July 31st

And some years later he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.

And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of Yahweh.”

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”

But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?”

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imla.”

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’ ”

All the prophets were also prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak that which is good.”

But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, what my God says, that I shall speak.”

Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and succeed, and they will be given into your hand.”

Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”

So he said,

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left.

And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that.

Then a spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’

And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’

So now, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?”

And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide.”

Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son;

and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.” ’ ”

And Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.”

Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them away from him.

So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

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 the chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded.”

Now the battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in peace to his house in Jerusalem.

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him to his face and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh and so bring wrath on yourself from Yahweh?

But some good has been found in you, for you have purged the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”

So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. Indeed, he returned and went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and caused them to return back to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

And he appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, in each city.

And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for Yahweh who is with you when you render judgment.

So now then let the dread of Yahweh be upon you; be careful what you do, because with Yahweh our God there is no unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”

In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of Yahweh and to judge disputes. So they returned to Jerusalem.

Then he commanded them saying, “Thus you shall do in the fear of Yahweh, faithfully and wholeheartedly.

Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, you shall warn them so that they may not be guilty before Yahweh and wrath may not come on you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not be guilty.

And behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all that pertains to Yahweh, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Be strong and act, and Yahweh be with the one who is good.”

Now it happened after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Ammonites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).”

And Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Yahweh, and called for a fast throughout all Judah.

So Judah gathered together to seek help from Yahweh; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh before the new court,

and he said, “O Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can take their stand against You.

Did You not, O our God, dispossess the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the seed of Abraham Your friend forever?

And they have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying,

‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’

So now, behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them),

and behold, they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have caused us to possess.

O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are on You.”

Festus then, having arrived in the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him,

requesting a favor against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (while they set an ambush to kill him on the way).

Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly.

“Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.”

And after he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought.

And after Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove,

while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?”

But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”

Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

And while they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix;

and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges.

So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought before me.

When the accusers stood up, they were not bringing any charges against him for the evil deeds I was expecting,

but they had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man whom Paul asserted to be alive.

And being perplexed about how to investigate such matters, I was asking whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there to be tried on these matters.

But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.”

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”