The neighboring nations also continued to love Jehoshaphat,
and to be at peace with him. The Philistines paid their appointed
tribute, and the Arabians supplied him every year with three hundred and
sixty lambs, and as many kids of the goats. He also fortified the great
cities, which were many in number, and of great consequence. He prepared
also a mighty army of soldiers and weapons against their enemies. Now
the army of men that wore their armor, was three hundred thousand of the
tribe of Judah, of whom Adnah was the chief; but John was chief of two
hundred thousand. The same man was chief of the tribe of Benjamin, and
had two hundred thousand archers under him. There was another chief,
whose name was Jehozabad, who had a hundred and fourscore thousand armed
men. This multitude was distributed to be ready for the king's service,
besides those whom he sent to the best fortified cities.

3. Jehoshaphat took for his son Jehoram to wife the daughter of Ahab,
the king of the ten tribes, whose name was Athaliah. And when, after
some time, he went to Samaria, Ahab received him courteously, and
treated the army that followed him in a splendid manner, with great
plenty of corn and wine, and of slain beasts; and desired that he
would join with him in his war against the king of Syria, that he might
recover from him the city Ramoth, in Gilead; for though it had belonged
to his father, yet had the king of Syria's father taken it away from
him; and upon Jehoshaphat's promise to afford him his assistance, [for
indeed his army was not inferior to the other,] and his sending for his
army from Jerusalem to Samaria, the two kings went out of the city, and
each of them sat on his own throne, and each gave their orders to their
several armies. Now Jehoshaphat bid them call some of the prophets, if
there were any there, and inquire of them concerning this expedition
against the king of Syria, whether they would give them counsel to make
that expedition at this time, for there was peace at that time between
Ahab and the king of Syria, which had lasted three years, from the time
he had taken him captive till that day.

4. So Ahab called his own prophets, being in number about four hundred,
and bid them inquire of God whether he would grant him the victory, if
he made an expedition against Benhadad, and enable him to overthrow that
city, for whose sake it was that he was going to war. Now these prophets
gave their counsel for making this ex