⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him^(A) because he never prophesies good about me,^(B) but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

Micaiah’s Message of Defeat

¹³ The messenger^(A) who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

¹⁷ They keep on saying to those who despise me,^(A) ‘The Lord has spoken: You will have peace.’^(B) They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”

²⁶ How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds?

⁸ “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: You have spoken falsely and had lying visions; that’s why you discover that I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord God. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations.^(A) They will not be present in the council of my people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “‘Since they have led my people astray by saying, “Peace,”^(B) when there is no peace, and since when a flimsy wall is being built, they plaster it with whitewash,^{(C) 11} therefore, tell those plastering it with whitewash that it will fall. Torrential rain will come,^(D) and I will send hailstones plunging^[a] down, and a whirlwind will be released. ¹² When the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, “Where’s the whitewash you plastered on it?”

¹³ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will release a whirlwind in my wrath. Torrential rain will come in my anger, and hailstones will fall in destructive fury. ¹⁴ I will demolish the wall you plastered with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed.^(E) The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ After I exhaust my wrath against the wall and against those who plaster it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is no more and neither are those who plastered it— ¹⁶ those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace.”^(F) This is the declaration of the Lord God.’

¹⁸ because such people do not serve our Lord Christ^(A) but their own appetites.^[a](B) They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.^(C)

³ For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine,^(A) but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. ⁴ They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.^(B)