1Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he made an alliance with Ahab.
2Some years later, Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab prepared many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him. He then persuaded Jehoshaphat to join him in going to war in Ramoth Gilead.
3Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead to fight?” Jehoshaphat answered him, “My forces are yours, and my people are yours. We will join you in the war.”
4Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please, first ask for a message from Yahweh.”
5So the king of Israel gathered 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we go to Ramoth Gilead to fight, or should I not go?” They all replied, “Go up, because God will hand it over to the king.”
6But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there also a prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
7The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one more man through whom we can ask Yahweh, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, only bad. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king shouldn’t say such a thing.”
8Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah, son of Imla, here quickly.”
9The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, were each sitting on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, in an open area at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
10Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and declared, “Yahweh says, ‘With these you will gore the Syrians until they are completely destroyed.’”
11All the other prophets also prophesied, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and you will succeed, because Yahweh will hand it over to the king.”
12The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him, “Look, all the prophets are speaking good things to the king with one voice. Please, let your words be like theirs and speak something good.”
13Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, I will say only what my God tells me to say.”
14When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead to fight, or should I not go?” Micaiah answered, “Go up and succeed! They will be handed over to you.”
15The king said to him, “How many times do I have to make you promise to tell me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”
16Micaiah then said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These people have no leader; let them all return home in peace.’”
17The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil?”
18Micaiah then said, “Therefore, listen to a message from Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with all the angels of heaven standing at his right and left.
19Yahweh asked, ‘Who will trick Ahab, king of Israel, into going up to Ramoth Gilead so he will be killed?’ One said one thing, and another said something else.
20Then a spirit came forward, stood before Yahweh, and said, ‘I will trick him.’ Yahweh asked him, ‘How?’
21The spirit said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will trick him, and you will succeed. Go and do it.’
22So now, look! Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has declared ruin for you.”
23Then Zedekiah, Chenaanah’s son, came over, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did Yahweh’s Spirit leave me to speak to you?”
24Micaiah said, “You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”
25The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and bring him back to Amon, the city governor, and to Joash, the king’s son.
26Tell them the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water, until I return safely.’”
27Micaiah said, “If you return safely at all, then Yahweh has not spoken through me.” He also said, “Listen, everyone!”
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30Now the king of Syria had commanded his chariot commanders, saying, “Don’t fight with anyone, big or small, except only the king of Israel.”
31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It’s the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out for help, and Yahweh helped him; God made them turn away from him.
32When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
33A certain man randomly drew his bow and hit the king of Israel between the pieces of his armor. So the king said to his chariot driver, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I am badly wounded.”
34The battle grew more intense that day. However, the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until evening; and at about sunset, he died.