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1 Kings

Ahab and Jehoshaphat Seek Counsel; Micaiah's True Prophecy

22
Chapter 22
1 And they sat for three years. There was no war between Aram and Israel. 2 And it was in the third year that Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are holding back from taking it from the hand of the king of Aram?" 4 He said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to war at Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses, like your horses." 5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please seek the word of the LORD today." 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to war, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." 7 Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the LORD anymore, that we may inquire from him?" 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom to inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil—Micaiah son of Imlah." And Jehoshaphat said to the king, "May the king not say so." 9 And the king of Israel called to one of his eunuchs and said, "Quickly, Micaiah son of Imlah." 10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat, each on his throne, clothed in their garments, at the threshing floor at the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And he made for him Zedekiah son of Chenaanah horns of iron, and he said, "Thus has the LORD said, 'With these you will gore Aram until they are consumed.'" 12 And all the prophets were prophesying in this way, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." 13 The angel who had gone to meet Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously good to the king. May your word now be like the word of one of them, and you will speak good." 14 Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak." 15 He came to the king, and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to the war, or shall we refrain?" He said to him, "Go up and succeed, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." 16 And the king said to him, "How many times have I made you swear that you will not speak to me except truth in the name of the LORD?" 17 He said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd." And the LORD said, "Not masters, to their uncleanness; they will return, each man to his house in peace." 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not say to you, 'He will not prophesy good concerning me, but evil'?" 19 And he said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left." 20 The LORD said, "Who will entice Ahab and go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" And one said, "I will," and another said, "I will." 21 And the spirit went out and stood before the LORD. And he said, "I will entice." And the LORD said to him, "With what?" 22 He said, "I will go out and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." He said, "You can entice, and also you are able. Go out and do so." 23 And now behold, the LORD has given a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil against you. 24 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah drew near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "Where has the Spirit of the LORD passed from me to speak to you?" 25 And Micaiah said, "Behold, on that day when you go from chamber to chamber to hide." 26 The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son." 27 And you shall say, "Thus says the king, 'Put this one in the prison house, and feed him bread of oppression and water of oppression until I come in peace.'" 28 And he said to Micaiah, "If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, all you peoples."