2 Chronicles 18

¹Now Jehoshʹaphat had great riches and honor; and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. ²After some years he went down to Ahab in Samarʹia. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshʹaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

⁴And Jehoshʹaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” ⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I forbear?” And they said, “Go up; for God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶But Jehoshʹaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” ⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshʹaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiʹah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshʹaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁸Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiʹah the son of Imlah.” ⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshʹaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes; and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samarʹia; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰And Zedekiʹah the son of Chenaʹanah made for himself horns of iron, and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” ¹¹And all the prophets prophesied so, and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹²And the messenger who went to summon Micaiʹah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹³But Micaiʹah said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” ¹⁴And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiʹah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵But the king said to him, “How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁶And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’ ” ¹⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshʹaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁸And Micaiʹah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left; ¹⁹and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. ²⁰Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ ²¹And he said, ‘I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go forth and do so.’ ²²Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.”

²³Then Zedekiʹah the son of Chenaʹanah came near and struck Micaiʹah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” ²⁴And Micaiʹah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁵And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiʹah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joʹash the king’s son; ²⁶and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with scant fare of bread and water, until I return in peace.’ ” ²⁷And Micaiʹah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshʹaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹And the king of Israel said to Jehoshʹaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into battle. ³⁰Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshʹaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him; and Jehoshʹaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, ³²for when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³But a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate; therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn about, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” ³⁴And the batle grew hot that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; then at sunset he died.