1 Raja-raja 12:1--22:53
Konteks12:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in 1 Shechem to make Rehoboam 2 king. 12:2 3 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. 4 12:3 They sent for him, 5 and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 “Your father made us work too hard. 6 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 7 12:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
12:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served 8 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, 9 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 12:7 They said to him, “Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 10 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 11 12:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me 12 to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 13 12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam 14 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ 15 Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 16 12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 17 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 18
12:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported 19 to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 12:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 12:14 and followed 20 the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 21 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 22 12:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events 23 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made 24 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! 25 Return to your homes, O Israel! 26 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” 27 So Israel returned to their homes. 28 12:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 12:18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, 29 the supervisor of the work crews, 30 out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 31 12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. 32
12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin 33 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 34 12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 35 They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. 36
12:25 37 Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. 12:26 Jeroboam then thought to himself: 38 “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. 39 12:27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, 40 their loyalty could shift to their former master, 41 King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” 12:28 After the king had consulted with his advisers, 42 he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, 43 “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 12:29 He put one in Bethel 44 and the other in Dan. 12:30 This caused Israel to sin; 45 the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. 46
12:31 He built temples 47 on the high places and appointed as priests people who were not Levites. 12:32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, 48 like the festival celebrated in Judah. 49 On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. 50 In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.
12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) 51 Jeroboam 52 offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. 53 He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13:1 Just then 54 a prophet 55 from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, 56 as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 13:2 With the authority of the Lord 57 he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” 58 13:3 That day he also announced 59 a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: 60 The altar will be split open and the ashes 61 on it will fall to the ground.” 62 13:4 When the king heard what the prophet 63 cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand 64 and ordered, 65 “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up 66 and he could not pull it back. 13:5 The altar split open and the ashes 67 fell from the altar to the ground, 68 in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. 69 13:6 The king pled with 70 the prophet, 71 “Seek the favor of 72 the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor 73 and the king’s hand was restored to its former condition. 74 13:7 The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I’d like to give a present.” 13:8 But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, 75 I could not go with you and eat and drink 76 in this place. 13:9 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 77 ‘Do not eat or drink 78 there and do not go home the way you came.’” 13:10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.
13:11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. 79 When his sons came home, they told their father 80 everything the prophet 81 had done in Bethel that day and all the words he had spoken to the king. 82 13:12 Their father asked them, “Which road did he take?” His sons showed him 83 the road the prophet 84 from Judah had taken. 13:13 He then told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 13:14 and took off after the prophet, 85 whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the prophet 86 from Judah?” He answered, “Yes, I am.” 13:15 He then said to him, “Come home with me and eat something.” 13:16 But he replied, “I can’t go back with you 87 or eat and drink 88 with you in this place. 13:17 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 89 ‘Do not eat or drink 90 there; do not go back the way you came.’” 13:18 The old prophet then said, 91 “I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord’s authority, 92 ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’” 93 But he was lying to him. 94 13:19 So the prophet went back with him and ate and drank in his house. 95
13:20 While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet 96 13:21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You 97 have rebelled against the Lord 98 and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 13:22 You went back and ate and drank in this place, even though he said to you, “Do not eat or drink there.” 99 Therefore 100 your corpse will not be buried in your ancestral tomb.’” 101
13:23 When the prophet from Judah finished his meal, 102 the old prophet saddled his visitor’s donkey for him. 103 13:24 As the prophet from Judah was traveling, a lion attacked him on the road and killed him. 104 His corpse was lying on the road, and the donkey and the lion just stood there beside it. 105 13:25 Some men came by 106 and saw the corpse lying in the road with the lion standing beside it. 107 They went and reported what they had seen 108 in the city where the old prophet lived. 13:26 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, 109 he said, “It is the prophet 110 who rebelled against the Lord. 111 The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it ripped him up 112 and killed him, just as the Lord warned him.” 113 13:27 He told his sons, “Saddle my donkey,” and they did so. 114 13:28 He went and found the corpse lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it; 115 the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. 13:29 The old prophet 116 picked up the corpse of the prophet, 117 put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him. 13:30 He put the corpse into his own tomb, and they 118 mourned over him, saying, “Ah, my brother!” 13:31 After he buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the tomb where the prophet 119 is buried; put my bones right beside his bones, 13:32 for the prophecy he announced with the Lord’s authority 120 against the altar in Bethel 121 and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of the north 122 will certainly be fulfilled.”
13:33 After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; 123 he continued to appoint common people 124 as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. 125 13:34 This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty 126 to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.
14:1 127 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 14:2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise 128 yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. 129 14:3 Take 130 ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
14:4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. 131 Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age. 132 14:5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so. 133 When she comes, she will be in a disguise.” 14:6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news. 134 14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I raised you up 135 from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. 136 14:9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. 137 14:10 So I am ready to bring disaster 138 on the dynasty 139 of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 140 I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed. 141 14:11 Dogs will eat the members of your family 142 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!
14:12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 14:13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family 143 who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14:14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty. 144 It is ready to happen! 145 14:15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. 146 He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors 147 and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, 148 because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles. 149 14:16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies 150 because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”
14:17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to 151 Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 14:18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted 152 through his servant the prophet Ahijah.
14:19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 153 14:20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. 154 His son Nadab replaced him as king.
14:21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He 155 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, 156 the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. 157 His mother was an Ammonite woman 158 named Naamah.
14:22 Judah did evil in the sight of 159 the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done. 160 14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes 161 in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations 162 that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.
14:25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 14:27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard 163 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 14:28 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
14:29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the
Kings of Judah. 164 14:30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 14:31 Rehoboam passed away 165 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah 166 replaced him as king.
15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah 167 became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 168 His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 169 15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 170 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty 171 in Jerusalem by giving him a son 172 to succeed him 173 and by protecting Jerusalem. 174 15:5 He did this 175 because David had done what he approved 176 and had not disregarded any of his commandments 177 his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 15:6 Rehoboam 178 and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s 179 lifetime. 15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 180 Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 15:8 Abijah passed away 181 and was buried 182 in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king.
15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. 183 His grandmother 184 was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved 185 like his ancestor 186 David had done. 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols 187 his ancestors 188 had made. 15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother 189 from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 190 15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 191
15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. 192 15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 193 15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it 194 to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 195 See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 196 15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 197 They conquered 198 Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. 199 15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 200 Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 201 King Asa used the materials to build up 202 Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah.
15:23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 203 Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. 204 15:24 Asa passed away 205 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.
15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 15:26 He did evil in the sight of 206 the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 207
15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab 208 and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, 209 just as the Lord had predicted 210 through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. 211
15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 212 15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other.
15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 15:34 He did evil in the sight of 213 the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 214
16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: 215 16:2 “I raised you up 216 from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps 217 and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 218 16:3 So I am ready to burn up 219 Baasha and his family, and make your family 220 like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family 221 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”
16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 222 16:6 Baasha passed away 223 and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. 224 His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s. 225
16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily 226 at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 227 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 228 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha 229 through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 230
16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 231
16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed 232 in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: 233 “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” 234 So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 235 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of 236 the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 237
16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 238
16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.
16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria 239 from Shemer for two talents 240 of silver. He launched a construction project there 241 and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of 242 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; 243 they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 244
16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 245 16:28 Omri passed away 246 and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. 247
16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 248 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of 249 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. 250 16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he 251 did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
16:34 During Ahab’s reign, 252 Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. 253 Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; 254 Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, 255 just as the Lord had warned 256 through Joshua son of Nun. 257
17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), 258 there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” 259 17:2 The Lord told him: 260 17:3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:4 Drink from the stream; I have already told 261 the ravens to bring you food 262 there.” 17:5 So he did 263 as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.
17:7 After a while, 264 the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 The Lord told him, 265 17:9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told 266 a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 17:10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a cup 267 of water, so I can take a drink.” 17:11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” 268 17:12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” 269 17:13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. 270 But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 17:14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” 17:15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. 271 17:16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised 272 through Elijah.
17:17 After this 273 the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 17:18 She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come 274 to me to confront me with 275 my sin and kill my son?” 17:19 He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 17:20 Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 17:21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” 17:22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. 17:23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” 17:24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord really does speak through you.” 276
18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, 277 “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 278 18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. 279 18:4 When Jezebel was killing 280 the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas 281 so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill 282 some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went 283 one way and Obadiah went the other.
18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. 284 When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 18:8 He replied, “Yes, 285 go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’” 286 18:9 Obadiah 287 said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? 288 18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them 289 swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’ 290 18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. 291 If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. 292 That would not be fair, 293 because your servant has been a loyal follower of 294 the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did 295 when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’ 296 but he will kill me.” 18:15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 297 lives (whom I serve), 298 I will make an appearance before him today.”
18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. 299 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he 300 said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster 301 on Israel?” 18:18 Elijah 302 replied, “I have not brought disaster 303 on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers 304 and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. 305
18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? 306 If the Lord is the true God, 307 then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. 18:22 Elijah said to them: 308 “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 18:23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 18:24 Then you 309 will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” 310 All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” 311
18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.” 312 18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, 313 and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped 314 around on the altar they had made. 315 18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” 316 18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, 317 mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 318 18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, 319 but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. 320
18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 321 18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new 322 name.” 323 18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. 324 Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs 325 of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, 326 he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, 327 Elijah the prophet approached the altar 328 and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove 329 today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God 330 and that you are winning back their allegiance.” 331 18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. 332 It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! 333 The Lord is the true God!” 18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed 334 them there.
18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.” 335 18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” 336 Seven times Elijah sent him to look. 337 18:44 The seventh time the servant 338 said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah 339 then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” 340 18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward 341 Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; 342 he tucked his robe into his belt 343 and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
19:1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, 344 “May the gods judge me severely 345 if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!” 346
19:3 Elijah was afraid, 347 so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 19:4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub 348 and asked the Lord to take his life: 349 “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.” 350 19:5 He stretched out 351 and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger 352 touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. 353 19:7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.” 354 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal 355 to the Lord, the sovereign God, 356 even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, 357 torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” 358 19:11 The Lord 359 said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”
A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, 360 but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. 361 19:13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden 362 a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal 363 to the Lord, the sovereign God, 364 even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, 365 torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” 366 19:15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. 19:16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. 19:17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword. 19:18 I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.” 367
19:19 Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. 19:20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah 368 said to him, “Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?” 19:21 Elisha 369 went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. 370 He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant.
20:1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria 371 and besieged and attacked it. 372 20:2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. 373 20:3 He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” 20:4 The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”
20:5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” 20:6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.” 374 20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders 375 of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble. 376 Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” 20:8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.” 377 20:9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say this to my master, the king, ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’” 378 So the messengers went back and gave their report.
20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely 379 if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.” 380 20:11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.” 381 20:12 When Ben Hadad received this reply, 382 he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters. 383 He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.
20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army? 384 Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 20:14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?” 385 He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab 386 asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”
20:15 So Ahab 387 assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. 388 20:16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily 389 in their quarters. 390 20:17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.” 391 20:18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.” 392 20:19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20:20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier; 393 the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated 394 Syria.
20:22 The prophet 395 visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses. 396 Determine 397 what you must do, for in the spring 398 the king of Syria will attack 399 you.” 20:23 Now the advisers 400 of the king of Syria said to him: “Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. 20:24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. 401 Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. 402
20:26 In the spring 403 Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army 404 and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. 405 20:27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks 406 of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 20:28 The prophet 407 visited the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Syrians said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army. 408 Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
20:29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. 409 Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. 410 20:31 His advisers 411 said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. 412 Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads 413 and surrender 414 to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.” 20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant 415 Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab 416 replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 417 20:33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, “Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab 418 then said, “Go, get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 20:34 Ben Hadad 419 said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets 420 in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.” 421 Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” 422 So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
20:35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, “Wound me!” 423 But the man refused to wound him. 20:36 So the prophet 424 said to him, “Because you have disobeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 20:37 He found another man and said, “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely. 425 20:38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. 20:39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat 426 of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. 427 He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, 428 you will pay with your life or with a talent 429 of silver.’ 430 20:40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.” 431 20:41 The prophet 432 quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 20:42 The prophet 433 then said to him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’” 434 20:43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria 435 bitter and angry.
21:1 After this the following episode took place. 436 Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 437 21:2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, 438 I will pay you silver for it.” 439 21:3 But Naboth replied to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance.” 440
21:4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, 441 “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” 442 He lay down on his bed, pouted, 443 and would not eat. 21:5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, “Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?” 21:6 He answered her, “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not sell you my vineyard.’” 444 21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel! 445 Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. 446 I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
21:8 She wrote out orders, 447 signed Ahab’s name to them, 448 and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders 449 to the leaders 450 and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city. 451 21:9 This is what she wrote: 452 “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
21:11 The men of the 453 city, the leaders 454 and the nobles who lived there, 455 followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. 456 21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him 457 outside the city and stoned him to death. 458 21:14 Then they reported to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” 459
21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she 460 said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he’s dead.” 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, 461 he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
21:17 The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite: 462 21:18 “Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 21:19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’”
21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, 463 “So, you have found me, my enemy!” Elijah 464 replied, “I have found you, because you are committed 465 to doing evil in the sight of 466 the Lord. 21:21 The Lord says, 467 ‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster 468 on you. I will destroy you 469 and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 470 21:22 I will make your dynasty 471 like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.’ 472 21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel, ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall 473 of Jezreel.’ 21:24 As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones 474 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” 21:25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed 475 to doing evil in the sight of 476 the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 477 21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, 478 just like the Amorites 479 whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)
21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. 21:28 The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, 480 21:29 “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse 481 before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.” 482
22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. 483 22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit 484 the king of Israel. 22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.” 485 22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 486 22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, 487 “First seek an oracle from the Lord.” 488 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” 489 They said, “Attack! The sovereign one 490 will hand it over to the king.” 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. 491 But I despise 492 him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. 493 Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” 22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, 494 dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. 495 All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. 496 Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.” 497 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”
22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 498 22:16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in 499 the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 22:17 Micaiah 500 said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 22:19 Micaiah 501 said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 22:20 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die 502 there?’ One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit 503 stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord 504 said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. 505 Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water 506 until I safely return.”’” 507 22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, 508 all you people.”
22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter 509 into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. 22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; 510 fight only the king of Israel.” 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, 511 and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king 512 ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, 513 because I’m wounded.” 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. 514 22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); 515 dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen. 516
22:39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 517 22:40 Ahab passed away. 518 His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
22:41 In the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign over Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. 519 His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 22:43 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. 520 (22:44) 521 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 22:44 (22:45) Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.
22:45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 522 22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. 523 22:47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. 22:48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships 524 to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. 22:49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,” 525 but Jehoshaphat refused.
22:50 Jehoshaphat passed away 526 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor 527 David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
22:51 In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. 528 He ruled for two years over Israel. 22:52 He did evil in the sight of 529 the Lord and followed in the footsteps 530 of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. 531 22:53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, 532 angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. 533
[12:1] 2 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:2] 3 tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.
[12:2] 4 tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (וישׁב).
[12:3] 5 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
[12:4] 6 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
[12:4] 7 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, [vÿna’avdekha] “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל [haqel], “lighten”) indicates purpose (or result). The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
[12:6] 8 tn Heb “stood before.”
[12:7] 10 tn Heb “If today you are a servant to these people and you serve them and answer them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
[12:8] 11 tn Heb “He rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.” The referent (Rehoboam) of the initial pronoun (“he”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:9] 12 tn In the Hebrew text the verb “we will respond” is plural, although it can be understood as an editorial “we.” The ancient versions have the singular here.
[12:9] 13 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
[12:10] 14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:10] 15 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
[12:10] 16 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
[12:11] 17 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
[12:11] 18 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture using poisonous insects, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound. Cf. CEV “whips with pieces of sharp metal.”
[12:14] 20 tn Heb “and spoke to them according to.”
[12:14] 21 tn Heb “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”
[12:14] 22 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” See the note on the same phrase in v. 11.
[12:15] 23 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from the
[12:15] 24 tn Heb “so that he might bring to pass his word which the
[12:16] 25 sn We have no portion in David; no share in the son of Jesse. Their point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
[12:16] 26 tn Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:16] 27 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
[12:16] 28 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
[12:18] 29 tc The MT has “Adoram” here, but the Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “Adoniram.” Cf. 1 Kgs 4:6.
[12:18] 30 sn The work crews. See the note on this expression in 4:6.
[12:18] 31 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[12:20] 32 tn Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”
[12:21] 33 tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”
[12:22] 34 tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
[12:24] 35 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
[12:24] 36 tn Heb “and they heard the word of the
[12:25] 37 tc The Old Greek translation has here a lengthy section consisting of twenty-three verses that are not found in the MT.
[12:26] 38 tn Heb “said in his heart.”
[12:26] 39 tn Heb “Now the kingdom could return to the house of David.” The imperfect verbal form translated “could return” is understood as having a potential force here. Perhaps this is not strong enough; another option is “will return.”
[12:27] 40 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[12:27] 41 tn Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”
[12:28] 42 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:28] 43 tn Heb “to them,” although this may be a corruption of “to the people.” Cf. the Old Greek translation.
[12:29] 44 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:30] 45 tn Heb “and this thing became a sin.”
[12:30] 46 tc The MT reads “and the people went before the one to Dan.” It is likely that some words have been accidentally omitted and that the text originally said, “and the people went before the one at Bethel and before the one at Dan.”
[12:31] 47 tn The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural is preferable here (see 1 Kgs 13:32). The Old Greek translation and the Vulgate have the plural.
[12:32] 48 sn The eighth month would correspond to October-November in modern reckoning.
[12:32] 49 sn The festival he celebrated in Judah probably refers to the Feast of Tabernacles (i.e., Booths or Temporary Shelters), held in the seventh month (September-October). See also 1 Kgs 8:2.
[12:32] 50 tn Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”
[12:33] 51 tn Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”
[12:33] 52 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:33] 53 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:1] 54 tn Heb “Look.” The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.
[13:1] 55 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:1] 56 tn Heb “came by the word of the
[13:2] 57 tn Heb “by the word of the
[13:2] 58 sn ‘Look…you.’ For the fulfillment of this prophecy see 2 Kgs 23:15-20.
[13:3] 61 tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן.
[13:3] 62 tn Heb “will be poured out.”
[13:4] 63 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:4] 64 tn Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”
[13:4] 66 tn Heb “dried up” or “withered.” TEV and NLT interpret this as “became paralyzed.”
[13:5] 67 tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן.
[13:5] 68 tn Heb “were poured out from the altar.”
[13:5] 69 tn Heb “according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the
[13:6] 70 tn Heb “The king answered and said to.”
[13:6] 71 tn Heb “the man of God” (a second time later in this verse, and once in v. 7 and v. 8).
[13:6] 72 tn Heb “appease the face of.”
[13:6] 73 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[13:6] 74 tn Heb “and it was as in the beginning.”
[13:8] 76 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:9] 77 tn Heb “for this he commanded me by the word of the
[13:9] 78 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:11] 79 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:11] 80 tn Heb “and his son came and told him.” The MT has the singular here, but several other textual witnesses have the plural, which is more consistent with the second half of the verse and with vv. 12-13.
[13:11] 81 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:11] 82 tn Heb “all the actions which the man of God performed that day in Bethel, the words which he spoke to the king, and they told them to their father.”
[13:12] 83 tn The Hebrew text has “and his sons saw” (וַיִּרְאוּ [vayyir’u], Qal from רָאָה [ra’ah]). In this case the verbal construction (vav consecutive + prefixed verbal form) would have to be understood as pluperfect, “his sons had seen.” Such uses of this construction are rare at best. Consequently many, following the lead of the ancient versions, prefer to emend the verbal form to a Hiphil with pronominal suffix (וַיַּרְאֻהוּ [vayyar’uhu], “and they showed him”).
[13:12] 84 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:14] 85 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:14] 86 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:16] 87 tn Heb “I am unable to return with you or to go with you.”
[13:16] 88 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:17] 89 tn Heb “for a word to me by the word of the
[13:17] 90 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:18] 91 tn Heb “and he said to him.”
[13:18] 92 tn Heb “by the word of the
[13:18] 93 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:18] 94 tn Or “deceiving him.”
[13:18] sn He was lying to him. The motives and actions of the old prophet are difficult to understand. The old man’s response to the prophet’s death (see vv. 26-32) suggests he did not trick him with malicious intent. The old prophet probably wanted the honor of entertaining such a celebrity, or perhaps simply desired some social interaction with a fellow prophet.
[13:19] 95 tn Heb “and he returned with him and ate food in his house and drank water.”
[13:20] 96 tn Heb “and the word of the
[13:21] 97 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 21-22 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 21-22a) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 22b). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.
[13:21] 98 tn Heb “the mouth [i.e., command] of the
[13:22] 99 tn Heb “and you returned and ate food and drank water in the place about which he said to you, ‘do not eat food and do not drink water.’”
[13:22] 100 tn “Therefore” is added for stylistic reasons. See the note at 1 Kgs 13:21 pertaining to the grammatical structure of vv. 21-22.
[13:22] 101 tn Heb “will not go to the tomb of your fathers.”
[13:23] 102 tn Heb “and after he had eaten food and after he had drunk.”
[13:23] 103 tn Heb “and he saddled for him the donkey, for the prophet whom he had brought back.”
[13:24] 104 tn Heb “and he went and a lion met him in the road and killed him.”
[13:24] 105 tn Heb “and his corpse fell on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it, and the lion was standing beside the corpse.”
[13:25] 106 tn Heb “Look, men were passing by.”
[13:25] 107 tn Heb “the corpse.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:25] 108 tn The words “what they had seen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[13:26] 109 tn Heb “and the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard.”
[13:26] 110 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:26] 111 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[13:26] 112 tn Heb “broke him,” or “crushed him.”
[13:26] 113 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[13:27] 114 tn Heb “and they saddled [it].”
[13:28] 115 tn Heb “the corpse.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:29] 116 tn Heb “the prophet.” The word “old” has been supplied in the translation to distinguish this individual from the other prophet.
[13:29] 117 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:30] 118 tn “They” is the reading of the Hebrew text here; perhaps this is meant to include not only the old prophet but his sons (cf. v. 31).
[13:31] 119 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:32] 120 tn Heb “for the word which he cried out by the word of the
[13:32] 121 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:32] 122 tn Heb “Samaria.” The name of Israel’s capital city here stands for the northern kingdom as a whole. Actually Samaria was not built and named until several years after this (see 1 Kgs 16:24), so it is likely that the author of Kings, writing at a later time, is here adapting the old prophet’s original statement.
[13:33] 123 tn Heb “did not turn from his evil way.”
[13:33] 124 sn The expression common people refers to people who were not Levites. See 1 Kgs 12:31.
[13:33] 125 tn Heb “and one who had the desire he was filling his hand so that he became [one of] the priests of the high places.”
[14:1] 127 tc Some
[14:2] 128 tn Heb “Get up, change yourself.”
[14:2] 129 tn Heb “look, Ahijah the prophet is there, he told me [I would be] king over this nation.”
[14:3] 130 tn Heb “take in your hand.”
[14:4] 131 tn Heb “and the wife of Jeroboam did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah.”
[14:4] 132 tn Heb “his eyes were set because of his old age.”
[14:5] 133 sn Tell her so-and-so. Certainly the
[14:6] 134 tn Heb “I am sent to you [with] a hard [message].”
[14:7] 135 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 7-11 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 7-9) and the main clause announcing the punishment (vv. 10-11). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.
[14:8] 136 tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.”
[14:9] 137 tn Heb “you went and you made for yourself other gods, metal [ones], angering me, and you threw me behind your back.”
[14:10] 138 sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is from the same root as the expression “you have sinned” in v. 9 (וַתָּרַע [vattara’], from רָעַע, [ra’a’]). Jeroboam’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
[14:10] 140 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Jeroboam those who urinate against a wall (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר 6 and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס [’efes], “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
[14:10] 141 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” Manure was sometimes used as fuel (see Ezek 4:12, 15). However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I will sweep away the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one sweeps away manure it is gone” (cf. ASV, NASB, TEV). Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[14:11] 142 tn The Hebrew text has “belonging to Jeroboam” here.
[14:14] 145 tn Heb “This is the day. What also now?” The precise meaning of the second half of the statement is uncertain.
[14:15] 146 tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the
[14:15] 147 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 31).
[14:15] 148 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew this is a typical reference to the Euphrates River. The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 149 tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the
[14:15] sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[14:16] 150 tn Heb “and he will give [up] Israel.”
[14:17] 151 tn Heb “went and entered.”
[14:18] 152 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[14:19] 153 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he ruled, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[14:20] 154 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:21] 155 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:21] 156 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:21] 157 tn Heb “the city where the
[14:21] 158 tn Heb “an Ammonite”; the word “woman” is implied.
[14:22] 159 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[14:22] 160 tn Heb “and they made him jealous more than all which their fathers had done by their sins which they sinned.”
[14:24] 161 tc The Old Greek translation has “a conspiracy” rather than “male cultic prostitutes.”
[14:24] 162 tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.”
[14:29] 164 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Rehoboam, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[14:31] 165 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:31] 166 tn In the Hebrew text the name is spelled “Abijam” here and in 1 Kgs 15:1-8.
[15:1] 167 tc The Old Greek also has the phrase “the son of Rehoboam.”
[15:2] 168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:2] 169 sn Abishalom (also in v. 10) is a variant of the name Absalom (cf. 2 Chr 11:20). The more common form is used by TEV, NLT.
[15:3] 170 tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the
[15:4] 171 tn Heb “gave him a lamp.”
[15:4] 172 tc The Old Greek has the plural “his sons.”
[15:4] 173 tn Heb “by raising up his son after him.”
[15:4] 174 tn Heb “and by causing Jerusalem to stand firm.”
[15:5] 175 tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 176 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:5] 177 tn Heb “and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.”
[15:6] 178 tc Most Hebrew
[15:6] 179 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Abijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:7] 180 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Abijah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:8] 181 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” The Old Greek also has these words: “in the twenty-eighth year of Jeroboam.”
[15:8] 182 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[15:10] 183 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:10] 184 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:11] 185 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:11] 186 tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:12] 187 tn The word used here, גִלּוּלִים [gillulim], is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), “vanities” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim).
[15:12] 188 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
[15:13] 189 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:14] 190 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete with the
[15:15] 191 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things (into) the house of the
[15:16] 192 tn Heb “There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.”
[15:17] 193 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[15:18] 194 tn Heb “King Asa sent it.”
[15:19] 195 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[15:19] 196 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[15:20] 197 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[15:20] 198 tn Heb “he struck down.”
[15:20] 199 tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.”
[15:21] 200 tn Heb “building.”
[15:22] 201 tn Heb “and King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, there was no one exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[15:22] 202 tn Heb “and King Asa built with them.”
[15:23] 203 tn Heb “As for the rest of all the events of Asa, and all his strength and all which he did and the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:23] 204 tn Heb “Yet in the time of his old age he became sick in his feet.”
[15:24] 205 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:26] 206 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:26] 207 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[15:27] 208 tn Heb “against him”; the referent (Nadab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:29] 209 tn Heb “and when he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam; he did not leave any breath to Jeroboam until he destroyed him.”
[15:29] 210 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[15:30] 211 tn Heb “because of Jeroboam which he committed and which he made Israel commit, by his provocation by which he made the
[15:31] 212 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Nadab, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[15:34] 213 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:34] 214 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:1] 215 tn Heb “and the word of the
[16:2] 216 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.
[16:2] 217 tn Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
[16:2] 218 tn Heb “angering me by their sins.”
[16:3] 219 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[16:3] 220 tc The Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and some
[16:4] 221 tn Heb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”
[16:5] 222 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:6] 223 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:7] 224 tn Heb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the
[16:7] 225 tn Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
[16:9] 226 tn Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
[16:10] 227 tn Heb “and he became king in his place.”
[16:11] 228 tn Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
[16:12] 229 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[16:13] 230 tn Heb “angering the
[16:14] 231 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:15] 232 tn Heb “Now the people were encamped.
[16:16] 233 tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
[16:16] 234 tn Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
[16:18] 235 tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
[16:19] 236 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:19] 237 tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
[16:20] 238 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:24] 239 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[16:24] 240 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
[16:24] 241 tn Heb “he built up the hill.”
[16:25] 242 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:26] 243 tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:26] 244 tn Heb “angering the
[16:27] 245 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:28] 246 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:28] 247 tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.
[16:29] 248 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[16:30] 249 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:31] 250 tn Heb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.”
[16:31] sn The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.
[16:33] 251 tn Heb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:34] 252 tn Heb “in his days.”
[16:34] 253 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[16:34] 254 tn Heb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”
[16:34] 255 tn Heb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”
[16:34] 256 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[16:34] 257 sn Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.
[17:1] 258 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[17:1] 259 tn Heb “except at the command of my word.”
[17:2] 260 tn Heb “and the word of the
[17:4] 261 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:4] 262 tn Heb “to provide for you.”
[17:5] 263 tn Heb “So he went and did.”
[17:7] 264 tn Heb “And it came about at the end of days.”
[17:8] 265 tn Heb “And the word of the
[17:9] 266 tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”
[17:10] 267 tn Heb “a little.”
[17:11] 268 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “in your hand.”
[17:12] 269 tn Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”
[17:13] 270 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[17:15] 271 tn Heb “and she ate, she and he and her house [for] days.”
[17:16] 272 tn Heb “out, according to the word of the
[17:17] 273 tn Heb “after these things.”
[17:18] 274 tn Heb “What to me and to you, man of God, that you have come.”
[17:18] 275 tn Heb “to make me remember.”
[17:24] 276 tn Heb “you are a man of God and the word of the
[17:24] sn This episode is especially significant in light of Ahab’s decision to promote Baal worship in Israel. In Canaanite mythology the drought that swept over the region (v. 1) would signal that Baal, a fertility god responsible for providing food for his subjects, had been defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. While Baal was overcome by death and unable to function like a king, Israel’s God demonstrated his sovereignty and superiority to death by providing food for a widow and restoring life to her son. And he did it all in Sidonian territory, Baal’s back yard, as it were. The episode demonstrates that Israel’s God, not Baal, is the true king who provides food and controls life and death. This polemic against Baalism reaches its climax in the next chapter, when the
[18:1] 277 tn Heb “the word of the
[18:2] 278 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:3] 279 tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the
[18:4] 280 tn Heb “cutting off.”
[18:5] 282 tn Heb “to cut off.”
[18:6] 283 tn The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.
[18:7] 284 tn Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”
[18:8] 285 tn Heb “[It is] I.”
[18:8] 286 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:9] 287 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:9] 288 tn Heb “to kill me.”
[18:10] 289 tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
[18:11] 290 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:12] 291 tn Heb “to [a place] which I do not know.”
[18:12] 292 tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”
[18:12] 293 tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.
[18:12] 294 tn Heb “has feared the
[18:13] 295 tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
[18:14] 296 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:15] 297 tn Traditionally, “the
[18:15] 298 tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”
[18:16] 299 tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
[18:18] 302 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:19] 304 tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.
[18:19] 305 tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
[18:21] 306 tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.
[18:22] 308 tn Heb “to the people.”
[18:24] 309 tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.
[18:24] 311 tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”
[18:25] 312 tc The last sentence of v. 25 is absent in the Syriac Peshitta.
[18:26] 313 tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”
[18:26] 314 tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).
[18:26] 315 tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew
[18:27] 316 sn Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.
[18:28] 317 tn Or “as was their custom.”
[18:28] 318 tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”
[18:28] sn mutilated…covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
[18:29] 319 tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”
[18:29] 320 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”
[18:29] sn In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to describe the god Baal as dead and therefore unresponsive.
[18:30] 321 sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
[18:31] 322 tn The word “new” is implied but not actually present in the Hebrew text.
[18:31] 323 sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
[18:32] 324 tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the
[18:32] 325 tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.
[18:34] 326 tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[18:36] 327 tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
[18:36] 328 tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[18:36] 329 tn Heb “let it be known.”
[18:37] 331 tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”
[18:38] 332 tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
[18:39] 333 tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
[18:40] 334 tn Or “slaughtered.”
[18:41] 335 tn Heb “for [there is] the sound of the roar of the rain.”
[18:43] 336 sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the
[18:43] 337 tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”
[18:44] 338 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:44] 339 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:44] 340 tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”
[18:45] 341 tn Heb “rode and went to.”
[18:46] 342 tn Heb “and the hand of the
[18:46] 343 tn Heb “and girded up his loins.” The idea is that of gathering up the robes and tucking them into the sash or belt so that they do not get in the way of the legs when running (or working or fighting).
[19:2] 345 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
[19:2] 346 tn Heb “I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
[19:3] 347 tc The MT has “and he saw,” but some medieval Hebrew
[19:4] 348 tn Or “broom tree” (also in v. 5).
[19:4] 349 tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life to die.”
[19:5] 352 tn Heb “Look, a messenger.”
[19:6] 353 tn Heb “and again lay down”
[19:7] 354 tn Heb “for the journey is too great for you.”
[19:10] 355 tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
[19:10] 356 tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”
[19:10] 357 tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
[19:10] 358 tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”
[19:11] 359 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[19:11] 360 tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps, “breaking the stones”).
[19:12] 361 tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.”
[19:14] 363 tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
[19:14] 364 tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”
[19:14] 365 tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
[19:14] 366 tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”
[19:18] 367 tn Heb “I have kept in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and all the mouths that have not kissed him.”
[19:20] 368 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:21] 369 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:21] 370 tn Heb “and with the equipment of the oxen he cooked them, the flesh.”
[20:1] 371 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:1] 372 tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
[20:2] 373 tn Heb “to the city.”
[20:6] 374 tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.”
[20:7] 376 tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.”
[20:8] 377 tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.”
[20:9] 378 tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.”
[20:10] 379 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
[20:10] 380 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
[20:11] 381 sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
[20:12] 382 tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
[20:12] 383 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
[20:13] 384 tn Heb “this great horde.”
[20:14] 385 tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[20:14] 386 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:15] 387 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:15] 388 tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.”
[20:16] 389 tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”
[20:16] 390 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
[20:17] 391 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:18] 392 tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
[20:20] 393 tn Heb “each struck down his man.”
[20:21] 394 tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”
[20:22] 395 tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
[20:22] 396 tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
[20:22] 397 tn Heb “know and see.”
[20:22] 398 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
[20:22] 399 tn Heb “go up against.”
[20:25] 401 tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”
[20:25] 402 tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
[20:26] 403 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
[20:26] 404 tn Heb “mustered Aram.”
[20:26] 405 tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.”
[20:27] 406 tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely.
[20:28] 407 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[20:28] 408 tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.”
[20:30] 409 tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.”
[20:30] 410 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
[20:31] 412 tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.
[20:31] 413 sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.
[20:32] 415 sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.
[20:32] 416 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:32] 417 sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.
[20:33] 418 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:34] 419 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:34] 420 tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See HALOT 299 s.v. חוּץ.
[20:34] 421 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:34] 422 tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.”
[20:35] 423 tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the
[20:36] 424 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:37] 425 tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.”
[20:39] 427 tn Heb “man” (also a second time later in this verse).
[20:39] 428 tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning.
[20:39] 429 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver.
[20:39] 430 tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.”
[20:40] 431 tn Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].”
[20:41] 432 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:42] 433 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:42] 434 tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”
[20:43] 435 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[21:1] 436 tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.
[21:1] 437 sn King Ahab of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.
[21:1] map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[21:2] 438 tn Heb “if it is good in your eyes.”
[21:2] 439 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And it will be mine as a garden of herbs.”
[21:3] 440 tn Heb “Far be it from me, by the
[21:4] 441 tn Heb “on account of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite spoke to him.”
[21:4] 442 tn Heb “I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers.”
[21:4] 443 tn Heb “turned away his face.”
[21:6] 444 tn Heb “While I was talking…, I said…, he said….” Ahab’s explanation is one lengthy sentence in the Hebrew text, which is divided in the English translation for stylistic reasons.
[21:7] 445 tn Heb “You, now, you are exercising kingship over Israel.”
[21:7] 446 tn Heb “so your heart [i.e., disposition] might be well.”
[21:8] 448 tn Heb “in the name of Ahab.”
[21:8] 451 tn Heb “to the nobles who were in his city, the ones who lived with Naboth.”
[21:9] 452 tn Heb “she wrote on the scrolls, saying.”
[21:11] 455 tn Heb “and the nobles who were living in his city.”
[21:11] 456 tn Heb “did as Jezebel sent to them, just as was written in the scrolls which she sent to them.”
[21:13] 458 tn Heb “and they stoned him with stones and he died.”
[21:14] 459 tn Heb “Naboth was stoned and he died.” So also in v. 15.
[21:15] 460 tn Heb “Jezebel”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[21:16] 461 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words here: “he tore his garments and put on sackcloth. After these things.”
[21:17] 462 tn Heb “the word of the
[21:20] 463 tn Heb “and Ahab said to Elijah.” The narrative is elliptical and streamlined. The words “when Elijah arrived” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:20] 464 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:20] 465 tn Heb “you have sold yourself.”
[21:20] 466 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:21] 467 tn The introductory formula “the
[21:21] 468 sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is similar to the word translated “evil” (v. 20, הָרַע, hara’). Ahab’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
[21:21] 469 tn Heb “I will burn after you.” Some take the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean here “sweep away.” See the discussion of this verb in the notes at 14:10 and 16:3.
[21:21] 470 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or “abandoned”] in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס (’efes), “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
[21:22] 472 tn Heb “because of the provocation by which you angered [me], and you caused Israel to sin.”
[21:23] 473 tc A few Hebrew
[21:24] 474 tn “Dogs will eat the ones who belonging to Ahab who die in the city.”
[21:25] 475 tn Heb “who sold himself.”
[21:25] 476 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:25] 477 tn Heb “like Ahab…whom his wife Jezebel incited.”
[21:26] 478 tn The Hebrew word used here, גִלּוּלִים (gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless things”) and הֲבָלִים (havalim, “vanities” or “empty winds”).
[21:26] 479 tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”
[21:28] 480 tn Heb “the word of the
[21:29] 481 tn Or “humbles himself.” The expression occurs a second time later in this verse.
[21:29] 482 tn Heb “I will not bring the disaster during his days, [but] in the days of his son I will bring the disaster on his house.”
[22:1] 483 tn Heb “and they lived three years without war between Aram and Israel.”
[22:2] 484 tn The word “visit” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:3] 485 tn Heb “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, and we hesitate to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course, you must know!”
[22:4] 486 tn Heb “Like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
[22:5] 487 tn Heb “and Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel.”
[22:5] 488 tn Heb “the word of the
[22:6] 489 tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
[22:6] 490 tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the
[22:8] 491 tn Heb “to seek the
[22:8] 493 tn The words “his name is” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[22:10] 494 tn Heb “were sitting, a man on his throne.”
[22:10] 495 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[22:13] 496 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
[22:13] 497 tn Heb “let your words be like the word of each of them and speak good.”
[22:15] 498 sn “Attack! You will succeed; the
[22:16] 499 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
[22:17] 500 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:19] 501 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:20] 502 tn Heb “and fall.”
[22:21] 503 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of v. 24. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 24 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the
[22:22] 504 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[22:22] 505 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vÿgam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the
[22:27] 506 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
[22:27] 507 tn Heb “come in peace.” So also in v. 28.
[22:30] 509 tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives. See IBHS 594 §35.5.2a. Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
[22:31] 510 tn Heb “small or great.”
[22:34] 511 tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
[22:34] 512 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:37] 514 tn Heb “and the king died and he came to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.”
[22:38] 515 tn Heb “now the prostitutes bathed.”
[22:38] 516 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[22:39] 517 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the house of ivory which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[22:40] 518 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[22:42] 519 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:43] 520 tn Heb “he walked in all the way of Asa his father and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the
[22:43] 521 sn Beginning with 22:43b, the verse numbers through 22:53 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), because 22:43b in the English Bible = 22:44 in the Hebrew text. The remaining verses in the chapter differ by one, with 22:44-53 ET = 22:45-54 HT.
[22:45] 522 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, and his strength that he demonstrated and how he fought, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[22:46] 523 tn Heb “and the rest of the male cultic prostitutes who were left in the days of Asa his father, he burned from the land.” Some understand the verb בִּעֵר (bi’er) to mean “sweep away” here rather than “burn.” See the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[22:46] sn Despite Asa’s opposition to these male cultic prostitutes (see 1 Kgs 15:12) some of them had managed to remain in the land. Jehoshaphat finished what his father had started.
[22:48] 524 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[22:49] 525 tn Heb “Let my servants go with your servants in the fleet.”
[22:50] 526 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[22:50] 527 tn Heb “with his fathers in the city of his father.”
[22:51] 528 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[22:52] 529 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[22:52] 531 tn Heb “and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who made Israel sin.”
[22:53] 532 tn Heb “he served Baal and bowed down to him.”
[22:53] 533 tn Heb “according to all which his father had done.”
