2 Chronicles 18:7-27

Contemporary English Version

⁷ “We could ask Micaiah son of Imlah,” Ahab said. “But I hate Micaiah. He always has bad news for me.”

“Don't say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. ⁸ Then Ahab sent someone to bring Micaiah as soon as possible.

⁹ All this time, Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes and were seated on their thrones at the threshing place near the gate of Samaria, listening to the prophets tell them what the Lord had said.

¹⁰ Zedekiah son of Chenaanah was one of the prophets. He had made some horns out of iron and shouted, “Ahab, the Lord says you will attack the Syrians like a bull with iron horns and wipe them out!”

¹¹ All the prophets agreed that Ahab should attack the Syrians at Ramoth and promised that the Lord would help him defeat them.

¹² Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah whispered, “Micaiah, all the prophets have good news for Ahab. Now go and say the same thing.”

¹³ “I'll say whatever the living Lord my God tells me to say,” Micaiah replied.

¹⁴ Then Micaiah went up to Ahab, who asked, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth?”

“Yes!” Micaiah answered. “The Lord will help you capture the city.”

¹⁵ Ahab shouted, “Micaiah, I've told you over and over to tell me the truth! What does the Lord really say?”

^16 (A) Micaiah answered, “In a vision^[a] I saw Israelite soldiers wandering around, lost in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These troops have no leader. They should go home and not fight.’ ”

¹⁷ Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “I told you he would bring me bad news!”

¹⁸ Micaiah replied:

I then saw the Lord seated on his throne with every creature in heaven gathered around him. ¹⁹ The Lord asked, “Who can trick Ahab and make him go to Ramoth where he will be killed?”

They talked about it for a while, ²⁰ then finally a spirit came forward and said to the Lord, “I can trick Ahab.”

“How?” the Lord asked.

²¹ “I'll make Ahab's prophets lie to him.”

“Good!” the Lord replied. “Now go and do it. You will be successful.”

²² Ahab, this is exactly what has happened. The Lord made all your prophets lie to you, and he knows you will soon be destroyed.

²³ Zedekiah walked over and slapped Micaiah on the face. Then he asked, “Do you really think the Lord would speak to you and not to me?”

²⁴ Micaiah answered, “You'll find out on the day you have to hide in the back room of some house.”

²⁵ Ahab shouted, “Arrest Micaiah! Take him to Prince Joash and Governor Amon of Samaria. ²⁶ Tell them to put him in prison and to give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.”

²⁷ Micaiah said, “If you do come back, I was wrong about what the Lord wanted me to say.” Then he told the crowd, “Don't forget what I said!”