12. And after the earthquake a fire; but || said, My lord, O king, according to thy saythe LORD was not in the fire: and after the ing, I am thine, and all that I have. fire a still small voice.

5. And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

13. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14. And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and 1, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

6. Yet I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

7. Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray

15. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Da-you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: mascus: and when thou comest, anoint Ha- for he sent unto me for my wives, and for zael to be king over Syria. my children, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I denied him not.

16. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat, of Abel-meholah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

8. And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor

17. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

18. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

19. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

20. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again for what have I done to thee?

21. And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat: then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. CHAP. XX.

By the direction of the prophet the Syrians are slain.

1.

gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,

consent.

9. Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

10. And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also,if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

11. And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself, as he that putteth it off.

15. Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

16. And they went out at noon: but Ben

3. Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the good-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the liest, are mine. pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two

4. And the king of Israel answered and kings that helped him.

17. And the young men of the princes of || And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

into an inner chamber.

hand a man whom I appointed to utter de- || struction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.

13. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, say

43. And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.ing, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. 14. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

CHAP. XXI.

Elijah denounceth judgments against Ahab and Jezebel. 1. ND it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

3. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

4. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased, because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

5. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

6. And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

7. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

8. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

9. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people;

10. And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king: and then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

11. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles, who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them:

12. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

15. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

13. Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

19. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee; because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.

22. And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

heard those words, that he rent his clothes, I and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29. Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

CHAP. XXII.

A

Ahab, seduced by false prophets, is slain at Ramoth-gilead. 1. ND they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. 2. And it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

3. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

4. And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

13. And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.

10. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria and all the prophets prophesied before them.

11. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

12. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.

14. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me,that will I speak.

15. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

17. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace.

18. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

5. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to-day.

19. And he said, Hear thou, therefore, the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting. on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him, on his right hand and on his left. 20. And the LORD said, Who shall per

6. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ra-suade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at moth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manAnd they said, Go up; for the LORD shall ner, and another said on that manner. deliver it into the hand of the king.

7. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him?

21. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

8. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

22. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

9. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

23. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

16. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?

24. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

25. And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

26. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

27. And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction until I come in peace.

¶ The SECOND Book of the KINGS, commonly called, The FOURTH Book of the KINGS. CHAP. I.