Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 2 Chronicles 18:4-27
Close NASB

2 Chronicles 18:4-27
New American Standard Bible

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 (A)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, (B)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,
(C)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. (D)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 (E)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 (F)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, (G)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 (H)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, “(I)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon (J)the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: “(K)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](L)Listen, all you people!”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 18:4 Lit today
  2. 2 Chronicles 18:5 I.e., official prophets who at that time were false
  3. 2 Chronicles 18:12 Lit of one mouth
  4. 2 Chronicles 18:18 Lit host
  5. 2 Chronicles 18:19 Or persuade
  6. 2 Chronicles 18:20 Or persuade
  7. 2 Chronicles 18:21 Or persuade
  8. 2 Chronicles 18:23 Lit Which way
  9. 2 Chronicles 18:24 Lit inner room
  10. 2 Chronicles 18:26 Lit come in peace
  11. 2 Chronicles 18:27 Lit in peace
  12. 2 Chronicles 18:27 Heb shema
Close NET

2 Chronicles 18:4-27
New English Translation

4 Then Jehoshaphat said further to the king of Israel,[a] “First,[b] please seek an oracle from the Lord.”[c] 5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”[d] They said, “Attack! God[e] will hand it over to the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will,[f] but I despise[g] him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but always[h] disaster—Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things!” 8 The king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

9 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at[i] the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” 11 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed.[j] Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!”[k] 13 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!”

14 Micaiah[l] came before the king and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.”[m] 15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in[n] the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 16 Micaiah[o] replied, “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.’” 17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 18 Micaiah[p] 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 on his right and on his left. 19 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. 20 Then a spirit[q] stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 21 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord[r] said, ‘Deceive and overpower him.[s] Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 23 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s Spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 24 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 26 Say, ‘This is what the king says: “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water[t] until I return safely.”’” 27 Micaiah said, “If you really do return safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added, “Take note,[u] all you people.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn The word “further” has been added on the basis that this is a second speech act. The narrator uses the title “king of Israel” to convey a sense of formality.
  2. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn Or “even today,” “right away.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn Heb “inquire for the Lord’s message.” 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.
  4. 2 Chronicles 18:5 tn Heb “Should we go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
  5. 2 Chronicles 18:5 tn Though Jehoshaphat had requested an oracle from “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yehvah, “Yahweh”), the Israelite prophets stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title הָאֱלֹהִים (haʾelohim, “the God”). This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the 400 are genuine prophets of the Lord.
  6. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Heb “to seek the Lord from him.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Or “hate.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Heb “all his days.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 18:9 tn Heb “at,” which in this case probably means “near.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 18:12 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 18:12 tn Heb “let your words be like one of them and speak good.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 18:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  13. 2 Chronicles 18:14 sn One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the Lord tells him, to agree with the other prophets and give the king an inaccurate prophecy. Micaiah’s actions became understandable later, when we discover that the Lord desires to deceive the king and lead him to his demise. The Lord even dispatches a lying spirit to deceive Ahab’s prophets. Micaiah can lie to the king because he realizes this lie is from the Lord. It is important to note that in v. 13 Micaiah only vows to speak the word of his God; he does not necessarily say he will tell the truth. In this case the Lord’s word is deliberately deceptive. Only when the king adjures him to tell the truth (v. 15), does Micaiah do so.
  14. 2 Chronicles 18:15 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 18:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. 2 Chronicles 18:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  17. 2 Chronicles 18:20 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of verse 23. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 23 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord (רוּחַ־יְהוָה, ruakh yehvah) go when he went from me to speak to you?” When the phrase “the spirit of the Lord” refers to the divine spirit (rather than the divine breath or mind, as in Isa 40:7, 13) elsewhere, the spirit energizes an individual or group for special tasks or moves one to prophesy. This raises the possibility that the deceiving spirit of vv. 20-22 is the same as the divine spirit mentioned by Zedekiah in v. 23. This would explain why the article is used on רוּחַ (ruakh); he can be called “the spirit” because he is the well-known spirit who energizes the prophets.
  18. 2 Chronicles 18:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 2 Chronicles 18:21 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vegam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the Lord is assuring the spirit of success on his mission. However, in a commissioning context (note the following imperatives) such as this, it is more likely that the imperfects are injunctive, in which case one could translate, “Deceive, and also overpower.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 18:26 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 18:27 tn Heb “Listen.”
Next
2 Chronicles 17
2 Chronicles 19
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.