2 Chronicles 18

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

And Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he intermarried with Achab.

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 he went down after [some] years to Achab to Samaria. And Achab killed for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and persuaded him to go up to Ramoth-gil'ad.

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.”

Then said Achab the king of Israel unto Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me against Ramoth-gil'ad! And he said to him, I [will be] like thee, and my people [shall be] as thy people; and we will be with thee in the battle.

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

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, today [first] of the word of the Lord.

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.”

Then did the king of Israel assemble the prophets, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gil'ad to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, and God will deliver [it] into the hand of the king.

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

And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Eternal besides, that we might inquire 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 unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him; for he never prophesieth any good concerning me, but at all times evil: it is Michayhu the son of Yimla. 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.”

Then called the king of Israel a certain court-officer, and said, “Hasten hither Michayhu the son of Yimla.”

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 the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, dressed in their royal garments, and they were sitting in a threshing-floor 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 Kena'anah had made himself horns of iron; and he said, Thus hath said the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have made an end of them.

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 against Ramoth-gil'ad, and prosper, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.

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 Michayhu spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets are with one voice good for the king: so do let thy word, I pray thee, be like [that of] any one of them, and speak something good.

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

And Michayhu said, As the Lord liveth, truly what my God may say, 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 was come to the king, the king said unto him, Michah, shall we go to Ramoth-gil'ad to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and may they 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 yet must I adjure thee that thou shalt not speak to me any thing but the truth 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 said he, I saw all Israel scattered over the mountains, as flocks that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return 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 say unto thee that he would not prophesy concerning me any good, but [only] for 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.

And he said, Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right and 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 will persuade Achab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gil'ad? And one said—one 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 came there forth a spirit, and placed himself before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?

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 forth, and I will become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou wilt persuade him, and also prevail: go forth, and do 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.”

And now, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets: but the Lord hath spoken evil concerning 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?”

And Zedekiah the son of Kena'anah went near, and struck Michayhu on the cheek, and said, Which is the way the Spirit of the Lord passed away from me to speak with thee?

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

And Michayhu said, Behold, thou shalt see it on that day when thou shalt go into the innermost 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.

And the king of Israel said, Take ye Michayhu, and carry him back unto 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 ye, Thus hath said the king, Put this man in the prison, and feed him with sparing bread and with sparing water, 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 Michayhu said, If thou return at all in peace, then hath the Lord not spoken through me. And he said, Hear it, O all ye nations!

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

And the king of Israel went up with Jehoshaphat the king of Judah to Ramoth-gil'ad.

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 unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but do thou put on thy royal garments. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into 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.”

And the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that he had, saying, Fight ye not with the small or with the great, save only with the king of Israel alone.

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, This is the king of Israel. And they encompassed him to fight; and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God induced them to go away from him.

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

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from following 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!”

But a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the joints and the armor: wherefore he said to the chariot-driver, Turn about, and carry me out of the camp; 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 on that day: and the king of Israel stayed [himself] up in the chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and he died at the time of the sun's going down.