¹² All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ¹³ Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed.^[a] Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.”^{[b] 14} But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”

¹⁵ When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.”^{[c] 16} The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in^[d] the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” ¹⁷ Micaiah^[e] said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” ¹⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” ¹⁹ Micaiah^[f] said, “That being the case, listen to the Lord’s message. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing beside him on his right and on his left. ²⁰ The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die^[g] there?’ One said this and another that.

²⁰ The king ordered Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,^[a] Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, ²¹ “Go, ask the Lord^[b] for me and for those who remain in Israel and Judah about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s great fury has been ignited^[c] against us, because our ancestors did not obey the word of the Lord by living^[d] according to all that is written in this scroll.”

²² So Hilkiah and the others sent by the king^[e] went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah,^[f] the supervisor of the wardrobe.^[g] (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh^[h] district.) They stated their business,^{[i] 23} and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: ²⁴ “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, all the curses that are recorded in the scroll which they read before the king of Judah. ²⁵ This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices^[j] to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made.^[k] My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’” ²⁶ Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard: ²⁷ ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit^[l] and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. ²⁸ ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace.^[m] You will not have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place and its residents.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.