2 Chronicles 18
The Voice
18 In spite of his great wealth and honor, Jehoshaphat still wanted an alliance with the Northern Kingdom. So he arranged for his son, Jehoram, to marry Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel. 2 Several years later, Jehoshaphat traveled north to Samaria (Israel’s capital city) to visit Ahab, and Ahab prepared a feast. He used this feast of sheep and goats to entice Jehoshaphat and his entourage into attacking Ramoth-gilead.
Ahab (to Jehoshaphat): 3 I want to recover Ramoth-gilead from the Arameans and return it to my own country. Will you help me attack it?
Jehoshaphat: You and I and all of our people are brothers, descended from the same ancestor, Jacob. We will certainly help you in the battle. 4 But first I want to know if the Eternal agrees with your aggression. Let’s consult some of His prophets.
5 Then Ahab assembled 400 court prophets, who wanted to appease their king.
Ahab (to the prophets): Should we fight Ramoth-gilead or not?
Prophets: Go up to Ramoth-Gilead. You will win because the True God will give the city to you.
Jehoshaphat: 6 Is there a prophet of the Eternal, not just one of your own court prophets, whom we can ask?
Ahab: 7 There is only one prophet of the Eternal here, Micaiah, son of Imla, but I hate him and distrust his prophecies. He always prophesies evil about me and my country, never anything good.
Jehoshaphat: You should not say such a thing about a prophet of the Lord.
Ahab (to an officer): 8 Bring Micaiah, Imla’s son, to us quickly.
9 While they waited for Micaiah to arrive, Ahab and Jehoshaphat each sat on his own throne in his unique robes on the threshing floor inside Samaria’s gate. All the prophets were revealing their divine insights to the kings, 10 and Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, cast iron horns to illustrate his prophecy.
Zedekiah (with the horns): The Eternal says, “With these horns you will stab the Arameans until they are destroyed.”
Prophets: 11 Go up to Ramoth-gilead. You will win because the Eternal will give the city to the king.
12 When the messenger who went to summon Micaiah found him, he told Micaiah of the other prophets’ unanimous blessing for the battle. The messenger asked that Micaiah agree with the other prophets and support the battle. 13 Micaiah swore by the Eternal that he would only speak what the True God told him. He would not go along with the crowd just to please Ahab.
Ahab: 14 Micaiah, should we fight Ramoth-gilead or not?
Micaiah: Go up to Ramoth-gilead. You will win because the city will be given to you.
Ahab: 15 How many times must I persuade you to tell me nothing but the truth when you claim to use the authority of the Eternal?
Micaiah: 16 I saw all Israel wandering aimlessly on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. Then I heard the Eternal say, “These have no master. Let each of them go his own way and return to his own house in peace.”
Ahab (aside to Jehoshaphat): 17 Didn’t I tell you that he prophesies only evil about me?
The prophets often use the “bad shepherd” metaphor to demonstrate how Israelite and Judean kings do not rule their people well.
Micaiah: 18 Hear what the Eternal One says. I saw Him sitting on His throne, with the armies of heaven flanking Him, 19 asking, “Who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, to go up to Ramoth-gilead and die there?”
The heavenly soldiers were murmuring to each other 20 when a spirit stepped before the Eternal and answered, “I will entice him.”
The Eternal One questioned, “How?”
21 “I will mislead all of his prophets so that he will go to his death willingly and unaware.”
Then He said, “You will indeed entice him. Go, and do as you have said.”
22 In this way, the Eternal has deceived your prophets and proclaimed your death.
23 Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, slapped Micaiah.
Zedekiah: Which way did that enticing spirit from the Eternal pass when he left me and entered you, prompting your ridiculous oracle?
Micaiah: 24 Seer, you won’t see anything until the day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.
Ahab: 25 Take Micaiah to Amon (the governor of the city) and to my son Joash. 26 Tell them I said to imprison this man and feed him only a little bread and water until I return from this battle safely.
Micaiah: 27 If you do return safely, then the Eternal has not spoken through me. Everyone, listen to me and remember my words.
28 So Ahab, king of the Northern Kingdom, and Jehoshaphat, king of the Southern Kingdom, attacked Ramoth-gilead together.
Ahab (to Jehoshaphat): 29 I will wear a disguise when we go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.
Both men did as Ahab suggested, Jehoshaphat in his robes and Ahab in his disguise, and they attacked Ramoth-gilead.
30 Meanwhile, the Aramean king (who occupied Ramoth-gilead) had commanded the captains of his chariots to target only Ahab. 31 When they saw Jehoshaphat in the royal robes, they assumed that he was the king of Israel, not knowing that Judah had joined Ahab in the battle. The Aramean chariots pursued Jehoshaphat, but he called out to the Eternal for help. The True God diverted them. 32 When the captains of the chariots realized he was not Ahab, they retreated.
33 Meanwhile, an archer randomly shot an arrow that landed in a joint of Ahab’s armor.
Since Ahab has not worn his royal robes on the battlefield, the archer never knows whom he has hit.
Ahab (to his chariot driver): Turn around, and take me away from the battlefield. I am severely injured.
34 The battle continued all day, but Ahab could only prop himself up in his chariot. So he watched from his chariot in front of the Arameans. At sunset, he died.
2 Chronicles 18
New American Standard Bible
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
18 Now (A)Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage to Ahab. 2 (B)Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria, and Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”
4 However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord [a]first.” 5 So the king of Israel assembled the [b]prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will hand it over to the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good regarding me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.”
Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory
8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, and they were sitting (C)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” 11 All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah Brings Word from God
12 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are [c]unanimously favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, (D)whatever my God says, I will speak it.”
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you!” 15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(E)Like sheep that have no shepherd.
And the Lord said,
‘These people have no master.
Each of them is to return to his house in peace.’”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”
18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. (F)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the [d]angels of heaven standing on His right and on His left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will [e]entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. 20 Then a (G)spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will [f]entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ 21 He said, ‘I will go out and be (H)a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall [g]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 22 Now therefore, behold, (I)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, for the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and (J)struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “[h]How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you go from one inner room to [i]another trying to hide yourself.” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “(K)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon (L)the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: “(M)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I [j]return safely.”’” 27 But Micaiah said, “If you actually return [k]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “[l](N)Listen, all you people!”
Ahab’s Defeat and Death
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat (O)cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32 When the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [m]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn [n]around and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” 34 The battle raged on that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 18:4 Lit today
- 2 Chronicles 18:5 I.e., official prophets who at that time were false
- 2 Chronicles 18:12 Lit of one mouth
- 2 Chronicles 18:18 Lit host
- 2 Chronicles 18:19 Or persuade
- 2 Chronicles 18:20 Or persuade
- 2 Chronicles 18:21 Or persuade
- 2 Chronicles 18:23 Lit Which way
- 2 Chronicles 18:24 Lit inner room
- 2 Chronicles 18:26 Lit come in peace
- 2 Chronicles 18:27 Lit in peace
- 2 Chronicles 18:27 Heb shema
- 2 Chronicles 18:33 Lit between the scales and the scale armor
- 2 Chronicles 18:33 Lit your hand
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
