are many, and call on the name of your
god, but put no fire under it."
1KI 18:26 Then they took the ox which was
given them and they prepared it and called on the
name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O
Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one
answered. And they leaped about the altar which they
made.
1KI 18:27 And it came about at noon, that
Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud
voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or
gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is
asleep and needs to be awakened."
1KI 18:28 So they cried with a loud voice and
cut themselves according to their custom with swords
and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
1KI 18:29 And it came about when midday was
past, that they raved until the time of the offering
of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no
one answered, and no one paid attention.
1KI 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people,
"Come near to me." So all the people came near to
him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had
been torn down.
1KI 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come,
saying, "Israel shall be your name."
1KI 18:32 So with the stones he built an
altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench
around the altar, large enough to hold two measures
of seed.
1KI 18:33 Then he arranged the wood and cut
the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he
said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on
the burnt offering and on the wood."
1KI 18:34 And he said, "Do it a second time,"
and they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a
third time," and they did it a third time.
1KI 18:35 And the water flowed around the
altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
1KI 18:36 Then it came about at the time of
the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah
the prophet came near and said, "O Lord, the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known
that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy
servant, and that I have done all these things at
Thy word.
1KI 18:37 "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that
this people may know that Thou, O Lord, art God, and
that Thou hast turned their heart back again."
1KI 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and
consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the
stones and the dust, and licked up the water that
was in the trench.
1KI 18:39 And when all the people saw it,
they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord,
He is God; the Lord, He is God."
1KI 18:40 Then Elijah said to them, "Seize
the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them
escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought
them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
1KI 18:41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up,
eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of
a heavy shower."
1KI 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink.
But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he
crouched down on the earth, and put his face between
his knees.
1KI 18:43 And he said to his servant, "Go up
now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked
and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go back"
seven times.
1KI 18:44 And it came about at the seventh
time, that he said, "Behold, a cloud as small as a
man's hand is coming up from the sea." And he said,
"Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go
down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.'"
1KI 18:45 So it came about in a little while,
that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and
there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to
Jezreel.
1KI 18:46 Then the hand of the Lord was on
Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab
to Jezreel.
Top of Page
1KI 19:1
Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
1KI 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to
Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even
more, if I do not make your life as the life of one
of them by tomorrow about this time."
1KI 19:3 And he was afraid and arose and ran
for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to
Judah, and left his servant there.
1KI 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a
juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he
might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O Lord,
take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."
1KI 19:5 And he lay down and slept under a
juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel
touching him, and he said to him, "Arise, eat."
1KI 19:6 Then he looked and behold, there was
at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a
jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down
again.
1KI 19:7 And the angel of the Lord came again
a second time and touched him and said, "Arise, eat,
because the journey is too great for you."
1KI 19:8 So he arose and ate and drank, and
went in the strength of that food forty days and
forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
1KI 19:9 Then he came there to a cave, and
lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came
to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing
here, Elijah?"
1KI 19:10 And he said, "I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons
of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down
Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword.
And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take
it away."
1KI 19:11 So He said, "Go forth, and stand on
the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord
was passing by! And a great and strong wind was
rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the
rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the
wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake.
1KI 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire
a sound of a gentle blowing.
1KI 19:13 And it came about when Elijah heard
it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went
out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And
behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you
doing here, Elijah?"
1KI 19:14 Then he said, "I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons
of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down
Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword.
And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take
it away."
1KI 19:15 And the Lord said to him, "Go,
return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus,
and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael
king over Aram;
1KI 19:16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you
shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of
Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet
in your place.
1KI 19:17 "And it shall come about, the one
who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put
to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of
Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.
1KI 19:18 "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel,
all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every
mouth that has not kissed him."
1KI 19:19 So he departed from there and found
Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with
twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the
twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his
mantle on him.
1KI 19:20 And he left the oxen and ran after
Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and
my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to
him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"
1KI 19:21 So he returned from following him,
and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and
boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen,
and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he
arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.
Top of Page
1KI 20:1
Now Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army,
and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses
and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria,
and fought against it.
1KI 20:2 Then he sent messengers to the city
to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "Thus says
Ben-hadad,
1KI 20:3 'Your silver and your gold are mine;
your most beautiful wives and children are also
mine.' "
1KI 20:4 And the king of Israel answered and
said, "It is according to your word, my lord, O
king; I am yours, and all that I have."
1KI 20:5 Then the messengers returned and
said, "Thus says Ben-hadad, 'Surely, I sent to you
saying," You shall give me your silver and your gold
and your wives and your children, "
1KI 20:6 but about this time tomorrow I will
send my servants to you, and they will search your
house and the houses of your servants; and it shall
come about, whatever is desirable in your eyes, they
will take in their hand and carry away.' "
1KI 20:7 Then the king of Israel called all
the elders of the land and said, "Please observe and
see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent
to me for my wives and my children and my silver and
my gold, and I did not refuse him."
1KI 20:8 And all the elders and all the
people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
1KI 20:9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad,
"Tell my lord the king, 'All that you sent for to
your servant at the first I will do, but this thing
I cannot do.'" And the messengers departed and
brought him word again.
1KI 20:10 And Ben-hadad sent to him and said,
"May the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust
of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the
people who follow me."
1KI 20:11 Then the king of Israel answered
and said, "Tell him, 'Let not him who girds on his
armor boast like him who takes it off.'"
1KI 20:12 And it came about when Ben-hadad
heard this message, as he was drinking with the
kings in the temporary shelters, that he said to his
servants, "Station yourselves." So they stationed
themselves against the city.
1KI 20:13 Now behold, a prophet approached
Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the Lord,
'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I
will deliver them into your hand today, and you
shall know that I am the Lord.'"
1KI 20:14 And Ahab said, "By whom?" So he
said, "Thus says the Lord, 'By the young men of the
rulers of the provinces.'" Then he said, "Who shall
begin the battle?" And he answered, "You."
1KI 20:15 Then he mustered the young men of
the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and
after them he mustered all the people, even all the
sons of Israel, 7,000.
1KI 20:16 And they went out at noon, while
Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the
temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who
helped him.
1KI 20:17 And the young men of the rulers of
the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out
and they told him, saying, "Men have come out from
Samaria."
1KI 20:18 Then he said, "If they have come
out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come
out for war, take them alive."
1KI 20:19 So these went out from the city,
the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and
the army which followed them.
1KI 20:20 And they killed each his man; and
the Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad
king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.
1KI 20:21 And the king of Israel went out and
struck the horses and chariots, and killed the
Arameans with a great slaughter.
1KI 20:22 Then the prophet came near to the
king of Israel, and said to him, "Go, strengthen
yourself and observe and see what you have to do;
for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will
come up against you."
1KI 20:23 Now the servants of the king of
Aram said to him, "Their gods are gods of the
mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but
rather let us fight against them in the plain, and
surely we shall be stronger than they.
1KI 20:24 "And do this thing: remove the
kings, each from his place, and put captains in
their place,
1KI 20:25 and muster an army like the army
that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for
chariot. Then we will fight against them in the
plain, and surely we shall be stronger than
they."And he listened to their voice and did so.
1KI 20:26 So it came about at the turn of the
year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went
up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
1KI 20:27 And the sons of Israel were
mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them;
and the sons of Israel camped before them like two
little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the
country.
1KI 20:28 Then a man of God came near and
spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Thus says the
Lord, 'Because the Arameans have said," The Lord is
a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the
valleys ";therefore I will give all this great
multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I
am the Lord.'"
1KI 20:29 So they camped one over against the
other seven days. And it came about that on the
seventh day, the battle was joined, and the sons of
Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers
in one day.
1KI 20:30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the
city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left.
And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city into an
inner chamber.
1KI 20:31 And his servants said to him,
"Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the
house of Israel are merciful kings, please let us
put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads,
and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will
save your life."
1KI 20:32 So they girded sackcloth on their
loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the
king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad
says, 'Please let me live.'" And he said, "Is he
still alive? He is my brother."
1KI 20:33 Now the men took this as an omen,
and quickly catching his word said, "Your brother
Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben-hadad
came out to him, and he took him up into the
chariot.
1KI 20:34 And Ben-hadad said to him, "The
cities which my father took from your father I will
restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in
Damascus, as my father made in Samaria." Ahab said,
"And I will let you go with this covenant." So he
made a covenant with him and let him go.
1KI 20:35 Now a certain man of the sons of
the prophets said to another by the word of the
Lord, "Please strike me." But the man refused to
strike him.
1KI 20:36 Then he said to him, "Because you
have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold,
as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will
kill you." And as soon as he had departed from him a
lion found him, and killed him.
1KI 20:37 Then he found another man and said,
"Please strike me." And the man struck him, wounding
him.
1KI 20:38 So the prophet departed and waited
for the king by the way, and disguised himself with
a bandage over his eyes.
1KI 20:39 And as the king passed by, he cried
to the king and said, "Your servant went out into
the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned
aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this
man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life
shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a
talent of silver.'
1KI 20:40 "And while your servant was busy
here and there, he was gone." And the king of Israel
said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you
yourself have decided it."
1KI 20:41 Then he hastily took the bandage
away from his eyes, and the king of Israel
recognized him that he was of the prophets.
1KI 20:42 And he said to him, "Thus says the
Lord, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the
man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore
your life shall go for his life, and your people for
his people.'"
1KI 20:43 So the king of Israel went to his
house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.
Top of Page
1KI 21:1
Now it came about after these things, that Naboth
the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel
beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1KI 21:2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying,
"Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a
vegetable garden because it is close beside my
house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it
in its place; if you like, I will give you the price
of it in money."
1KI 21:3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord
forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of
my fathers."
1KI 21:4 So Ahab came into his house sullen
and vexed because of the word which Naboth the
Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, "I will
not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he
lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate
no food.
1KI 21:5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and
said to him, "How is it that your spirit is so
sullen that you are not eating food?"
1KI 21:6 So he said to her, "Because I spoke
to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, 'Give me
your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you,
I will give you a vineyard in its place.' But he
said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"
1KI 21:7 And Jezebel his wife said to him,
"Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and
let your heart be joyful; I will give you the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
1KI 21:8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name
and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to
the elders and to the nobles who were living with
Naboth in his city.
1KI 21:9 Now she wrote in the letters,
saying, "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the
head of the people;
1KI 21:10 and seat two worthless men before
him, and let them testify against him, saying,' You
cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and
stone him to death."
1KI 21:11 So the men of his city, the elders
and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel
had sent word to them, just as it was written in the
letters which she had sent them.
1KI 21:12 They proclaimed a fast and seated
Naboth at the head of the people.
1KI 21:13 Then the two worthless men came in
and sat before him; and the worthless men testified
against him, even against Naboth, before the people,
saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they
took him outside the city and stoned him to death
with stones.
1KI 21:14 Then they sent word to Jezebel,
saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and is dead."
1KI 21:15 And it came about when Jezebel
heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that
Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the
vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused
to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but
dead."
1KI 21:16 And it came about when Ahab heard
that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose to go down to
the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take
possession of it.
1KI 21:17 Then the word of the Lord came to
Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1KI 21:18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king
of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the
vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take
possession of it.
1KI 21:19 "And you shall speak to him,
saying, 'Thus says the Lord," Have you murdered, and
also taken possession? "'And you shall speak to him,
saying, 'Thus says the Lord," In the place where the
dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs shall
lick up your blood, even yours."'"
1KI 21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you
found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have
found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil
in the sight of the Lord.
1KI 21:21 "Behold, I will bring evil upon
you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut
off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in
Israel;
1KI 21:22 and I will make your house like the
house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the
house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the
provocation with which you have provoked Me to
anger, and because you have made Israel sin.
1KI 21:23 "And of Jezebel also has the Lord
spoken, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the
district of Jezreel.'
1KI 21:24 "The one belonging to Ahab, who
dies in the city, the dogs shall eat, and the one
who dies in the field the birds of heaven shall
eat."
1KI 21:25 Surely there was no one like Ahab
who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the
Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.
1KI 21:26 And he acted very abominably in
following idols, according to all that the Amorites
had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of
Israel.
1KI 21:27 And it came about when Ahab heard
these words, that he tore his clothes and put on
sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and
went about despondently.
1KI 21:28 Then the word of the Lord came to
Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1KI 21:29 "Do you see how Ahab has humbled
himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself
before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days,
but I will bring the evil upon his house in his
son's days."
Top of Page
1KI 22:1
And three years passed without war between Aram and
Israel.
1KI 22:2 And it came about in the third year,
that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the
king of Israel.
1KI 22:3 Now the king of Israel said to his
servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to
us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of
the hand of the king of Aram?"
1KI 22:4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will
you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you
are, my people as your people, my horses as your
horses."
1KI 22:5 Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the
king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word
of the Lord."
1KI 22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the
prophets together, about four hundred men, and said
to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle
or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the
Lord will give it into the hand of the king."
1KI 22:7 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not
yet a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire
of him?"
1KI 22:8 And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may
inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is
Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let
not the king say so."
1KI 22:9 Then the king of Israel called an
officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah son of
Imlah."
1KI 22:10 Now the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his
throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing
floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and
all the prophets were prophesying before them.
1KI 22:11 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah
made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says
the Lord, 'With these you shall gore the Arameans
until they are consumed.'"
1KI 22:12 And all the prophets were
prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead
and prosper, for the Lord will give it into the hand
of the king."
1KI 22:13 Then the messenger who went to
summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the
words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the
king. Please let your word be like the word of one
of them, and speak favorably."
1KI 22:14 But Micaiah said, "As the Lord
lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak."
1KI 22:15 When he came to the king, the king
said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead
to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered
him, "Go up and succeed, and the Lord will give it
into the hand of the king."
1KI 22:16 Then the king said to him, "How
many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing
but the truth in the name of the Lord?"
1KI 22:17 So he said, "I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no
shepherd. And the Lord said, 'These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"
1KI 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not
prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
1KI 22:19 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 by Him
on His right and on His left.
1KI 22:20 "And the Lord said, 'Who will
entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And
one said this while another said that.
1KI 22:21 "Then a spirit came forward and
stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.'
1KI 22:22 "And the Lord said to him, 'How?'
And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving
spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He
said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go
and do so.'
1KI 22:23 "Now therefore, behold, the Lord
has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these
your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster
against you."
1KI 22:24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah
came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said,
"How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to
speak to you?"
1KI 22:25 And Micaiah said, "Behold, you
shall see on that day when you enter an inner room
to hide yourself."
1KI 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, "Take
Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the
city and to Joash the king's son;
1KI 22:27 and say,' Thus says the king, "Put
this man in prison, and feed him sparingly with
bread and water until I return safely."' "
1KI 22:28 And Micaiah said, "If you indeed
return safely the Lord has not spoken by me." And he
said, "Listen, all you people."
1KI 22:29 So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against
Ramoth-gilead.
1KI 22:30 And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the
battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of
Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
1KI 22:31 Now the king of Aram had commanded
the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do
not fight with small or great, but with the king of
Israel alone."
1KI 22:32 So it came about, 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.
1KI 22:33 Then it happened, when the captains
of the chariots saw that it was not the king of
Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
1KI 22:34 Now a certain man drew his bow at
random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of
the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot,
"Turn around, and take me out of the fight; for I am
severely wounded."
1KI 22:35 And the battle raged that day, and
the king was propped up in his chariot in front of
the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood
from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot.
1KI 22:36 Then a cry passed throughout the
army close to sunset, saying, "Every man to his city
and every man to his country."
1KI 22:37 So the king died and was brought to
Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
1KI 22:38 And they washed the chariot by the
pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood
(now the harlots bathed themselves there), according
to the word of the Lord which He spoke.
1KI 22:39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab
and all that he did and the ivory house which he
built and all the cities which he built, are they
not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Israel?
1KI 22:40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and
Ahaziah his son became king in his place.
1KI 22:41 Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa
became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab
king of Israel.
1KI 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five
years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah
the daughter of Shilhi.
1KI 22:43 And he walked in all the way of Asa
his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing
right in the sight of the Lord. However, the high
places were not taken away; the people still
sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.
1KI 22:44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with
the king of Israel.
1KI 22:45 Now the rest of the acts of
Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how
he warred, are they not written in the Book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
1KI 22:46 And the remnant of the sodomites
who remained in the days of his father Asa, he
expelled from the land.
1KI 22:47 Now there was no king in Edom; a
deputy was king.
1KI 22:48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish
to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go for the
ships were broken at Ezion-geber.
1KI 22:49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said
to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your
servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat was not
willing.
1KI 22:50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his
fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city
of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king
in his place.
1KI 22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king
over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years
over Israel.
1KI 22:52 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 caused Israel to sin.
1KI 22:53 So he served Baal and worshiped him
and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger
according to all that his father had done.
