Ahab and the False Prophets

¹For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. ²sBut in the third year tJehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that uRamoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, v“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁵And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” ⁶Then the king of Israel wgathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁷But xJehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” ⁸And 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 evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁹Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor yat the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself zhorns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these ayou shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” ¹²And 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.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

¹³And 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.” ¹⁴But Micaiah said, b“As the Lord lives, cwhat the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” ¹⁵And when he had come 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 triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶But 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?” ¹⁷And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, das sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” ¹⁸And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, e“Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁹And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: fI saw the Lord sitting on his throne, gand all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; ²⁰and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. ²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ ²²And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be ha 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.’ ²³Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”

²⁴Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near iand struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” ²⁵And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go jinto an inner chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁶And 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, ²⁷and say, ‘Thus says the king, k“Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, luntil I come in peace.”’” ²⁸And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, mthe Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, n“Hear, all you peoples!”

Ahab Killed in Battle

²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, o“I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. ³¹Now the king of Syria had commanded pthe thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³²And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴But a certain man drew his bow at random1 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, qfor I am wounded.” ³⁵And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

³⁷So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, raccording to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. ³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and sthe ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

⁴¹tJehoshaphat the son of uAsa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³vHe walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet wthe high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. ⁴⁴xJehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written yin the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶And from the land he exterminated the remnant zof the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.

⁴⁷aThere was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. ⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made bships of Tarshish to go to cOphir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at dEzion-geber. ⁴⁹Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰eAnd 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 place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab fbegan to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵²He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord gand 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. ⁵³hHe served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger iin every way that his father had done.

The Day of the Lord

¹Now concerning wthe times and the seasons, brothers,1 xyou have no need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves are fully aware that ythe day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then zsudden destruction will come upon them aas labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you bare not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵For you are all cchildren2 of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶So then dlet us not sleep, as others do, but let us ekeep awake and fbe sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, gare drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, hhaving put on the breastplate of ifaith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹For God has not destined us for jwrath, but kto obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰lwho died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Final Instructions and Benediction

¹²We ask you, brothers, mto respect those who labor among you and nare over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. oBe at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish pthe idle,3 qencourage the fainthearted, rhelp the weak, sbe patient with them all. ¹⁵See that tno one repays anyone evil for evil, but always useek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶vRejoice always, ¹⁷wpray without ceasing, ¹⁸xgive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹yDo not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise zprophecies, ²¹but atest everything; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil.

²³Now may bthe God of peace himself csanctify you completely, and may your dwhole espirit and soul and body be kept blameless at fthe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴gHe who calls you is faithful; hhe will surely do it.

²⁵iBrothers, pray for us.

²⁶jGreet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷I put you under oath before the Lord to have kthis letter read to all the brothers.

²⁸lThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

¹1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all mpeoples, nations, and languages, nthat dwell in all the earth: oPeace be multiplied to you! ²It has seemed good to me to show the psigns and wonders that the qMost High God has done for me.

³How great are phis signs,

how mighty his pwonders!

rHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

rand his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

⁴2 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. ⁵I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and sthe visions of my head alarmed me. ⁶So tI made a decree that uall the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷Then vthe magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but wthey could not make known to me its interpretation. ⁸At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named xBelteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is ythe spirit of the holy gods3—and I told him the dream, saying, ⁹“O Belteshazzar, zchief of the magicians, because I know that ythe spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no amystery is too difficult for you, tell me sthe visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. ¹⁰sThe visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and bbehold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. ¹¹cThe tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. ¹²dIts leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. eThe beasts of the field found shade under it, and ethe birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

¹³“I saw in sthe visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, fa watcher, ga holy one, came down from heaven. ¹⁴He hproclaimed aloud and said thus: i‘Chop down the tree and jlop off its branches, jstrip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. jLet the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. ¹⁵But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; kand let seven periods of time lpass over him. ¹⁷The sentence is by the decree of fthe watchers, the decision by the word of gthe holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High mrules the kingdom of men nand gives it to whom he will and osets over it the lowliest of men.’ ¹⁸This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O pBelteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because qall the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for rthe spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

¹⁹Then Daniel, whose name was pBelteshazzar, was sdismayed for a while, and this thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, umay the dream be for those who hate you uand its interpretation for your enemies! ²⁰vThe tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, ²¹wwhose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— ²²xit is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. yYour greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, yand your dominion to the ends of the earth. ²³And because the king saw za watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, a‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till bseven periods of time pass over him,’ ²⁴this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, ²⁵cthat you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made dto eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and bseven periods of time shall pass over you, till eyou know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. ²⁶And as it was commanded fto leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. ²⁷Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by gpracticing righteousness, hand your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, ithat there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation

²⁸All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰and the king answered and said, j“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by kmy mighty power as a royal residence and for kthe glory of my majesty?” ³¹lWhile the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, ³²mand you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, muntil you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” ³³Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. mHe was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

³⁴nAt the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and omy reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored phim who lives forever,

qfor his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and qhis kingdom endures from generation to generation;

³⁵rall the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and she does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

tand none can stay his hand

or usay to him, “What have you done?”

³⁶At the same time vmy reason returned to me, and for wthe glory of my kingdom, wmy majesty and splendor returned to me. xMy counselors and ymy lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was zadded to me. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, apraise and extol and honor the bKing of heaven, cfor all his works are right and his ways are just; and dthose who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Psalm 108

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

¹pMy heart is steadfast, O God!

I will sing and make melody with all my being!1

²Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

³I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

⁴For your steadfast love is great qabove the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶rThat your beloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

⁷God has promised in his holiness:2

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Valley of Succoth.

⁸Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my scepter.

⁹Moab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I cast my shoe;

sover Philistia I shout in triumph.”

¹⁰Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹¹Have you not rejected us, O God?

You do not go out, O God, with our armies.

¹²Oh grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

¹³With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalm 109

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

¹tBe not silent, O uGod of my praise!

²For wicked and vdeceitful mouths are opened against me,

speaking against me with lying tongues.

³They encircle me with words of hate,

and attack me wwithout cause.

⁴In return for my love they xaccuse me,

but I ygive myself to prayer.1

⁵So they zreward me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

⁶aAppoint a wicked man bagainst him;

let an accuser stand cat his right hand.

⁷When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;

let his dprayer be counted as sin!

⁸May his edays be few;

may fanother take his goffice!

⁹May his hchildren be fatherless

and his wife a widow!

¹⁰May his children iwander about and beg,

jseeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

¹¹May kthe creditor seize all that he has;

may kstrangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

¹²Let there be none to lextend kindness to him,

nor any to mpity his fatherless children!

¹³May his nposterity be cut off;

may his oname be blotted out in the second generation!

¹⁴May pthe iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,

and let not the sin of his mother be qblotted out!

¹⁵rLet them be before the Lord continually,

that he may scut off the memory of them from the earth!

¹⁶For he did not remember to show kindness,

but pursued tthe poor and needy

and uthe brokenhearted, to put them to death.

¹⁷vHe loved to curse; let curses come2 upon him!

He did not delight in blessing; may it be far3 from him!

¹⁸He wclothed himself with cursing as his coat;

may it xsoak4 into his body like water,

like oil into his bones!

¹⁹May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,

like a belt that he puts on every day!

²⁰May this be the reward of my yaccusers from the Lord,

of those who speak evil against my life!

²¹But you, O God my Lord,

deal on my behalf zfor your name's sake;

because your asteadfast love is good, deliver me!

²²For I am bpoor and needy,

and my heart is stricken within me.

²³I am gone like ca shadow at evening;

I am dshaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees are weak ethrough fasting;

my fbody has become gaunt, with no fat.

²⁵I am gan object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they hwag their heads.

²⁶iHelp me, O Lord my God!

Save me according to your steadfast love!

²⁷Let them jknow that this is your hand;

you, O Lord, have done it!

²⁸kLet them curse, but you will bless!

They arise and are put to shame, but lyour servant will be glad!

²⁹May my accusers be mclothed with dishonor;

may they nbe wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

³⁰With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;

I will opraise him in the midst of the throng.

³¹For he stands pat the right hand of the needy one,

to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.