1 Kings 22:3–15

³The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead ^bis ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴So ^che asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?” ^d

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ^e5But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please ask what the Lord’s will is.” ^f

⁶So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, ^gand asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?”

They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ^h

⁷But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahweh here anymore? ⁱLet’s ask him.”

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him ^jbecause he never prophesies good about me, ^kbut only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

⁹So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ^lclothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were on the threshing floor ^mat the entrance to Samaria’s gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹¹Then Zedekiah ⁿson of Chenaanah made iron horns ^oand said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’ ” ¹²And all the prophets were prophesying the same: “March up to Ramoth-gilead ^pand succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah’s Message of Defeat

¹³The messenger ^qwho 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.”

¹⁴But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^rI will say whatever the Lord says to me.” ^s

¹⁵So 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. Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”