Bible Reading for April 20

1 Kings Chapter 21

1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had
a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of
Samaria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him:
and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the
presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king.
Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones,
that he died.

14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that
dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work
wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all
things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children
of Israel.

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his
clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in
sackcloth, and went softly.

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

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

1 Kings Chapter 22

1 And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of
Judah came down to the king of Israel.

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

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

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

6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four
hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to
battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall
deliver it into the hand of the king.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and
fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on
that manner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not
spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.