2Then King Jehoshaphat, who ruled Judah, went to visit King Ahab, who ruled Israel.
3While they were talking, Ahab said to his officials, “Do you realize that the Syrians are still occupying our city of Ramoth in the Gilead region? And we are doing nothing to retake that city!”
4Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will your army join my army to fight against the people of Ramoth and retake that city?” Jehoshaphat replied, “ Certainly I will do whatever you want, and you may command my troops. You may take my horses into battle, also.”
5Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
6So Ahab summoned about four hundred of his prophets together, and he asked them, “Should my army go to fight the people in Ramoth and retake that city, or not?” They answered, “Yes, go and attack them, because God will enable your army to defeat them.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
8The King of Israel replied, “There is one man we can talk to. We can ask him if he can find out what Yahweh wants. His name is Micaiah; he is the son of Imlah. But I hate him, because when he ◄prophesies/tells what God says to him► he never says that anything good will happen to me. He always predicts that bad things will happen to me.” Jehoshaphat replied, “King Ahab, you should not say that!”
9So the king of Israel told one of his officers to summon Micaiah immediately.
10The king of Israel and the king of Judah were wearing their ◄royal robes/robes that showed that they were kings►. They were sitting on thrones at the place where people threshed grain, near the gate of Samaria city. All of Ahab's prophets were standing in front of the kings, ◄prophesying/predicting what was going to happen►.
11One of them, whose name was Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled horns of a bull. Then he proclaimed to Ahab, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With horns like these your army will keep attacking the Syrians like a bull attacks another animal MET, until you completely destroy them!’”
12All the other prophets of Ahab agreed. They said, “Yes! If you go up to attack Ramoth city in the Gilead region, you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them!”
13Meanwhile, the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen to me! All the other prophets are predicting that the king's army will defeat the Syrians. So be sure that you agree with them and say ◄what will be favorable/that the king's army will be successful►.”
14But Micaiah replied, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell him only what Yahweh tells me to say.”
15When Micaiah came to Ahab, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to fight against the people of Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
16But King Ahab realized that Micaiah was ◄lying/being sarcastic►, so he said to Micaiah, “I have told you RHQ many times that you must always tell only the truth when you say what Yahweh has revealed to you!”
17So Micaiah said to him, “ The truth is that in a vision I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.’ ”
18Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you RHQ that he never predicts that anything good will happen to me! He always predicts that bad things will happen to me.”
19But Micaiah continued, saying, “Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! In a vision I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven surrounding him, on his right side and on his left side.
20And Yahweh said, ‘Who can persuade Ahab to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?’ Some suggested one thing, and others suggested something else.
21Finally one evil spirit came to Yahweh and said, ‘I can do it!’
22Yahweh asked him, ‘How will you do it?’ The spirit replied, ‘I will go and inspire all of Ahab's prophets to tell lies.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will be successful; go and do it!’
23So now I tell you that Yahweh has caused all of your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
24Then Zedekiah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said, “Do you think that Yahweh's Spirit left me in order to speak to you?” RHQ
1 Kings 22
1 Kings 22:2-24