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Jehoshaphat had great riches and honour, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 Some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahad king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.” 4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the counsel of the Lord.”
5 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?”
“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not another prophet of the Lord here so we may inquire of him?”
7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophecies good concerning me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imla.”
“The king should not say such things,” Micaiah replied.
8 Then the king of Israel called for one of his officers and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah here at once.”
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his own throne, dressed in their royal robes, at the entrance to the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed’.”
11 All the prophets were prophesying the same thing, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
12 Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets to the king are unanimously predicting success. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favourably.”
13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.”
14 When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “ Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?
He answered, “Go out and triumph, for they will be delivered into your hand.”
15 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master; let each return home in peace’.”
17 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophecies anything good to me, but only disaster?”
18 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne with all the hosts of heaven standing at His right hand and at His left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel, so he will go up against Ramoth-gilead and fall there?’
“Then one was saying this and another was saying that. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him’.
The Lord asked him, ‘How?’
21 “So he said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets’.
And the Lord said, ‘You will succeed in enticing him. Go and do so’.
22 So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah in the face and said, “Did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?”
24 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see on the day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.”
25 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, 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: "Put this fellow in prison and feed him with only bread and water until I come back safely” ’.”
27 Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” Then he said, “Listen, all you people!”
28 Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 Now the king of Aram had his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 When chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him. 32 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
33 But a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the sections of his armour. So the king told the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I’ve been wounded.” 34 The battle raged all through that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.