2 Chronicles 18

1 And Jehoshaphat hath riches and honour in abundance, and joineth affinity to Ahab,

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; he allied himself with Ahab by having one of his family marry his daughter.

2 and goeth down at the end of [certain] years unto Ahab to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificeth for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people who [are] with him, and persuadeth him to go up unto Ramoth-Gilead.

After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. Ahab also persuaded him to attack Ramoth Gilead with him.

3 And Ahab king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 'Dost thou go with me [to] Ramoth-Gilead?' And he saith to him, 'As I — so thou, and as thy people — my people, even with thee in battle.'

Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered him, “I am like you, and my people are like your people. We will be with you in the war.”

4 And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, 'Seek, I pray thee, this day, the word of Jehovah.'

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please first seek the word of Yahweh for your answer.”

5 And the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, four hundred men, and saith unto them, 'Do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And they say, 'Go up, and God doth give [it] into the hand of the king.'

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?” They said, “Attack, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”

6 And Jehoshaphat saith, 'Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still, and we seek from him?'

But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here still another prophet of Yahweh with whom we might seek advice?”

7 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Still — one man to seek Jehovah from him, and I — I have hated him, for he is not prophesying concerning me of good, but all his days of evil, he [is] Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, 'Let not the king say so.'

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may seek the advice of Yahweh, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” But Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say that.”

8 And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain officer, and saith, 'Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.'

Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, and they are sitting in a threshing-floor at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them.

Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

10 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, 'Thus said Jehovah,

Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, “Yahweh says this: With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed.”

11 With these thou dost push Aram till thou hast consumed them.' And all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, 'Go up [to] Ramath-Gilead and prosper, and Jehovah hath given [it] into the hand of the king.'

All the prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king.”

12 And the messenger who hath gone to call for Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, 'Lo, the words of the prophets — one mouth — [are] good towards the king, and let, I pray thee, thy word be like one of theirs: and thou hast spoken good.'

The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your words agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

13 And Micaiah saith 'Jehovah liveth, surely that which my God saith, it I speak.'

Micaiah replied, “As Yahweh lives, it is what God says that I will say.”

14 And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, 'Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And he saith, 'Go ye up, and prosper, and they are given into your hand.'

When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?” Micaiah answered him, “Attack and be victorious! For it will be a great victory.”

15 And the king saith unto him, 'How many times am I adjuring thee, that thou speak unto me only truth in the name of Jehovah?'

Then the king said to him, “How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”

16 And he saith, 'I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, There are no masters to these, they turn back each to his house in peace.'

So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no shepherd. Let every man return to his house in peace.'”

17 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Did I not say unto thee, He doth not prophesy concerning me good, but rather of evil?'

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?”

18 And he saith, 'Therefore, hear ye a word of Jehovah: I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on His right and His left;

Then Micaiah said, “Therefore all of you should hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing on his right hand and on his left.

19 and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab king of Israel, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? And this speaker saith thus, and that speaker thus.

Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said this and another that.

20 And go out doth the spirit, and stand before Jehovah, and saith, I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, With what?

Then a spirit came forward and it stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?'

21 and he saith, I go out, and have become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He saith, Thou dost entice, and also, thou art able; go out and do so.

The spirit replied, 'I will go out and I will become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.'

22 And, now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee — evil.'

Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you.”

23 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah cometh nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, 'Where [is] this — the way the Spirit of Jehovah passed over from me to speak with thee?'

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?”

24 And Micaiah saith, 'Lo, thou dost see in that day, that thou dost enter into the innermost chamber to be hidden.'

Micaiah said, “Look, you will know that on that day, when you run into some inner room to hide.”

25 And the king of Israel saith, 'Take ye Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king,

The king of Israel said to some servants, “You people seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son.

26 and ye have said, Thus said the king, Put ye this [one] in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my return in peace.'

You people will say to him, 'The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him with only a little bread and only a little water, until I return safely.'”

27 And Micaiah saith, 'If thou dost certainly return in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, 'Hear ye, O peoples, all of them!'

Then Micaiah said, “If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me.” Then he added, “Listen to this, all you people.”

28 And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, unto Ramoth-Gilead;

So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up against Ramoth Gilead.

29 and the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, 'And thou, put on thy garments.' And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and they go into battle.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.

30 And the king of Aram hath commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath, saying, 'Ye do not fight with small or with great, except with the king of Israel by himself.'

Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not attack the unimportant or the important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel.”

31 And it cometh to pass at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they have said, 'The king of Israel he is,' and they turn round against him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out, and Jehovah hath helped him, and God enticeth them from him,

It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “That is the king of Israel.” They turned around to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him. God turned them away from him.

32 yea, it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that it hath not been the king of Israel — they turn back from after him.

It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

33 And a man hath drawn with a bow, in his simplicity, and smiteth the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he saith to the charioteer, 'Turn thy hand, and thou hast brought me out of the camp, for I have become sick.'

But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.”

34 And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king of Israel hath been stayed up in the chariot over-against Aram till the evening, and he dieth at the time of the going in of the sun.

The battle grew worse that day, and the king of Israel was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans until the evening. About the time that the sun was going down, he died.