Jehoshaphat of Judah allies with Ahab against Syria. Four hundred prophets promise victory, but Micaiah foretells defeat. Ahab goes disguised into the battle but is struck by a random arrow and dies.
1 And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel .
2 And it came to pass in the third year , that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel .
3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants , Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still , and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria ?
4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat , Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead ? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel , I am as thou art, my people as thy people , my horses as thy horses .
5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel , Enquire , I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day .
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together , about four hundred men , and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle , or shall I forbear ? And they said , Go up ; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king .
7 And Jehoshaphat said , Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides , that we might enquire of him?
8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat , There is yet one man , Micaiah the son of Imlah , by whom we may enquire of the LORD : but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil . And Jehoshaphat said , Let not the king say so.
9 Then the king of Israel called an officer , and said , Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah .
10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne , having put on their robes , in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria ; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron : and he said , Thus saith the LORD , With these shalt thou push the Syrians , until thou have consumed them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying , Go up to Ramothgilead , and prosper : for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand .
13 And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying , Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth : let thy word , I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good .
14 And Micaiah said , As the LORD liveth , what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak .
15 So he came to the king . And the king said unto him, Micaiah , shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle , or shall we forbear ? And he answered him, Go , and prosper : for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king .
16 And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD ?
17 And he said , I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills , as sheep that have not a shepherd : and the LORD said , These have no master : let them return every man to his house in peace .
18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat , Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil ?
19 And he said , Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD : I saw the LORD sitting on his throne , and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left .
20 And the LORD said , Who shall persuade Ahab , that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead ? And one said on this manner , and another said on that manner .
21 And there came forth a spirit , and stood before the LORD , and said , I will persuade him.
22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said , I will go forth , and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets . And he said , Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth , and do so.
23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets , and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near , and smote Micaiah on the cheek , and said , Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
25 And Micaiah said , Behold, thou shalt see in that day , when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
26 And the king of Israel said , Take Micaiah , and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city , and to Joash the king's son ;
27 And say , Thus saith the king , Put this fellow in the prison , and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction , until I come in peace .
28 And Micaiah said , If thou return at all in peace , the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said , Hearken , O people , every one of you.
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead .
30 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat , I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle ; but put thou on thy robes . And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle .
31 But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots , saying , Fight neither with small nor great , save only with the king of Israel .
32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat , that they said , Surely it is the king of Israel . And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out .
33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel , that they turned back from pursuing him.
34 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture , and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness : wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot , Turn thine hand , and carry me out of the host ; for I am wounded .
35 And the battle increased that day : and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians , and died at even : and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot .
36 And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun , saying , Every man to his city , and every man to his own country .
37 So the king died , and was brought to Samaria ; and they buried the king in Samaria .
38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria ; and the dogs licked up his blood ; and they washed his armour ; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake .
39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab , and all that he did , and the ivory house which he made , and all the cities that he built , are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
40 So Ahab slept with his fathers ; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel .
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem . And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi .
43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father ; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD : nevertheless the high places were not taken away ; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places .
44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel .
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat , and his might that he shewed , and how he warred , are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
46 And the remnant of the sodomites , which remained in the days of his father Asa , he took out of the land .
47 There was then no king in Edom : a deputy was king .
48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold : but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber .
49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat , Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships . But Jehoshaphat would not.
50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers , and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father : and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah , and reigned two years over Israel .
52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD , and walked in the way of his father , and in the way of his mother , and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat , who made Israel to sin :
53 For he served Baal , and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel , according to all that his father had done .