1 Kings 22:2–40

²Then it came to pass, in the third year, that ^aJehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.

³And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^bRamoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^c“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁵Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^d“Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”

⁶Then the king of Israel ^egathered ¹the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

⁷And ^fJehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of ²Him?”

⁸So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”

⁹Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”

¹⁰The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. ¹¹Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made ^ghorns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall ^hgore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” ¹²And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

¹³Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”

¹⁴And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ⁱwhatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”

¹⁵Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”

And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!”

¹⁶So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁷Then he said, “I saw all Israel ^jscattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁸And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁹Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: ^kI saw the Lord sitting on His throne, ^land all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. ²⁰And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. ²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ ²²The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ^m‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ²³ⁿTherefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²⁴Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and ^ostruck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ^p“Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁵And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an ^qinner chamber to hide!”

²⁶So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in ^rprison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ”

²⁸But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, ^sthe Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

Ahab Dies in Battle

²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel ^tdisguised himself and went into battle.

³¹Now the ^uking of Syria had commanded the thirty-two ^vcaptains of his chariots, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³²So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel!” Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat ^wcried out. ³³And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

³⁵The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. ³⁶Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!”

³⁷So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while ³the harlots bathed, according ^xto the word of the Lord which He had spoken.

³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, ^ythe ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰So Ahab ⁴rested with his fathers. Then ^zAhaziah his son reigned in his place.