1 Kings 22:2-35

MSTC^{(i) 2} And the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah came to the king of Israel. ³ Then said the king of Israel unto his servants, "Know ye not that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we sit still and take it not out of the hands of the king of Syria?" ⁴ And he said unto Jehoshaphat, "Wilt thou go with me to battle, to Ramoth in Gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "I will be as thou art, and my people shall be as thine, and my horses as thine." ⁵ And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "Ask counsel, I pray thee, of the LORD today." ⁶ And then the king of Israel gathered of the Prophets together, upon a four hundred men, and said unto them, "Shall I go to Ramoth in Gilead to battle, or be still?" And they said, "Go: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the king." ⁷ And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there never a Prophet of the LORD's here, more, that we might enquire of him?" ⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one, by whom we may ask counsel of the LORD: one Micaiah the son of Imlah. But I hate him: for he never prophesieth good unto me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." ⁹ Then the king of Israel called unto one of his chamberlains and said, "Fetch Micaiah the son of Imlah hither at once." ¹⁰ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat either in his seat and their apparel on them, in a void place beside the entering of the gate of Samaria, and all the Prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron and said, "Thus sayeth the LORD, 'With these horns thou shalt winnow the Syrians until thou have made an end of them." ¹² And all the Prophets prophesied even so, saying, "Go to Ramoth in Gilead and prosper, for the LORD shall deliver it into the hands of the king." ¹³ And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah, said unto him, "See, the words of the Prophets speak good unto the king with one voice: let thy words, I pray thee, be like the words of one of them, and speak that is good." ¹⁴ And Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD liveth, what the LORD putteth in my mouth, that will I speak." ¹⁵ And when he was come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth in Gilead to battle, or shall we be still?" And he said unto him, "Go and prosper, the LORD deliver it unto the hands of the king." ¹⁶ And the king said unto him, "How often shall I adjure thee, that thou tell me nothing but truth, in the name of the LORD?" ¹⁷ Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have no shepherds. And the LORD said, 'Those have no master; let them return, every man to his house in peace.'" ¹⁸ Then said the king of Israel to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell thee, that he would prophesy no good unto me, but evil?" ¹⁹ And Micaiah said, "Hear therefore the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sit on his seat and all his company of heaven standing about him, on his righthand and on his left. ²⁰ And the LORD said, 'Who shall deceive Ahab that he may go and be slain at Ramoth in Gilead?' And one said on this manner and another on that. ²¹ Then came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will deceive him.' And the LORD said, 'Wherewith?' ²² And he said, 'I will go out and be a false spirit in the mouths of all Prophets.' And the LORD said, 'Thou shalt deceive him and also prevail, go forth and do even so.' ²³ Now therefore behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets: when in very deed the LORD hath spoken evil toward thee." ²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "How is the spirit of the LORD gone from me, to speak in thee?" ²⁵ And Micaiah said, "Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go from chamber to chamber to hide thee." ²⁶ And the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and carry him back again into Amon the governor of the city, and unto Joab the king's son, ²⁷ and say, 'Thus sayeth the king. Put ye this fellow in the prison house and feed him with bread and water straightly, until I return in peace.'" ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, "If thou come safe again, the LORD hath not spoken in me." And he said moreover, "Hearken to the people every one of you." ²⁹ And so the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth in Gilead. ³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Change thee and get thee to war: but put on thine own apparel." And the king of Israel changed himself, and went to battle also. ³¹ But the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, of which he had thirty two, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, save with the king of Israel only." ³² And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he had been the king of Israel, and therefore turned to him to fight. ³³ But Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the captains of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from him. ³⁴ And a certain man drew a bow ignorantly and smote the king of Israel between the ribs of his harness. Wherefore the king said unto the driver of his chariot, "Turn thy hand and carry me out of the host, for I am hurt." ³⁵ And the battle increased that day, and the king continued in his chariot before the Syrians, and died at evening. And the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.