1 Kings 22:3-15

New American Standard Bible 1995

³ Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^(A)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we ^[a]are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴ And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “^(B)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁵ Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire ^[b]first for the word of the Lord.” ⁶ Then ^(C)the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁷ But ^(D)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?” ⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “^[c]Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(E)all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(F)horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘^(G)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” ¹² All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

¹³ Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “^(H)As the Lord lives, what ^(I)the Lord says to me, that I shall speak.”

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he ^[d]answered him, “^(J)Go up and succeed, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”