2 Chronicles 18:12–27

¹²Then 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. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”

¹³And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^hwhatever my God says, that I will speak.”

¹⁴Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”

¹⁵So 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?”

¹⁶Then he said, “I saw all Israel ⁱscattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no ^jshepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁸Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His ^kthrone, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. ¹⁹And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. ²⁰Then a ^lspirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ ²¹So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’ ²²Therefore look! ^mThe Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and ⁿstruck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁴And Micaiah said, “Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”

²⁵Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁶and say, ‘Thus says the king: ^o“Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace.” ’ ”

²⁷But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by ^pme.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”