2 Chronicles 18

1 Now Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and highly honored, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

2 Some years later he went to pay Ahab a visit in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and the people who accompanied him, and encouraged him to attack Ramoth-gilead.

And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.

3 Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Would you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “You and I are as one, and my men and your men are as one. We will join forces with you in this war.”

And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.

4 Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first though, please find out what the Lord says.”

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

5 So the king of Israel brought out the prophets—four hundred of them—and he asked them, “Should we go up and attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?” “Yes, go ahead,” they replied, “for God will hand it over to the king.”

Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said to them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.

6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there another prophet of the Lord here that we can ask?”

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we may enquire of him?

7 “Yes, there's another man who could consult the Lord,” the king of Israel replied, “but I don't like him because he never prophesies anything good for me—it's always bad! His name is Micaiah, son of Imlah.” “You shouldn't talk like that,” said Jehoshaphat.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good to me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

8 The king of Israel called over one of his officials and told him, “Bring me Micaiah, son of Imlah, right away.”

And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.

9 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor beside the gate of Samaria, with all of the prophets prophesying in front of them.

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat each of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

10 One of them, Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, had made himself iron horns. He announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these horns you will gore the Arameans until they're dead!”

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they shall be consumed.

11 All the prophets were prophesying the same thing, saying, “Go ahead, attack Ramoth-gilead; you will be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

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

12 The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “Look, all the prophets are unanimous in prophesying positively to the king. So please make sure to speak positively like them.”

And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one consent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.

13 But Micaiah replied, “As the Lord lives, I can only say what my God tells me.”

And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.

14 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Should we go up and attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?” “Yes, go ahead and be victorious,” Micaiah replied, “for they will be handed over to the king.”

And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

15 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me only the truth in the name of the Lord?”

And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?

16 So Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These people have no master; let each of them go home in peace.’”

Then 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 them return therefore every man to his house in peace.

17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you he never prophesies anything good for me, only bad?”

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good to me, but evil?

18 Micaiah went on to say, “So listen to what the Lord says. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, surrounded by the whole army of heaven standing to his right and to his left.

Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

19 The Lord asked, ‘Who will trick Ahab, king of Israel, into attacking Ramoth-gilead so he will be killed there?’ One said this, another said that, and another said something else.

And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

20 Finally a spirit came and approached the Lord and said, ‘I will trick him.’ ‘How are you going to do that?’ the Lord asked.

Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said to him, How?

21 ‘I will go and be a lying spirit and make all his prophets tell lies,’ the spirit replied. ‘That will work,’ the Lord responded. ‘Go and do it.’

And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.

22 As you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced your death sentence.”

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

23 Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went and slapped Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go when he left me to speak to you?”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak to thee?

24 “You'll soon find out when you try and find some secret place to hide!” Micaiah replied.

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

25 The king of Israel ordered, “Place Micaiah under arrest and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to my son Joash.

Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;

26 Tell them these are the king's instructions: ‘Put this man in jail. Give him only bread and water until my safe return.’”

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

27 “If you do in fact return safely then the Lord has not spoken through me,” Micaiah declared. “Pay attention everyone to all I've said!”

And Micaiah said, If thou shalt certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.

28 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went to attack Ramoth-gilead.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.

29 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “When I go into battle I will be in disguise, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.

30 The king of Aram had already given these orders to his chariot commanders: “Head straight for the king of Israel alone. Don't fight with anyone else, whoever they are.”

Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, except only with the king of Israel.

31 So when the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “There's the king of Israel!” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat called out for help, and the Lord did help him. God redirected them away from him,

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they surrounded him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

32 for when the chariot commanders realized that he wasn't the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.

For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.

33 However, an enemy archer shot an arrow at random, hitting the king of Israel between the joints of his armor by his breastplate. The king told his charioteer, “Turn around and get me out of the fight, because I've been wounded!”

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the armour: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thy hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.

34 The battle lasted all day. The king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot to face the Arameans until the evening. But he died at sunset.

And the battle increased that day: yet the king of Israel held himself in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening: and about the time of the sun setting he died.