1 Kings 22
Names of God Bible
Micaiah Prophesies against King Ahab(A)
22 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.
3 The king of Israel asked his staff, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing to take it back from the king of Aram?” 4 Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth in Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do.” 5 Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first, find out what the word of Yahweh is in this matter.”
6 So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”
“Go,” they said. “Adonay[a] will hand over Ramoth to you.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahweh whom we could ask?”
8 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask Yahweh through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.”
Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
9 The king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Quick! Get Micaiah, son of Imlah!”
10 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were on the threshing floor[b] at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 11 Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, “This is what Yahweh says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.” 12 All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. Yahweh will hand it over to you.”
13 The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.”
14 Micaiah answered, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, I will tell him whatever Yahweh tells me.”
15 When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”
Micaiah said to him, “Attack and you will win. Yahweh will hand it over to you.”
16 The king asked him, “How many times must I make you take an oath in Yahweh’s name to tell me nothing but the truth?”
17 So Micaiah said, “I saw Israel’s troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. Yahweh said, ‘These sheep have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil?”
19 Micaiah added, “Then hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left. 20 Yahweh asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?’ Some answered one way, while others said something else.
21 “Then Ruach stepped forward, stood in front of Yahweh, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’
“‘How?’ Yahweh asked.
22 “Ruach answered, ‘I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets.’
“Yahweh said, ‘You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.’
23 “So, Yahweh has put into the mouths of all these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. Yahweh has spoken evil about you.”
24 Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. “How did Ruach Yahweh leave me to talk to you?” he asked.
25 Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide.”
26 The king of Israel then said, “Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince. 27 Say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I come home safely.’”
28 Micaiah said, “If you really do come back safely, then Yahweh wasn’t speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!”
29 So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead. 30 The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 The king of Aram had given orders to the 32 chariot commanders. He said, “Don’t fight anyone except the king of Israel.”
32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, 33 the chariot commanders realized that he wasn’t the king of Israel. They turned away from him.
34 One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told his chariot driver, “Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I’m badly wounded.” 35 But the battle got worse that day, and the king was kept propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening. The blood from the wound had flowed into the chariot. 36 At sundown a cry went through the army, “Every man to his own city! Every man to his own property!”
37 When the king was dead, he was brought to Samaria to be buried. 38 His chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed. The dogs licked up his blood, as Yahweh had predicted.
39 Isn’t everything else about Ahab—everything he did, the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 40 Ahab lay down in death with his ancestors. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah(B)
41 Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, became king of Judah in Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. 43 Jehoshaphat carefully followed the example his father Asa had set and did what Yahweh considered right. 44 But the illegal worship sites were not torn down. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense at these worship sites.[c] Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Isn’t everything else about Jehoshaphat—the heroic acts he did and the wars he fought—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 46 He rid the land of the male temple prostitutes who were left there from the time of his father Asa. 47 There was no king in Edom; instead, a deputy ruled.
48 Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-style ships to go to Ophir for gold. But they didn’t go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 49 Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused.
50 Jehoshaphat lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Israel
51 Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat’s seventeenth year as king of Judah. Ahaziah ruled Israel for two years. 52 He did what Yahweh considered evil. He followed the example of his father and mother and of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) who led Israel to sin. 53 Ahaziah served Baal, worshiped him, and made Yahweh Elohim of Israel furious, as his father had done.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 22:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Targum “The Lord.”
- 1 Kings 22:10 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.
- 1 Kings 22:44 1 Kings 22:44b–53 in English Bibles is 1 Kings 22:45–54 in the Hebrew Bible.
1 Kings 22
English Standard Version
Ahab and the False Prophets
22 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. 2 (A)But in the third year (B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that (C)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, (D)“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 6 Then the king of Israel (E)gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But (F)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 8 And 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 evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor (G)at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself (H)horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these (I)you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 12 And 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.”
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
13 And 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.” 14 But Micaiah said, (J)“As the Lord lives, (K)what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But 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?” 17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, (L)as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, (M)“Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: (N)I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, (O)and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 20 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be (P)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.’ 23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near (Q)and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go (R)into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 26 And 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, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, (S)“Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, (T)until I come in peace.”’” 28 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, (U)the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, (V)“Hear, all you peoples!”
Ahab Killed in Battle
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, (W)“I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded (X)the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random[a] and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, (Y)for I am wounded.” 35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”
37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, (Z)according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and (AA)the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
41 (AB)Jehoshaphat the son of (AC)Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 (AD)He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet (AE)the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 44 (AF)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written (AG)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 And from the land he exterminated the remnant (AH)of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.
47 (AI)There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made (AJ)ships of Tarshish to go to (AK)Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at (AL)Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 (AM)And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Israel
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab (AN)began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (AO)and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 53 (AP)He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger (AQ)in every way that his father had done.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 22:34 Hebrew in his innocence
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
