And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” Then the king of Israel (A)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.” But (B)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 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.” 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 (C)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 (D)horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these (E)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.”

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But then Jehoshaphat said to Israel’s king, “Please seek a message from the Lord this very day.”[a] So the king of Israel assembled about 400 prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”[b] They said, “Attack! The Sovereign One[c] will hand it over to the king.” But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will.[d] But I despise[e] him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.”[f] Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones,[g] dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” 12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 22:5 sn Jehoshaphat is requesting a prophetic oracle revealing the Lord’s will in the matter and their prospects for success. For examples of such oracles, see 2 Sam 5:19, 23-24.
  2. 1 Kings 22:6 tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
  3. 1 Kings 22:6 tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the Lord” (יְהוָה, Yahweh), they stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “lord; master”). This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the four hundred are genuine prophets of the Lord.
  4. 1 Kings 22:8 tn Heb “to seek the Lord from him.”
  5. 1 Kings 22:8 tn Or “hate.”
  6. 1 Kings 22:8 tn The words “his name is” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
  7. 1 Kings 22:10 tn Heb “were sitting, a man on his throne.”