¹And Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and he contracted an in-law relationship with the family of Ahab. ²And after a number of years he went down to Ahab, to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people with him, and he induced him to go up to Ramoth-Gilead. ³And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people, and I am with you in the war.” ⁴And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please consult the word of the Lord today.” ⁵And the king of Israel gathered the prophets – four hundred men – and he asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth-Gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and God will deliver it into the king's hand.” ⁶And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here for us to inquire of him.” ⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man from whom one can consult the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good about me, but all the time evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say suchlike.” ⁸And the king of Israel called for a certain eunuch and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly.” ⁹And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in royal clothes, and they were sitting in a threshing hall at the entrance of the Gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in their presence. ¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made himself some iron horns, and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will butt the Aramaeans until you have finished them off.’ ” ¹¹And all the prophets prophesied likewise and said, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and have success, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.” ¹²Then the messenger who had gone to fetch Micaiah spoke to him and said, “These are the unanimously favourable words of the prophets to the king. Now may your word be similar to any one of them, and speak favourably.” ¹³But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, rather, it is what my God says that I will speak.” ¹⁴And when he went to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war, or should I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and have success, and they will be delivered into your hand.” ¹⁵Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you not to tell me anything except the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁶Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep which do not have a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These do not have a master. Let them all return to their homes in peace.’ ” ¹⁷At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophesy good about me, but evil?” ¹⁸And Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing in attendance to him on his right and on his left. ¹⁹And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and attack Ramoth-Gilead?’ And he said, ‘One says this, and another says that.’ ²⁰And a spirit went out and stood before the Lord, and it said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to it, ‘By what means?’ ²¹And it said, ‘I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You may entice him, and indeed you will be able to. Go out and do so.’ ²²So now you see that the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced evil concerning you.” ²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me when I spoke to you?” ²⁴And Micaiah said, “You will see just that on that day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 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, ²⁶and say, ‘This is what the king says: «Put this man in prison and feed him on baneful bread and water until I return in peace.» ’ ” ²⁷Then Micaiah said, “Whether you will come back at all in peace, the Lord hasn't pronounced on through me.” And he said, “Pay heed, all you various peoples.” ²⁸Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ²⁹And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “It is time to disguise oneself and go into the battle, but you wear your royal clothes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰And the king of Aramaea instructed his chariot fleet commanders and said, “Do not fight with small or with great, but rather with the king of Israel only.” ³¹Then it came to pass, when the chariot fleet commanders saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “He is the king of Israel.” And they turned towards him to do battle, but Jehoshaphat shouted out, and the Lord helped him, and God induced them to leave him. ³²And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariot fleet saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they stopped pursuing him. ³³Meanwhile a man drew his bow in his innocence, and he hit the king of Israel through the joints between the armour plates. And he said to the chariot driver, “Steer and get me out of the battle theatre, for I have been wounded.” ³⁴And the battle intensified on that day, and the king of Israel was propping himself up in the chariot in front of the Aramaeans until the evening, and he died at the time of sunset.