Old Testament · 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 18

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

(1 Kings 22:1–12)

1And Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself by marriage to Ahab. 2And he went down at the end of years to Ahab to Samaria; and Ahab slaughtered for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people who were with him, and incited him to go up to Ramoth-gilead.

3And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" And he said to him: "I am as you, and my people as your people; and with you in the war."

4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel: "Seek, please, today the word of the LORD."

5And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men^a, and said to them: "Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead for the war, or shall I forbear?" And they said: "Go up, and God will give it into the hand of the king."

6And Jehoshaphat said: "Is there not here yet a prophet of the LORD, that we may seek from him?"

7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "There is yet one man to seek the LORD from him; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy concerning me for good, but all his days for evil; he is Micaiah son of Imla." And Jehoshaphat said: "Let not the king say so."

8And the king of Israel called to one officer, and said: "Hurry Micaiah son of Imla."

9And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each man on his throne, clothed in garments, and they were sitting at a threshing-floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

10And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and said: "Thus says the LORD: With these you will gore Aram until consuming them."

11And all the prophets were prophesying so, saying: "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper; and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king."

Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab

(1 Kings 22:13–28)

12And the messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying: "Behold, the words of the prophets are with one mouth good to the king; let your word, please, be like one of theirs, and speak good."

13And Micaiah said: "As the LORD lives^b, surely what my God says, that I will speak."

14And he came to the king, and the king said to him: "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead for the war, or shall I forbear?" And he said: "Go up, and prosper; and they will be given into your hand."

15And the king said to him: "How many times am I making you swear that you speak to me only truth in the name of the LORD?"

16And he said: "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said: These have no masters; let them return each man to his house in peace."

17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "Did I not say to you, he does not prophesy concerning me good, but only for evil?"

18And he said: "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing at His right and at His left.

19And the LORD said: Who will entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And this one said thus, and that one saying thus.

20And the spirit^c came out, and stood before the LORD, and said: I will entice him. And the LORD said to him: By what?

21And he said: I will go out, and I will be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said: You will entice, and you will also prevail; go out, and do so.

22And now, behold, the LORD has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these your prophets; and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.

23And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said: "Which way passed the spirit of the LORD from me to speak with you?"

24And Micaiah said: "Behold, you are seeing on that day when you go into chamber within chamber to hide yourself."

25And the king of Israel said: "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the commander of the city, and to Joash the king's son; 26and say: Thus says the king: Put this one in the house of confinement, and feed him bread of oppression and water of oppression, until I return in peace."

27And Micaiah said: "If you indeed return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said: "Hear, O peoples, all of them."

Ahab’s Defeat and Death

(1 Kings 22:29–40)

28And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat: "Disguising myself and going into the war; but you, put on your garments." And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the war.

30And the king of Aram had commanded^d the commanders of his chariots that he had, saying: "You shall not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel alone."

31And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said: "He is the king of Israel," and they turned around against him to fight; and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God enticed them away from him. 32And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from after him.

33And a man drew with the bow in his innocence, and struck the king of Israel between the joints and the breastplate; and he said to the charioteer: "Turn your hand and bring me out of the camp, for I am wounded."

34And the battle went up on that day; and the king of Israel was standing up in the chariot opposite Aram until the evening; and he died at the time of the going in of the sun.