Old Testament
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
New Testament
1 Kings 22:1-28
Jehoshaphat Visits Ahab
221Three years went by without any warfare between Aram and Israel. 2In the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.
3The king of Israel said to his officials, “Don't you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us? But we have done nothing to take it from the king of Aram.” 4Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you come with me to wage war at Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am like you. My people are like your people. My horses are like your horses.”
5But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the word of the Lord.”
6So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, “Should I go up to make war at Ramoth Gilead or should I refrain?”
7But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here who can inquire of the Lord for us?”
8Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one man who could inquire of the Lord for us, but I hate him because he does not prophesy anything good about me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not talk like that.”
9So the king of Israel summoned one of his court officials and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah here.”
10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were seated, each on his own throne, arrayed in their robes. They were sitting by the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
11Zedekiah son of Kena'anah had made iron horns for himself, and he said, “This is what the Lord says. With these you will gore Aram to death.” 12All the prophets were prophesying in this same way: “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and triumph, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
A Lying Spirit
13The messenger who was sent to summon Micaiah said to him, “Pay attention to the words of the prophets. With one mouth they are promising good things to the king. Let your words be like the words of one of them and say something good.”
14But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that is what I will say.”
15Then he came to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go up to make war on Ramoth Gilead, or should we refrain?”
He answered him, “Go up and triumph, for the Lord will give them into the hand of the king.”
16Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘They have no masters. Each one should return to his home in peace.’”
18Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he does not prophesy anything good about me, but only bad?”
The Lord's Proclamation Against Ahab
19Then Micaiah said:
Now hear this word from the Lord.
I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole army of heaven was standing around him, on his right and on his left.
20Then the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab so that he goes up and falls at Ramoth Gilead?”
One spirit said this. Another one said that. 21Finally a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, “I will entice him.”
The Lord said to him, “How?”
22He said, “I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.”
Then the Lord said, “You will entice him successfully. Go and do it.”
23Now look! The Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouths of all these prophets of yours, for the Lord has decreed disaster for you.
24Then Zedekiah son of Kena'anah came up and struck Micaiah on his cheek and said, “Where is this pathway on which the spirit of the Lord has traveled from me to speak to you?”
25Micaiah said, “Listen to me. You will see it on the day you go into the inner room to hide.”
26Then the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon, the administrator of the city, and to Joash son of the king. 27Then say, ‘This is what the king says. Put this man in prison and feed him nothing more than bread and water until I come back safely.’”
28Then Micaiah said, “If you ever come back safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he said, “Hear this, you people, all of you!”
Footnotes
- 22:6 Variant Lord