Jehoshaphat and Ahab
1 Jehoshaphat, then, enjoyed great wealth and honor and allied himself by marriage to Ahab.
2 After some years he went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered for him and for his retinue great numbers of sheep and oxen; then urged him to attack Ramoth-gilead.
3 And he asked Jeho shaphat, “Will you come with me to Ramoth-gilead?” Jeho shaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am with you, my men are yours, and we will fight together.”
4 Jehoshaphat, however, said to the king of Israel, “First, please consult the word of Yahweh.”
5 So the king of Israel called the prophets who were four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we march to attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” They replied, “Go, because Yah weh will deliver it into your power.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of Yahweh here for us to consult?”
7 The king of Israel answered, “There is one more man through whom we can consult Yahweh, but I hate him because he never tells me good things but only discouraging words. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jeho shaphat said, “The king should not say such things.”
8 Accordingly the king of Israel summoned one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah immediately.”
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were both sitting on their thrones in royal garments; they sat at the threshing-floor outside the gate of Sa maria, with all the prophets raving in front of them.
10 Zedekiah son of Chena anah had made himself iron horns and said, “Yahweh says this: You will gore the Arameans till you make an end of them.”
11 And all the prophets prophesied the same saying, “March to Ramoth-gilead, for you will succeed. Yahweh will deliver it into the power of the king.”
12 In the meantime the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “All the prophets as one man are foretelling victory to the king. Try to speak like one of them and foretell success.”
13 But Micaiah answered, “As Yahweh lives, what my God says, that will I utter!”
14 When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” He answered, “Go and you will succeed. They will be delivered into your power.”
15 But the king said, “How often must I beg you to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”
16 Then Micaiah said, “I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no master, let each one go home in peace.’ ”
17 At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never foretells me good things, but only what is discouraging?”
18 Micaiah went on. “Listen to the word of Yahweh. I have seen Yahweh seated on his throne; all the array of heaven stood to his right and to his left.
19 Yahweh said, ‘Who will trick Ahab king of Israel so that he goes and falls at Ramoth-gilead?’ At which some answered one way, and some another.
20 Then a spirit stepped forward, approached Yahweh and said, ‘I will trick him.’ Yahweh asked, ‘How?’
21 He replied, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Yahweh said, ‘You shall trick him and succeed. Go and do it.’
22 So Yahweh has put a lying spirit into the mouths of your prophets here because he himself wants you to meet with disaster!”
23 Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah came up and slapped Michaiah’s face, and he asked, “When did the spirit of Yahweh leave me, to talk to you?”
24 Mi caiah replied, “This is what you will find out the day you flee from house to house to hide.”
25 The king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and hand him over to Amon, governor of the city, and to Prince Joash,
26 and say: This is the king’s order: Put this man in prison and feed him on nothing but bread and water until I come back safe and sound.”
27 Micaiah said, “If you come back safe and sound, Yahweh has not spoken through me.”
28 The king of Israel and Jehosha phat king of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jeho shaphat, “I will dis guise myself as we go into battle, but I want you to wear your royal clothes.”
30 The king of Aram had given his chariot commanders the following order: “Do not attack anyone of whatever rank, except the king of Israel.”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was the king of Israel. And they wheeled to the attack. But Jeho shaphat gave a shout and Yahweh came to his help, God rescued him and turned the attack away from him.
32 The chariot commanders realized that he was not the king of Israel and called off their pursuit.
33 By chance, however, one of the soldiers shot an arrow which struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. The king said to his charioteer, “Turn around and get me out of the battle; I have been hurt.”
34 But the battle grew fiercer so that they held the king upright in his chariot facing the Aramaeans until eve ning, and at sunset he died.