1 Then three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
2 But in the third year, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, descended to the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Are you ignorant that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and that we have neglected to take it from the hand of the king of Syria?”
4 And so he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you come to the battle with me at Ramoth Gilead?”
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: “As I am, so also are you. My people and your people are one. And my horsemen are your horsemen.” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I beg you to inquire today of the word of the Lord.”
6 Therefore, the king of Israel gathered together the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, “Should I go to Ramoth Gilead to make war, or should I be at peace?” They responded, “Ascend, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
7 Then Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a particular prophet of the Lord, so that we may inquire by him?”
8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “One man remains, by whom we may be able to inquire of the Lord: Micaiah, the son of Imlah. But I hate him. For he does not prophecy good to me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “You should not speak in this way, O king.”
9 Therefore, the king of Israel called a certain eunuch, and he said to him, “Hurry to bring here Micaiah, the son of Imlah.”
10 Now the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were each sitting upon his own throne, clothed in the habit of royal vestments, in a courtyard beside the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets were prophesying in their sight.
11 Also, Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says the Lord: With these, you shall threaten Syria, until you destroy it.”
12 And all the prophets were prophesying similarly, saying: “Ascend to Ramoth Gilead, and go forth to success. For the Lord will deliver it into the hands of the king.”
13 Then truly, the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying: “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if with one mouth, are predicting good to the king. Therefore, let your word be like theirs, and speak what is good.”
14 But Micaiah said to him, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord will have said to me, this shall I speak.”
15 And so he went to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead to do battle, or should we cease?” And he responded to him, “Ascend, and go forth to success, and the Lord will deliver it into the hands of the king.”
16 But the king said to him, “I require you under oath, again and again, that you not say to me anything except what is true, in the name of the Lord.”
17 And he said: “I saw all of Israel scattered among the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said: ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his own house in peace.’ “
18 Therefore, the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “Did I not tell you that he prophesies nothing good to me, but always evil?”
19 Yet truly, continuing, he said: “Because of his, listen to the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne. And the entire army of heaven was standing beside him, to the right and to the left.
20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will mislead Ahab, the king of Israel, so that he may ascend and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And one spoke words in this manner, and another spoke otherwise.
21 But then a spirit went out and stood before the Lord. And he said, ‘I will mislead him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’
22 And he said, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said: ‘You will deceive him, and you will prevail. Go forth, and do so.’
23 So now, behold: the Lord has given a lying spirit into the mouth of all your prophets who are here. And the Lord has spoken evil against you.”
24 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, drew near and struck Micaiah on the jaw, and he said, “So then, has the Spirit of the Lord left me, and spoken to you?”
25 And Micaiah said, “You shall see in the day when you will enter into a room within a room, so that you may conceal yourself.”
26 And the king of Israel said: “Take Micaiah, and let him dwell with Amon, the ruler of the city, and with Joash, the son of Amalech.
27 And tell them: ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in prison, and sustain him with the bread of affliction, and with the water of distress, until I return in peace.’ “
28 And Micaiah said, “If you will have returned in peace, the Lord has not spoken through me.” And he said, “May all the people hear it.”
29 And so, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, ascended to Ramoth Gilead.
30 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: “Take up your armor, and enter the battle. And be clothed in your own garments.” But the king of Israel changed his clothing, and he entered the war.
31 Now the king of Syria had instructed the thirty-two commanders of the chariots, saying, “You shall not fight against anyone, small or great, except against the king of Israel alone.”
32 Therefore, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they suspected that he was the king of Israel. And making a violent assault, they fought against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 And the commanders of the chariots understood that he was not the king of Israel, and so they turned away from him.
34 But a certain man bent his bow, aiming the arrow without certitude, and by chance he struck the king of Israel, between the lungs and the stomach. Then he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn your hand, and carry me away from the army, for I have been grievously wounded.”
35 Then the battle was undertaken throughout that day. And the king of Israel was standing on his chariot opposite the Syrians, and he died in the evening. For the blood was flowing from the wound into the joints of the chariot.
36 And a herald proclaimed throughout the entire army, before the setting of the sun, saying: “Let each one return to his own city, and to his own land.”
37 Then the king died, and he was carried into Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And they washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria. And the dogs licked up his blood. And they washed the reins, in accord with the word of the Lord which he had spoken.
39 But the rest of the words of Ahab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he constructed, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?
40 And so, Ahab slept with his fathers. And Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place.
41 Yet truly, Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, had begun to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, the king of Israel.
42 He was thirty-five years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 And he walked in the entire way of Asa, his father, and he did not decline from it. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.
44 Yet truly, he did not take away the high places. For still the people were sacrificing and burning incense in the high places.
45 And Jehoshaphat had peace with the king of Israel.
46 But the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, and his works that he did, and the battles, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah?
47 Then, too, the remnant of the effeminate, who had remained in the days of Asa, his father, he took away from the land.
48 At that time, there was no king appointed in Idumea.
49 Yet truly, king Jehoshaphat had made a navy on the sea, which would sail to Ophir for gold. But they were unable to go, because the ships were broken down at Eziongeber.
50 Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants on the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing.
51 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and he was buried with them in the city of David, his father. And Jehoram, his son, reigned in his place.
52 Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel, in Samaria, in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel for two years.
53 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he walked in the way of his father and his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.
54 Also, he served Baal, and he adored him, and he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, in accord with all that his father had done.
&
1 The hand of the Lord was set upon me, and he led me away in the Spirit of the Lord, and he released me in the midst of a plain which was full of bones.
2 And he led me around, through them, on every side. Now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceedingly dry.
3 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you think that these bones will live?” And I said, “O Lord God, you know.”
4 And he said to me, “Prophesy about these bones. And you shall say to them: Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live.
6 And I will set sinews upon you, and I will cause flesh to grow over you, and I will extend skin over you. And I will give you spirit, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. But a noise occurred, as I was prophesying, and behold: a commotion. And the bones joined together, each one at its joint.
8 And I saw, and behold: sinews and flesh rose up over them; and skin was extended over them. But they had no spirit within them.
9 And he said to me: “Prophesy to the spirit! Prophesy, O son of man, and you shall say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord God: Approach, O spirit, from the four winds, and blow across these ones who were slain, and revive them.”
10 And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. And spirit entered into them, and they lived. And they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 And he said to me: “Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel. They say: ‘Our bones are dried out, and our hope has perished, and we have been cut off.’
12 Because of this, prophesy, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your tombs, and I will lead you away from your sepulchers, O my people. And I will lead you into the land of Israel.
13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have opened your sepulchers, and when I will have led you away from your tombs, O my people.
14 And I will place my Spirit within you, and you shall live. And I will cause you to rest upon your own soil. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and acted, says the Lord God.”
15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
6 For they have contrived with one consent: they have made a covenant together against thee,
7 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismahelites: Moab, and the Agarens,
8 Gebal, and Ammon and Amalec: the Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre.
9 Yea, and the Assyrian also is joined with them: they are come to the aid of the sons of Lot.
10 Do to them as thou didst to Madian and to Sisara: as to Jabin at the brook of Cisson.
11 Who perished at Endor: and became as dung for the earth.
12 Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebee, and Salmana. All their princes,
1 Now it happened in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and they spoke in such a way that a copious multitude of both Jews and Greeks believed.
2 Yet truly, the Jews who were unbelieving had incited and enflamed the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.
3 And so, they remained for a long time, acting faithfully in the Lord, offering testimony to the Word of his grace, providing signs and wonders done by their hands.
4 Then the multitude of the city was divided. And certainly, some were with the Jews, yet truly others were with the Apostles.
5 Now when an assault had been planned by the Gentiles and the Jews with their leaders, so that they might treat them with contempt and stone them,
6 they, realizing this, fled together to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the entire surrounding region. And they were evangelizing in that place.
7 And a certain man was sitting at Lystra, disabled in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.
8 This man heard Paul speaking. And Paul, gazing at him intently, and perceiving that he had faith, so that he might be healed,
9 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright upon your feet!” And he leaped up and walked around.
10 But when the crowds had seen what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice in the Lycaonian language, saying, “The gods, having taken the likenesses of men, have descended to us!”
11 And they called Barnabas, ‘Jupiter,’ yet truly they called Paul, ‘Mercury,’ because he was the lead speaker.
12 Also, the priest of Jupiter, who was outside the city, in front of the gate, bringing in oxen and garlands, was willing to offer sacrifice with the people.
13 And as soon as the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, had heard this, tearing their tunics, they leapt into the crowd, crying out
14 and saying: “Men, why would you do this? We also are mortals, men like yourselves, preaching to you to be converted, from these vain things, to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.
15 In previous generations, he permitted all nations to walk in their own ways.
16 But certainly, he did not leave himself without testimony, doing good from heaven, giving rains and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness.”
17 And by saying these things, they were barely able to restrain the crowds from immolating to them.
18 Now certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived there. And having persuaded the crowd, they stoned Paul and dragged him outside of the city, thinking him to be dead.
19 But as the disciples were standing around him, he got up and entered the city. And the next day, he set out with Barnabas for Derbe.
20 And when they had evangelized that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
21 strengthening the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them that they should remain always in the faith, and that it is necessary for us to enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations.
22 And when they had established priests for them in each church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed.
23 And traveling by way of Pisidia, they arrived in Pamphylia.
24 And having spoken the word of the Lord in Perga, they went down into Attalia.
25 And from there, they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had now accomplished.
26 And when they had arrived and had gathered together the church, they related what great things God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
27 And they remained for no small amount of time with the disciples.
