1 Kings 22:13–37

MICAIAH’S MESSAGE OF DEFEAT

13 The messengeraf who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives,ag I will say whatever the Lord says to me.”ah

15 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?”

Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The Lord will hand it over to the king.”

16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

17 So Micaiah said:

I saw all Israel scattered on the hills

like sheep without a shepherd.ai

And the Lord said,

“They have no master;

let everyone return home in peace.”aj

18 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”

19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne,a and the whole heavenly armyb was standing by him at his right hand and at his left hand. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’c So one was saying this and another was saying that.

21 “Then a spirit came forward, stood in the Lord’s presence, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

22 “The Lord asked him, ‘How?’

“He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spiritd in the mouth of all his prophets.’

“Then he said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail.e Go and do that.’

23 “You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”

24 Then Zedekiahf son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah on the cheek, and demanded, “DidA the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?”g

25 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see when you go to hide in an inner chamber on that day.”h

26 Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son,i 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prisonj and feed him only a little bread and waterB until I come back safely.’ ”

28 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.”k Then he said, “Listen, all you people!”C,l

AHAB’S DEATH

29 Thenm the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.n 30 But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguiseo myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.p

31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders,q “Do not fight with anyone at allD except the king of Israel.”r

32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

34 But a man drew his bows without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle,E for I am badly wounded!”t 35 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening,u and blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, declaring:

Each man to his own city,

and each man to his own land!v

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria.w