2 Chronicles 18:2-25
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 18
2Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria, and Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 'Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?' And he said to him, 'I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.'
4However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, 'Please request the word of the Lord first.'
5So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, 'Should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?' And they said, 'Go up, for God will hand it over to the king.'
6But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?'
7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good regarding me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.' But Jehoshaphat said, 'May the king not say so.'
8Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, 'Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.'
9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed 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.
10Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, 'This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’?'
11All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, 'Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.'
12Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, 'Behold, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.'
13But Micaiah said, 'As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, I will speak it.'
14When he came to the king, the king said to him, 'Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?' He said, 'Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you!'
15Then 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?'
18And Micaiah said, 'Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the angels of heaven standing on His right and on His left.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’
21He said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’
22Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, for the Lord has declared disaster against you.'
23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, 'How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?'
24And Micaiah said, 'Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you go from one inner room to another trying to hide yourself.'
25Then the king of Israel said, 'Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;
King James Version
Chapter 18
2And 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. 3And 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. 4And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day. 5Therefore 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's hand. 6But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 7And 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. 8And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
9And 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.
10And 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.
11And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
12And 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.
13And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.
14And 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.
15And 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?
16Then 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.
17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?
18Again 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.
19And 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.
20Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?
21And 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.
22Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.
23Then 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?
24And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
25Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
Christian Standard Bible
3for Israel’s King Ahab asked Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He replied to him, "I am as you are, my people as your people; we will be with you in the battle."
4But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "First, please ask what the Lord’s will is."
9Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to Samaria’s gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.
10Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’"
11And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king."
18Then Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing at his right hand and at his left hand.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ So one was saying this and another was saying that.
New Living Translation
3Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?' King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Jehoshaphat replied, 'Why, of course! You and I are as one, and my troops are your troops. We will certainly join you in battle.'
4Then Jehoshaphat added, 'But first let’s find out what the Lord says.'
9King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them.
10One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, 'This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!'
English Standard Version
Chapter 18
2After 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. 3Ahab 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."
4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."
5Then 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."
6But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?"
7And 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."
8Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."
9Now 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.
10And 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.’"
11And 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."
12And 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."
13But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak."
14And 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."
15But 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?"
16And 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.’"
17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
18And 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.
19And 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.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’
21And 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.’
22Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you."
23Then 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?"
24And Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself."
25And 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,
New International Version
3Ahab 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."
4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the Lord."
9Dressed 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.
10Now 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.’ "
New King James Version
6But Jehoshaphat said, “ Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?”
9The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
18Then 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 His left.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’
21So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’
22Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”