2 Chronicles 18 | English Standard Version

English Standard Version

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. (2Ki 8:18; 2Ch 17:5; 2Ch 21:6) 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. (1Ki 22:2) 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” 4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. (Ru 4:1) 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” (Nu 22:18; Nu 24:13; 1Ki 17:1) 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” (Nu 27:17; Mt 9:36) 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. (1Ki 22:19) 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ (1Ki 22:22) 22 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.” 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” (1Ki 22:24) 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, (2Ch 34:8) 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” (2Ch 16:10) 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” (Mic 1:2)

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

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 battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random^[1] and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.

New International Version

Micaiah prophesies against Ahab

1 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honour, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?’ Jehoshaphat replied, ‘I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.’ 4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord.’ 5 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets – four hundred men – and asked them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’ ‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for God will give it into the king’s hand.’ 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can enquire of?’ 7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one prophet through whom we can enquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’ ‘The king should not say such a thing,’ Jehoshaphat replied. 8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, ‘Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.’ 9 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing-floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 10 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, ‘This is what the Lord says: “With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.” ’ 11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. ‘Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,’ they said, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’ 12 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably.’ 13 But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.’ 14 When he arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’ ‘Attack and be victorious,’ he answered, ‘for they will be given into your hand.’ 15 The king said to him, ‘How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?’ 16 Then Micaiah answered, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, “These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.” ’ 17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?’ 18 Micaiah continued, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?” ‘One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, “I will entice him.” ‘ “By what means?” the Lord asked. 21 ‘ “I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,” he said. ‘ “You will succeed in enticing him,” said the Lord. “Go and do it.” 22 ‘So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.’ 23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. ‘Which way did the spirit from^[1] the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?’ he asked. 24 Micaiah replied, ‘You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.’ 25 The king of Israel then ordered, ‘Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and say, “This is what the king says: put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.” ’ 27 Micaiah declared, ‘If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.’ Then he added, ‘Mark my words, all you people!’

Ahab killed at Ramoth Gilead

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.’ So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, ‘Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.’ 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, ‘This is the king of Israel.’ So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, 32 for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him. 33 But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armour. The king told the chariot driver, ‘Wheel round and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.’ 34 All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.

King James Version

1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and 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 he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead. 3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art , and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war. 4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day. 5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king' hand. 6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? 7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla. 9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed. 11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. 12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. 13 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. 14 And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. 15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD? 16 Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace. 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil? 18 Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. 20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? 21 And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him , and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. 22 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee. 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? 24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 25 Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king' son; 26 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 return in peace. 27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people. 28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. 29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or 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 compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. 32 For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him. 33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 34 And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.

New International Reader’s Version

Micaiah prophesies against Ahab

1 Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honour. He joined forces with Ahab by marrying Ahab’s daughter. 2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed a lot of sheep and cattle for Jehoshaphat and the people with him. Ahab tried to get Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab was the king of Israel. He spoke to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. He asked, ‘Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?’ Jehoshaphat replied, ‘Yes. I’ll go with you. My men will also go with your men. We’ll join you in the war.’ 4 He continued, ‘First ask the LORD for advice.’ 5 So the king of Israel brought 400 prophets together. He asked them, ‘Should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?’ ‘Go’, they answered. ‘God will hand it over to you.’ 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here? If there is, ask him what we should do.’ 7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat. He said, ‘There is still one prophet we can go to. We can ask the LORD for advice through him. But I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me. He only prophesies bad things. His name is Micaiah. He’s the son of Imlah.’ ‘You shouldn’t say bad things about him,’ Jehoshaphat replied. 8 So the king of Israel called for one of his officials. He told him, ‘Bring Micaiah, the son of Imlah, right away.’ 9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were wearing their royal robes. They were sitting on their thrones at the threshing-floor. It was near the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 10 Zedekiah was the son of Kenaanah. Zedekiah had made horns out of iron. They looked like animal horns. He announced, ‘The LORD says, “With these horns you will drive back the men of Aram until they are destroyed.” ’ 11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. ‘Attack Ramoth Gilead,’ they said. ‘Win the battle over it. The LORD will hand it over to you.’ 12 A messenger went to get Micaiah. He said to him, ‘Look. The other prophets agree. All of them are saying the king will have success. So agree with them. Say the same thing they do.’ 13 But Micaiah said, ‘You can be sure that the LORD lives. And you can be just as sure that I can only tell the king what my God says.’ 14 When Micaiah arrived, the king spoke to him. He asked, ‘Should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?’ ‘Attack’, he answered. ‘You will win. The people of Ramoth Gilead will be handed over to you.’ 15 The king said to him, ‘I’ve made you promise to tell the truth many times before. So don’t tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD.’ 16 Then Micaiah answered, ‘I saw all the Israelites scattered on the hills. They were like sheep that didn’t have a shepherd. The LORD said, “These people do not have a master. Let each of them go home in peace.” ’ 17 The king of Israel spoke to Jehoshaphat. He said, ‘Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies anything good about me? He only prophesies bad things.’ 18 Micaiah continued, ‘Listen to the LORD’s message. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne. Some of the angels of heaven were standing at his right side. The others were standing at his left side. 19 The LORD said, “Who will get Ahab, the king of Israel, to attack Ramoth Gilead? I want him to die there.” ‘One angel suggested one thing. Another suggested something else. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward and stood in front of the LORD. The spirit said, “I’ll get Ahab to do it.” ‘ “How?” the LORD asked. 21 ‘The spirit said, “I’ll go and put lies in the mouths of all his prophets.” ‘ “You will have success in getting Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead,” said the LORD. “Go and do it.” 22 ‘So the LORD has put lies in the mouths of your prophets. He has said that great harm will come to you.’ 23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah asked Micaiah, ‘Do you think the spirit sent by the LORD left me? Do you think that spirit went to speak to you?’ 24 Micaiah replied, ‘You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room to save your life.’ 25 Then the king of Israel gave an order. He said, ‘Take Micaiah away. Send him back to Amon. Amon is the ruler of the city of Samaria. And send Micaiah back to Joash. Joash is a member of the royal court. 26 Tell them, “The king says, ‘Put this fellow in prison. Don’t give him anything but bread and water until I return safely.’ ” ’ 27 Micaiah announced, ‘Do you really think you will return safely? If you do, the LORD hasn’t spoken through me.’ He continued, ‘All you people, remember what I’ve said!’

Ahab is killed at Ramoth Gilead

28 So the king of Israel went up to Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went there too. 29 The king of Israel spoke to Jehoshaphat. He said, ‘I’ll go into battle wearing different clothes. Then people won’t recognise me. But you wear your royal robes.’ So the king of Israel put on different clothes. Then he went into battle. 30 The king of Aram had given an order to his chariot commanders. He had said, ‘Fight only against the king of Israel. Don’t fight against anyone else.’ 31 The chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat. They thought, ‘That’s the king of Israel.’ So they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out. And the LORD helped him. God drew the commanders away from him. 32 They saw he wasn’t the king of Israel after all. So they stopped chasing him. 33 But someone shot an arrow without taking aim. The arrow hit the king of Israel between the parts of his armour. The king told the chariot driver, ‘Turn the chariot round. Get me out of this battle. I’ve been wounded.’ 34 All day long the battle continued. The king of Israel kept himself standing up by leaning against the inside of his chariot. He kept his face towards the men of Aram until evening. At sunset he died.