2 Chronicles 18

¹Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.

²After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered sheep and cattle in abundance for him and for the people who were with him, and he induced him to go up to Ramoth-gilead.

³And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" And he said to him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; and I will be with you in battle."

⁴And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire now 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 against Ramoth-gilead for battle, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, and God will give it into the hand of the king."

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD still, that we may inquire of him?

⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always bad." He is Micaiah the son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such a thing."

⁸Then the king of Israel called for one of his officials and said, Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the LORD: With these you shall gore Aram until they are destroyed."

¹¹And all the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.

¹²And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your word, please, be like one of them, and speak favorably.

¹³And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak."

¹⁴When he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? And he said, Go up and prosper; they will be given into your hand.

¹⁵And the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but truth in the name of the LORD?"

¹⁶And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, These have no master; let each man return to his house in peace.

¹⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but bad?"

¹⁸And he 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 and on his left."

¹⁹And the LORD said, Who will entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said this, and another said that.

²⁰Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, 'By what means?'

²¹And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You will entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.

²²Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; and the LORD has declared disaster against you."

²³Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?

²⁴And Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you go from chamber to chamber to hide yourself."

²⁵And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and bring him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son,

²⁶and say, 'Thus says the king: Put this man in prison, and feed him with the bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace.'"

²⁷And Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, all you peoples!

²⁸And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'I will disguise myself and come into the battle, but you put on your garments.' So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they came into the battle.

³⁰Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, 'Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel alone.'

³¹And it happened, when the commanders of the chariotry saw Jehoshaphat, and they said, 'It is the king of Israel!' and they turned against him to fight. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God incited them away from him.

³²And it was, when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him.

³³Now a man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints and the scale armor; so he said to the charioteer, 'Turn your hand and carry me out of the camp, for I am wounded.'

³⁴The battle intensified that day, and the king of Israel was propping himself up in his chariot facing Aram until the evening, and he died at the time of the setting of the sun.