Dual Panel1When Jehoshaphat had become very wealthy and famous, he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
2Some years afterwards he went down to Samaria to visit Ahab, who slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and his retinue, and incited him to attack Ramoth-gilead.
3What King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah was: “Will you join me in attacking Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “What is mine is yours: myself and my people; I shall join you in the war,”
4but he said to the king of Israel, “First let us seek counsel from the LORD.”
5The king of Israel assembled the prophets, some four hundred of them, and asked them, “Shall we attack Ramoth-gilead or not?” “Attack,” was the answer; “God will deliver it into your majesty's hands.”
6Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no other prophet of the LORD here through whom we may seek guidance?”
7“There is one more,” the king of Israel answered, “through whom we may seek guidance of the LORD, but I hate the man, because he never prophesies good for me, never anything but evil. His name is Micaiah son of Imla.” Jehoshaphat exclaimed, “Let your majesty say no such thing!”
8The king of Israel called one of his eunuchs and told him to fetch Micaiah son of Imla with all speed.
9The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in their royal robes and in shining armour, were seated on their thrones at the entrance to the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made himself iron horns and declared, “This is the word of the LORD: ‘With horns like these you will gore the Aramaeans and make an end of them.’”
11In the same vein all the prophets prophesied, “Attack Ramoth-gilead and win the day; the LORD will deliver it into your hands.”
12The messenger sent to fetch Micaiah told him that the prophets had unanimously given the king a favourable answer. “And mind you agree with them,” he added.
13“As the LORD lives,” said Micaiah, “I shall say only what my God tells me to say.”
14When he came into the king's presence, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we attack Ramoth-gilead or not?” “Attack and win the day,” he replied; “it will fall into your hands.”
15“How often must I adjure you”, said the king, “to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd; and I heard the LORD say: ‘They have no master; let them go home in peace.’”
17The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, never anything but evil?”
18Micaiah went on, “Listen now to the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD seated on his throne, with all the host of heaven in attendance on his right and on his left.
19The LORD said, ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel to go up and attack Ramoth-gilead?’ One said one thing and one said another,
20until a spirit came forward and, standing before the LORD, said, ‘I shall entice him.’ ‘How?’ said the LORD.
21‘I shall go out’, he answered, ‘and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘Entice him; you will succeed,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
22You see, then, how the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, because he has decreed disaster for you.”
23At that Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came up to Micaiah and struck him in the face: “And how did the spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” he demanded.
24Micaiah retorted, “That you will find out on the day when you run into an inner room to hide.”
25The king of Israel ordered Micaiah to be arrested and committed to the custody of Amon the governor of the city and Joash the king's son.
26“Throw this fellow into prison,” he said, “and put him on a prison diet of bread and water until I come home in safety.”
27Micaiah declared, “If you do return in safety, the LORD has not spoken by me.”
28The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah marched on Ramoth-gilead.
29The king of Israel went into battle in disguise, for he had said to Jehoshaphat, “I shall disguise myself to go into battle, but you must wear your royal robes.”
30The king of Aram had ordered the captains of his chariots not to engage all and sundry, but the king of Israel alone.
31When the captains saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was the king of Israel and wheeled to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD came to his help; God drew them away from him.
32When the captains saw that he was not the king of Israel, they broke off the attack on him.
33One man, however, drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel where the breastplate joins the plates of the armour. The king said to his driver, “Turn about and take me out of the line; I am wounded.”
34When the day's fighting reached its height, the king of Israel was facing the Aramaeans, propped up in his chariot; he remained so till evening, and at sunset he died.