2 Chronicles 18

18 ¹Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. ²Some years later he went down to Ahab in Samaria, where Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, urging him to attack Ramoth-gilead. ³Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He answered, "I am as you are, my people as yours; we join you in the war."

⁴But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "First seek the word of our Father."

⁵So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, 400 men, and asked them, "Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead for battle, or hold back?" They said, "Go up, for God will hand it over to the king."

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of our Father here whom we can consult?"

⁷Israel's king told Jehoshaphat, "One man remains through whom we can ask our Father, but I hate him—he never prophesies good about me, only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat replied, "The king shouldn't say that."

⁸Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly."

⁹The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat each on his throne, dressed in robes, on the threshing floor at the entrance of Samaria's gate, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹⁰Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, "God says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'"

¹¹All the prophets prophesied the same, saying: "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and win; our Father will hand it to the king."

¹²The messenger sent to summon Micaiah told him, "The prophets' words all favor the king. Let yours match theirs—speak favorably."

¹³But Micaiah said, "As surely as our Father lives, I will say only what my Father says."

¹⁴When he came, the king said, "Micaiah, shall we go to battle at Ramoth-gilead, or shall I hold back?" He said, "Go up and win; they'll be handed to you."

¹⁵But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me only the truth in the name of our Father?"

¹⁶Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And our Father said, 'They have no master; let each return home in peace.'"

¹⁷Israel's king said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he'd prophesy nothing good about me, only evil?"

¹⁸Micaiah said, "Then hear the word of our Father: I saw our Father seated on his throne, all heaven's armies standing at his right and left.

¹⁹And our Father said, "Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" One said this, another that."

²⁰A spirit came forward, stood before our Father, and said, "I will entice him." And our Father asked him, "How?"

²¹He said, "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." Then our Father said, "You will lure him and also prevail. Go out and do so."

²²So now, our Father has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and our Father has declared disaster against you.

²³Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of God go from me to speak to you?"

²⁴Micaiah said, "You'll see it that day when you go into an inner room to hide."

²⁵The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah back to Amon the city governor and to Joash the king's son, ²⁶and say, 'The king says: Put this man in prison on meager rations of bread and water until I return safely.'"

²⁷Micaiah said, "If you ever return safely, our Father has not spoken through me." Then he said, "Listen, all you people!"

Ahab Falls as the Father Foretold

²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰The king of Aram had ordered his chariot captains, "Fight no one, small or great, but only the king of Israel."

³¹When the chariot captains saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "That is Israel's king," and turned to fight him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and our Father helped him, drawing them away from him. ³²When the chariot captains saw he was not Israel's king, they stopped chasing him. ³³A man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. He told his chariot driver, "Turn around and get me out of the fighting; I'm wounded." ³⁴The battle raged that day. Israel's king was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening, then died at sunset.