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1 Kings 22

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. In the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. The king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? Yet we are keeping silent instead of taking it from the hand of the king of Aram.” Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire today for the word of the LORD.”

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for battle, or should I refrain?” They said, “Go up, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of him?” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil: Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such a thing.” Then the king of Israel summoned one official and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.”

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, clothed in robes, at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says the LORD: With these you will gore Aram until you have destroyed them.” All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

The messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Look, the words of the prophets are with one mouth favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for battle, or should we refrain?” He said to him, “Go up and prosper, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but truth in the name of the LORD?” Then he said,

“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains,
like sheep that have no shepherd.”

And the LORD said,

“These have no master.
Let each return to their house in peace.” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him, on his right and on his left. The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ One said one thing, and another said another. Then the spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go out and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’ Now look: the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.”

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek. He said, “Which way did the spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” Micaiah said, “Look, you will see on that day when you go from room to room to hide yourself.” Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son. Say, ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in prison, and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace.’” Micaiah said, “If you indeed return in peace, the LORD has not spoken through me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and enter the battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and entered the battle. Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” When the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” So they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. When the commanders of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him.

But a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. He said to his charioteer, “Turn your hand and take me out of the camp, for I am wounded.” The battle grew fierce that day, and the king was held upright in his chariot facing Aram. He died in the evening, and the blood from the wound flowed into the hollow of the chariot. At the setting of the sun, a cry passed through the camp: “Each to their city, and each to their land!” So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. They washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, while the prostitutes washed themselves, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.

Now the rest of the deeds of Ahab, all that he did, the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built—are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Ahab lay down with his ancestors, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. He walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

Only the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoshaphat, his might that he showed, and how he fought—are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? He removed from the land the rest of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of Asa his father. There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was unwilling. Jehoshaphat lay down with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David his father. Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He served Baal and bowed down to him, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.