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¹ Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab.² And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and moved him to go up [with him] to Ramoth-gilead.³ And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as you are, and my people as your people; and [we will be] with you in the war.

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray you, for the word of Yahweh.⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king.⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh besides, that we may inquire of him?⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh: but I hate him; for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Don't let the king say so.⁸ Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and said, Thus says Yahweh, With these you shall push the Syrians, until they are consumed.¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Yahweh will deliver it into the hand of the king.¹² And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Look, the words of the prophets [declare] good to the king with one mouth: let your word therefore, I pray you, be like one of theirs, and speak good.¹³ And Micaiah said, As Yahweh lives, what my God says, that I will speak.¹⁴ And when he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand.¹⁵ And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?¹⁶ And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Yahweh said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace.¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Didn't I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?¹⁸ And [Micaiah] said, Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.¹⁹ And Yahweh said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.²⁰ And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Yahweh, and said, I will entice him. And Yahweh said to him, How?²¹ And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You shall entice him, and shall prevail also: go forth, and do so.²² Now therefore, look, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you.²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh go from me to speak to you?²⁴ And Micaiah said, Look, you shall see on that day, when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.²⁵ And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;²⁶ and say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.²⁷ And Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, you peoples, all of you.

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle.³⁰ Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.³¹ And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him; and God moved them [to depart] from him.³² And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it wasn't the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.³³ And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the armor: therefore he said to the driver of the chariot, Turn your hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am critically wounded.³⁴ And the battle increased that day: nevertheless the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening; and about the time of the going down of the sun he died.