¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(A)“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and ^(B)eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” ¹³ So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴ And ^(C)the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; ^(D)previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. ¹⁵ For they ^(E)covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ^(F)ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Then Pharaoh called ^(G)for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ^(H)“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ^(I)entreat^[a] the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” ¹⁸ So he ^(J)went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them ^(K)into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord ^(L)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(M)“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, ^[b]darkness which may even be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was ^(N)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt ^(O)three days. ²³ They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. ^(P)But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴ Then Pharaoh called to Moses and ^(Q)said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your ^(R)little ones also go with you.”

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also give ^[c]us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our ^(S)livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”

²⁷ But the Lord ^(T)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, ^(U)“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

²⁹ So Moses said, “You have spoken well. ^(V)I will never see your face again.”

Micaiah Warns Ahab^(A)

22 Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. ² Then it came to pass, in the third year, that ^(B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.

³ And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^(C)Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(D)“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁵ Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(E)“Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”

⁶ Then the king of Israel ^(F)gathered ^[a]the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

⁷ And ^(G)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of ^[b]Him?”

⁸ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”

⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”

¹⁰ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. ¹¹ Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made ^(H)horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall ^(I)gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” ¹² And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”

¹⁴ And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^(J)whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”

¹⁵ Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”

And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!”

¹⁶ So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁷ Then he said, “I saw all Israel ^(K)scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁹ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: ^(L)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, ^(M)and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. ²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ ²² The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ^(N)‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ^23 (O)Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²⁴ Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and ^(P)struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ^(Q)“Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an ^(R)inner chamber to hide!”

²⁶ So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in ^(S)prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ”

²⁸ But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, ^(T)the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

Micaiah Warns Ahab^(A)

22 Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. ² Then it came to pass, in the third year, that ^(B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.

³ And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^(C)Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(D)“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁵ Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(E)“Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”

⁶ Then the king of Israel ^(F)gathered ^[a]the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

⁷ And ^(G)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of ^[b]Him?”

⁸ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”

⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”

¹⁰ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. ¹¹ Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made ^(H)horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall ^(I)gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” ¹² And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”

¹⁴ And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^(J)whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”

¹⁵ Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”

And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!”

¹⁶ So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁷ Then he said, “I saw all Israel ^(K)scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁹ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: ^(L)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, ^(M)and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. ²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ ²² The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ^(N)‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ^23 (O)Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²⁴ Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and ^(P)struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ^(Q)“Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an ^(R)inner chamber to hide!”

²⁶ So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in ^(S)prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ”

²⁸ But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, ^(T)the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”