| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he made an alliance with Ahab through marriage. | 1After Jehoshaphat had become wealthy and was enjoying abundant honor, he allied himself to Ahab. |
| 2Then after some years, he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and for the people who were with him. Then he persuaded him to march up to Ramoth-gilead, | 2After a few years, he visited Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered lots of sheep and oxen for him, and the people who were with him persuaded Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth-gilead. |
| 3for Israel's King Ahab asked Judah's King Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He replied to him, "I am as you are, my people as your people; we will be with you in the battle." | 3King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah, "Will you join me in attacking Ramoth-gilead?" "I'm with you," Jehoshaphat replied. "and my army is with you. We'll join you in the battle." |
| 4But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "First, please ask what the LORD's will is." | 4But then Jehoshaphat asked the king of Israel, "Please ask for a message from the LORD, first." |
| 5So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, 400 men, and asked them, "Should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?" They replied, "March up, and God will hand it over to the king." | 5So the king of Israel gathered together 400 prophets and asked them, "Should we go attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I call off the attack?" "Go attack them," they all said, "because God will drop them right in the king's hand." |
| 6But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of Yahweh here anymore? Let's ask him." | 6But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the LORD left here that we could talk to?" |
| 7The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king shouldn't say that," Jehoshaphat replied. | 7"There is still one man left by whom we could ask the LORD what to do," the king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, "but I hate him because he won't prophesy anything good about me. Instead, he always prophesies evil. He is Imla's son Micaiah." But Jehoshaphat rebuked Ahab, "Kings should never talk like that." |
| 8So the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!" | 8Nevertheless, the king of Israel called an officer and ordered him, "Bring me Imla's son Micaiah quickly." |
| 9Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to Samaria's gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. | 9Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were each sitting on their own thrones, arrayed in their robes, and sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to the city gate of Samaria, and all of the prophets were prophesying in front of them. |
| 10Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.'" | 10Chenaanah's son Zedekiah made iron horns for himself and told them, "This is what the LORD says, 'With these horns you are to gore the Arameans until they are eliminated!'" |
| 11And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will hand it over to the king." | 11All the other prophets were saying similar things, like "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and you will be successful, because the LORD will hand it over to the king!" |
| 12The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, "Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably." | 12Meanwhile, the messenger who had gone off to summon Micaiah advised him, "Look, everything that the other prophets were saying has been unanimously favorable to the king. So please, cooperate with them and speak favorably." |
| 13But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, I will say whatever my God says." | 13"As the LORD lives," Micaiah replied, "I'll say what my God tells me to say." |
| 14So he went to the king, and the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should I refrain?" Micaiah said, "March up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you." | 14When Micaiah approached the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?" "Go to war," Micaiah replied, "and you will be successful, because the LORD will hand it over to the king!" |
| 15But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of Yahweh?" | 15When he heard this, the king asked him, "How many times do I have to ask you? Tell me nothing but the truth, and do it in the name of the LORD!" |
| 16So Micaiah said: I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, "They have no master; let each return home in peace." | 16And so Micaiah replied: I saw all of Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD told me, 'These have no master, so let them each return to his own home in peace.'" |
| 17So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?" | 17Then the king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophesy anything good about me, but only evil?" |
| 18Then Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and the whole heavenly host was standing at His right hand and at His left hand. | 18But Micaiah responded, "Therefore, listen to what the LORD has to say. I saw the LORD, sitting on his throne, and the entire Heavenly Army was surrounding him on his right hand and on his left hand. |
| 19And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' So one was saying this and another was saying that. | 19"The LORD asked, 'Who will tempt King Ahab of Israel to attack Ramoth-gilead, so that he will die there?' And one was saying one thing and one was saying another. |
| 20"Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will entice him.' "The LORD asked him, 'How?' | 20"But then a spirit approached, stood in front of the LORD, and said, 'I will entice him.' "And the LORD asked him, 'How?' |
| 21"So he said, 'I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' "Then He said, 'You will entice him and also prevail. Go and do that.' | 21"'I will go,' he announced, 'and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!' "So the LORD said, 'You're just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.' |
| 22"Now, you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit into the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you." | 22Now therefore, listen! The LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouth of all of these prophets of yours, because the LORD has determined to bring disaster upon you." |
| 23Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah in the face, and demanded, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD leave me to speak to you?" | 23As if on cue, Chenaanah's son Zedekiah approached Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. Then he asked him, "How did the Spirit of the LORD move from me to speak to you?" |
| 24Micaiah replied, "You will soon see when you go to hide yourself in an inner chamber on that day." | 24Micaiah replied, "You'll learn the answer to that question when the day comes that you run away to hide yourself in a closet!" |
| 25Then the king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son, | 25Then the king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and place him in the custody of Amon, the city governor. Hand him over to Joash, the king's son. |
| 26and say, 'This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison and feed him only bread and water until I come back safely.'" | 26Give him this order: 'Place him in prison on survival rations only until I come back safely.'" |
| 27But Micaiah said, "If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he said, "Listen, all you people!" | 27"If you return alive," Micaiah responded, "then the LORD has not spoken by me." Then he added, "Listen, everybody!" |
| 28Then the king of Israel and Judah's King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead. | 28So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah both attacked Ramoth-gilead. |
| 29But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. | 29The king of Israel suggested to Jehoshaphat, "I'll go into battle in disguise, but you keep your royal uniform on." So the king of Israel disguised himself and they both went into the battle. |
| 30Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel." | 30Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his chariot commanders: "Don't attack unimportant soldiers or ranking officers. Go after only the king of Israel." |
| 31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, "He must be the king of Israel!" So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him. | 31So when the chariot commanders observed Jehoshaphat, they said by mistake, "It's the king of Israel!" and they turned aside to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the LORD, who helped him, and God diverted them from him. |
| 32When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. | 32When the chariot commanders saw that their target was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him. |
| 33But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to the charioteer, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!" | 33Meanwhile, somebody drew his bow and struck the king of Israel at a weak spot where his armor plates joined, so he instructed his chariot driver, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I've been severely wounded." |
| 34The battle raged throughout that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then he died at sunset. | 34The battle continued on for the rest of the day while the king of Israel propped himself up in front of the Arameans until the sun set, at which time he died." |
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