The Daily Audio Bible
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Jehoshaphat, King of Judah
17 Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he grew strong against Israel. 2 He put an army in all the fortified cities of Judah and set military garrisons in the land of Judah, even in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.
3 Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in the previous ways of David his father, and he did not seek out the Baal cult. 4 For he sought out the God of his fathers and walked in his commandments, rather than the deeds of Israel. 5 So the Lord made firm the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave a tribute to Jehoshaphat. So he had an abundance of riches and honor. 6 His heart was raised up for the ways of the Lord. He even removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Jerusalem, 8 and with them were also the Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, who were Levites. And with these were also Elishama and Jehoram, who were priests. 9 They taught the people in Judah, and they used the Book of the Law of the Lord and they traveled about all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
10 The terror of the Lord came on all the kingdoms of the land that surrounded Judah, and they did not bring war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some from the Philistine peoples brought gifts to Jehoshaphat such as silver for tribute. The Arabians even brought seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats to him.
12 Jehoshaphat continued to increase in greatness, and he built citadels and storehouses in Judah. 13 And he had much property in the cities of Judah, and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem. 14 This was their divisions by the houses of their father:
From Judah, the commanders of thousands:
Adnah the commander with three hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
15 Beside him was Jehohanan the commander with two hundred eighty thousand mighty men of war.
16 Beside him was Amasiah the son of Zikri, a volunteer for the Lord with two hundred thousand mighty men of war.
17 From Benjamin:
Eliada a mighty man of war with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield.
18 Beside him was Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand equipped for warfare.
19 These were serving the king in addition to those the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab(A)
18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he married into the family of Ahab. 2 At the end of some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered a great amount of sheep and oxen for Jehoshaphat and those who journeyed with him and then lured him up to Ramoth Gilead. 3 And King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Will you go up with me to Ramoth Gilead?”
And he responded, “I am as you are, and as your people also my people are. We will be with you in this war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat further said to the king of Israel, “Inquire today the word of the Lord on this.”
5 So the king of Israel gathered together four hundred prophets, and he inquired from them, “Should I go up to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or should I cease from this?”
They said, “Go up, for God will give this to the hand of the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still here another prophet for the Lord from whom we might inquire?”
7 Then the king of Israel responded to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man from whom we can seek the Lord, but I hate him because he does not prophesy anything good for me but always disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.”
And Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not speak like this.”
8 So the king of Israel called to a court eunuch and said, “Hurry and bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”
9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their own thrones, clothed in their royal garments, at the threshing floor at the entrance at the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself iron horns, and he said, “Thus says the Lord: With these you will thrust out the Arameans in Syria until they are finished.”
11 And all the prophets were prophesying the same, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and find success, because the Lord has given the king into your hands.”
12 And the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, “The words of the prophets are as one voice and only for good to the king, so may your word be like one of them, and you speak favorably.”
13 And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that will I speak.”
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go up to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or should I cease?”
He said, “All of you go up and be successful, and they will be given into your hands.”
15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I cause you to swear that you speak to me only truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, ‘There are no masters for them. Let each man return to his home in peace.’ ”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18 So the prophet said, “Now hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne and the heavenly assembly was standing at His right and His left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab king of Israel so that he might go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’
“One was saying one thing, and another was saying something else. 20 Then a spirit came out and stood before the Lord, and he said, ‘I will deceive him.’
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘How?’
21 “Then he said, ‘I will go out and be a spirit of deception in the mouth of all the prophets.’
“Then the Lord said, ‘You will deceive and find success. Go out and do this.’
22 “Now see that the Lord has put a spirit of deception in the mouth of your prophets. So the Lord has declared disaster over you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. And he said, “Which way then did the spirit from the Lord pass from me to speak with you?”
24 Then Micaiah said, “You will see it on the day when you enter an inner chamber to hide yourself.”
25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash the son of the king, 26 and you will say, ‘So says the king: Put him in a prison, and feed him a little food and water until I return in peace.’ ”
27 Then Micaiah said, “If you certainly return in peace, then the Lord has not spoken by me. Listen, all you people!”
The Death of Ahab(B)
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you will put on your clothes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they both entered into battle.
30 And the king of Aram ordered the commanders of his chariots, “Do not wage war with the small or great but with the king of Israel alone.” 31 And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned on him to wage war. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, then God drew them away from the king. 32 And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, then they turned away from him.
33 But a man pulled his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between his armor scales and body armor. He said to the commander of the chariot, “Turn and remove me from the battle because I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued on that day, and the king of Israel was set up in his chariot before the Arameans until evening. Then he died when the sun set.
25 As indeed He says in Hosea:
“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved,’ ”[a]
26 and,
“In the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
there they shall be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”[b]
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the children of Israel be like the sand of the sea,
a remnant shall be saved.[c]
28 For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness,
because the Lord will make a quick work upon the earth.”[d]
29 And as Isaiah previously said:
“Unless the Lord of Hosts
had left us a seed,
we would have become like Sodom,
and been made like Gomorrah.”[e]
Israel and the Gospel
30 What shall we say then? The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith, 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, did not attain the law of righteousness. 32 Why not? Because they did not seek it by faith, but by the works of the law. For they stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“Look! I lay in Zion a stumbling stone
and rock of offense,
and whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.”[f]
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. 4 Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness for every one who believes.
Salvation for All
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is based on the law: “The man who does those things shall live by them.”[g] 6 But the righteousness which is based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ”[h] (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or, ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” [i] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”[j] This is the word of faith that we preach: 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, 10 for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.”[k] 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is generous toward all who call upon Him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[l]
Psalm 20
For the Music Director. A Psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
may the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 may He send you help from the sanctuary,
and strengthen you from Zion;
3 may He remember all your offerings,
and accept your burnt offering. Selah
4 May He grant you according to your own heart,
and fulfill all your counsel.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
and in the name of our God we will set up our banners;
may the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
with the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen,
but we arise and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.
2 The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own soul.
3 It is an honor for a man to cease from strife,
but every fool will be meddling.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.