1 Kings 21:17-22:12

New International Version

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸ “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’^(A) Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,^(B) dogs^(C) will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”^(D)

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold^(E) yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. ²¹ He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male^(F) in Israel—slave or free.^{[a](G) 22} I will make your house^(H) like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’^(I)

²³ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs^(J) will devour Jezebel by the wall of^[b] Jezreel.’

²⁴ “Dogs^(K) will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds^(L) will feed on those who die in the country.”

²⁵ (There was never^(M) anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites^(N) the Lord drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth^(O) and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.^(P)

²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled^(Q) himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day,^(R) but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”^(S)

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab^(T)

22 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. ² But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. ³ The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead^(U) belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”

⁴ So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight^(V) against Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁵ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel^(W) of the Lord.”

⁶ So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

“Go,”^(X) they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”^(Y)

⁷ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet^(Z) of the Lord here whom we can inquire^(AA) of?”

⁸ The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate^(AB) him because he never prophesies anything good^(AC) about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

⁹ So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

¹⁰ Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor^(AD) by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ Now Zedekiah^(AE) son of Kenaanah had made iron horns^(AF) and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”

¹² 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.”