Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Kings chapters
20 through 22. Chapter 20 Now Ben -Hadad, the
king of Syria, gathered all his forces together.
Thirty -two kings were with him, with horses
and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria,
and made war against it. Then he sent messengers
into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said
to him, Thus says Ben -Hadad, Your silver and
your gold are mine, your loveliest wives and
children are mine. And the king of Israel answered
and said, My lord, O king, just as you say, I
and all that I have are yours. Then the messengers
came back and said, Thus speaks Ben -Hadad, saying,
Indeed, I have sent to you, saying, You shall
deliver to me your silver and your gold, your
wives and your children. But I will send my servants
to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall
search your house and the houses of your servants.
And it shall be that whatever is pleasant in
your eyes, they will put it in their hands and
take it. So the king of Israel called all the
elders of the land and said, Notice, please,
and see how this man seeks trouble. For he sent
to me for my wives, my children, my silver and
my gold, and I did not deny him. And all the
elders and all the people said to him, Do not
listen or consent. Therefore he said to the messengers
of Ben -Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that
you sent forth your servant the first time I
will do, but this thing I cannot do. And the
messengers departed and brought back word to
him. Then Ben -Hadad sent to him and said, The
gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust
is left of Samaria, for a handful for each of
the people who follow me. So the king of Israel
answered and said, Tell him, let not the one
who puts on his armor boast like the one who
takes it off. And it happened when Ben -Hadad
heard this message, as he and the kings were
drinking at the command post, that he said to
his servants, Get ready. And they got ready to
attack the city. Suddenly a prophet approached
Ahab king of Israel saying, Thus says the Lord,
Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold,
I will deliver it into your hand today, and you
shall know that I am the Lord. So Ahab said,
By whom? And he said, Thus says the Lord, By
the young leaders of the provinces. Then he said,
Who will set the battle in order? And he said,
You. Then he mustered the young leaders of the
provinces, and there were 232. And after them
he mustered all the people, all the children
of Israel, seven thousand so they went out at
noon meanwhile ben haddad and the 32 kings helping
him were getting drunk at the command post the
young leaders of the provinces went out first
and ben haddad sent out a patrol and they told
him saying men are coming out of samaria so he
said if they have come out for peace take them
alive and if they have come out for war take
them alive then these young leaders of the provinces
went out of the city with the army which followed
them and each one killed his man So the Syrians
fled, and Israel pursued, and Ben -Hadad the
king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.
Then the king of Israel went out and attacked
the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians
with a great slaughter. And the prophet came
to the king of Israel and said to him, Go strengthen
yourself, take note, and see what you should
do, for in the spring of the year the king of
Syria will come up against you. Then the servants
of the king of Syria said to him, Their gods
are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger
than we. But if we fight against them in the
plain, surely we will be stronger than they.
So do this thing. Dismiss the kings each from
his position and put captains in their places.
And you shall 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. Surely we will be stronger than they.
And he listened to their voice and did so. So
it was in the spring of the year that Ben -Hadad
mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to
fight against Israel. And the children of Israel
were mustered and given provisions, and they
went against them. Now the children of Israel
encamped before them like two little flocks of
goats, while the Syrians filed the countryside.
Then a man of God came and spoke to the king
of Israel and said, Thus says the Lord, Because
the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the
hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore
I will deliver all this great multitude into
your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
And they encamped opposite each other for seven
days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle
was joined, and the children of Israel killed
one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians
in one day, but the rest fled to Aphek into the
city. Then a wall fell on twenty -seven thousand
of the men who were left. And Ben -Hadad fled
and went into the city, into an inner chamber.
Then his servants said to him, Look now, we have
heard that the kings of the house of Israel are
merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around
our waists and ropes around our heads and go
out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare
your life. So they wore sackcloth around their
waists and put ropes around 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. Now the
men were watching closely to see whether any
sign of mercy would come from him. And they quickly
grasped at this word and said, Your brother,
Ben -Hadad. So he said, Go bring him. Then Ben
-Hadad came out to him, and he had him come up
into the chariot. So Ben -Hadad said to him,
The cities which my father took from your father
I will restore, and you may set up marketplaces
for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in
Samaria. Then Ahab said, I will send you away
with this treaty. So he made a treaty with him
and sent him away. Now a certain man of the sons
of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word
of the Lord, Strike me, please. And the man refused
to strike him. Then he said to him, Because you
have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely
as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill
you. And as soon as he left him, a lion found
him and killed him. And he found another man
and said, Strike me, please. So the man struck
him, inflicting a wound. Then the prophet departed
and waited for the king by the road, and disguised
himself with a bandage over his eyes. Now as
the king passed by, he cried out to the king
and said, Your servant went out into the midst
of the battle, and there a man came over and
brought a man to me and said, Guard this man.
If by any means he is missing, your life shall
be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent
of silver. While your servant was busy here and
there, he was gone. Then the king of Israel said
to him, So shall your judgment be. you yourself
have decided it and he hastened to take the bandage
away from his eyes and the king of israel recognized
him as one of the prophets then he said to him
thus says the lord because you have let slip
out of your hand a man whom i appointed to utter
destruction therefore your life shall go for
his life and your people for his people so the
king of israel went to his house sullen and displeased
and came to samaria chapter 21 And it came to
pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite
had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to
the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. So Ahab spoke
to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that
I may have it for a vegetable garden, because
it is near, next to my house, and for it I will
give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it
seems good to you, I will give you its worth
in money. But Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid
that I should give the inheritance of my fathers
to you. So Ahab went into his house sullen and
displeased because of the word which Naboth the
Jezreelite had spoken to him. For he had said,
I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.
And he lay down on his bed and turned away his
face and would eat no food. But Jezebel his wife
came to him and said to him, Why is your spirit
so sullen that you eat no food? He said to her,
Because I spoke to him about the Jezreelite,
and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money,
or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another
vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not
give you my vineyard. Then Jezebel his wife said
to him, You now exercise authority over Israel.
Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful.
I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
And she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed
them with his seal, and sent the letters to the
elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the
city with Naboth. She wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor
among the people, and seat two men, scoundrels,
before him to bear witness against him, saying,
You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take
him out, and stone him, that he may die. So the
men of his city, the elders and nobles who were
inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent
to them, as it was written in the letters which
she had sent to them. They proclaimed the fast
and seated Naboth with high honor among the people.
And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before
him. And the scoundrels witnessed against him,
against Naboth, in the presence of the people,
saying, Naboth has blasphemed God and the king.
Then they took him outside the city and stoned
him with stones, so that he died. Then they sent
to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and
is dead. And it came to pass, 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. So it was when Ahab heard
that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went
down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth
the Jezreelite. Then the word of the Lord came
to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down
to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria.
There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where
he has gone down to take possession of it. 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 dogs lick the blood
of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.
so ahab said to elijah have you found me or my
enemy and he answered i have found you because
you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight
of the lord behold i will bring calamity on you
i will take away your posterity and will cut
off from ahab every male in israel both bond
and free. I will make your house like the house
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house
of Basha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation
with which you have provoked me to anger and
made Israel sin. And concerning Jezebel, the
Lord also spoke, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel
by the wall of Jezreel. The dogs shall eat whoever
belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the
birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the
field. But there was no one like Ahab who sold
himself to do wickedness in the sight of the
Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.
And he behaved very abominably in following idols
according to all that the Amorites had done,
whom the Lord had cast out before the children
of Israel. So it was when Ahab heard those words
that he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his
body, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went
about mourning. And the word of the Lord came
to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, See how Ahab
has humbled himself before me? Because he has
humbled himself before me, I will not bring the
calamity in his days. In the days of his son,
I will bring the calamity on his house. Chapter
22 Now three years passed without war between
Syria and Israel. Then it came to pass in the
third year that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah,
went down to visit the king of Israel. And the
king of Israel said to his servants, Do you know
that Ramoth in Gilead is ours? But we hesitate
to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria.
So he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me
to fight at Ramoth, Gilead? Jehoshaphat said
to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people
as your people, my horses as your horses. Also
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please
inquire for the word of the Lord today. Then
the king of Israel gathered the prophets together,
about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall
I go against Ramud Gilead to fight, or shall
I refrain? So they said, Go up, for the Lord
will deliver it into the hand of the king. And
Jehoshaphat said, Is there not still a prophet
of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?
So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There
is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by
whom we may inquire of the Lord. But I hate him,
because he does not prophesy good concerning
me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the
king say such things. Then the king of Israel
called an officer and said, Bring Micaiah the
son of Imlah quickly. The king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on
their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing
floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria.
And all the prophets prophesied before them.
Now Zedekiah the son of Shenanah had made horns
of iron for himself, and he said, Thus says the
Lord, With these you shall gore the Syrians until
they are destroyed. And all the prophets prophesied
so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper,
for the Lord will deliver it into the king's
hand. Then the messenger who had gone to call
Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Now listen, the
words of the prophets with one accord encouraged
the king. Please let your word be like the word
of one of them, and speak encouragement. And
Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, whatever the
Lord says to me, that I will speak. Then he came
to the king, and the king said to him, Micaiah,
shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or
shall we refrain? And he answered him, Go and
prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the
hand of the king. So the king said to him, How
many times shall I make you swear that you tell
me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?
Then 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 house in peace. And the king of
Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you
he would not prophesy good concerning me, but
evil? Then Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word
of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne,
and all the hosts of heaven standing by, on his
right hand and on his left. And the Lord said,
Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may
fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one spoke in this manner,
and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit
came forward and stood before the Lord and said,
I will persuade him. The Lord said to him, In
what way? So he said, I will go out and be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.
And the Lord said, You shall persuade him, and
also prevail. Go out and do so. Therefore look,
the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth
of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord
has declared disaster against you. Now Zedekiah
the son of Shinanah went near and struck Micaiah
on the cheek and said, Which way did the spirit
from the Lord go from me to speak to you? And
Micaiah said, Indeed you shall see on that day
when you go into an inner chamber to hide. So
the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and return
him to Ammon the governor of the city and to
Joash the king's son, and say, Thus says the
king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him
with bread of affliction and water of affliction
until I come in peace. But Micaiah said, If you
ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken
to me. And he said, Take heed, all you people.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead, and the king
of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise
myself and go into battle, but you put on your
robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself
and went into battle. Now the king of Syria had
commanded the 32 captains of his chariots, saying,
Fight with no one small or great, but only with
the king of Israel. So it was when the captains
of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat that they said,
Surely it is the king of Israel. Therefore they
turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat
cried out. And it happened when the captains
of the chariots saw that it was not the king
of Israel that they turned back from pursuing
him. Now a certain man drew a bow at random and
struck the king of Israel between the joints
of his armor. So he said to the driver of his
chariot, Turn around and take me out of the battle,
for I am wounded. The battle increased that day,
and the king was propped up in his chariot. facing
the Syrians and died at evening. The blood ran
out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
Then as the sun was going down, a shout went
throughout the army, saying, Every man to his
city, and every man to his own country. So the
king died and was brought to Samaria, and they
buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed
the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs
licked up his blood while the harlots bathed,
according to the word of the Lord which he had
spoken. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and
all that he did, the ivory house which he built,
and all the cities that he built, are they not
written in the book of the chronicles of the
kings of Israel? So Ahab rested with his fathers,
then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. Jehoshaphat
the son of Asa had become king over Judah in
the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat
was 35 years old when he became king, and he
reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name
was Azuba, the daughter of Jehoshaphat. And he
walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He
did not turn aside from them, doing what was
right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless,
the high places were not taken away, for the
people offered sacrifices and burned incense
on the high places. Also Jehoshaphat made peace
with the king of Israel. Now the rest of the
acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed,
and how he made war, are they not written in
the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And the rest of the perverted persons who remained
in the days of his father Asa, he banished from
the land. There was then no king in Edom, only
a deputy of the king. Jehoshaphat made merchant
ships to go to offer for gold. But they never
sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.
Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,
Let my servants go with your servants in the
ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. And Jehoshaphat
rested with his fathers and was buried with his
fathers in the city of David his father. Then
Jehoram his son reigned in his place. Ahaziah
the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria
in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah
and reigned two years over Israel. 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 had
made Israel sin. For he served Baal and worshipped
him and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger
according to all that his father had done. I
hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I
did and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow
to continue on our journey. God bless you and
have a great day.