1 Kings 22:5-12
New English Translation
5 But then Jehoshaphat said to Israel’s king, “Please seek a message from the Lord this very day.”[a] 6 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.” 7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 8 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.” 9 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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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.
- 1 Kings 22:6 tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
- 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.
- 1 Kings 22:8 tn Heb “to seek the Lord from him.”
- 1 Kings 22:8 tn Or “hate.”
- 1 Kings 22:8 tn The words “his name is” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 22:10 tn Heb “were sitting, a man on his throne.”
1 Kings 22:5-12
Expanded Bible
5 Jehoshaphat also said to Ahab, “But first we should ·ask if this is the Lord’s will [L inquire for the word of the Lord].”
6 Ahab called about four hundred prophets together and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or ·not [hold back]?”
They answered, “Go, because the Lord will hand them over to you.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here [C indicating skepticism about their reliability]? Let’s ask him what we should do.”
8 Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one other prophet. We could ask the Lord through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, ·but something bad [only evil]. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat said, “King Ahab, you shouldn’t say that!”
9 So Ahab king of Israel told one of his officers to bring Micaiah son of Imlah to him at once.
10 Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah had on their royal robes and were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor, near the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were standing before them, ·speaking their messages [prophesying]. 11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made some iron horns. He said to Ahab, “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord], ‘You will use these horns to ·fight [gore] the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
12 All the other prophets said the same thing. “Attack Ramoth in Gilead and ·win [triumph; prosper], because the Lord will hand the Arameans over to you.”
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