For three years Israel and the Arameans continued without war. In the third year, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, came down to the king of Israel. The king said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours. Do you want to go with me, Jehoshaphat?” But he wanted the Lord’s counsel first. The king gathered four hundred prophets, who advised Ahab to fight. But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no
prophet of the Lord here? And the king said, “One is still here, Micaiah the son of Imlah. But I hate him, for he prophesies nothing good concerning me, but only evil.” Jehoshaphat replied,”Do not speak so, king of Israel!” Then he called an officer to bring the prophet.
Ahab and Jehoshaphat were sitting on their thrones in front of the gate of Samaria in their royal robes. The prophets prophesied and Zedekiah had made horns of iron, “With these you will punish the Syrians, until they are consumed.” And all the prophets prophesied in this way, saying, “Go up, you will prosper. The Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
When Micah was before the king, Ahab asked him for his advice. “Yes, go up! The Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” The king said to him, “Tell me the truth!” Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let them each return home in peace.’ ” Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say he only tells me evil things, and nothing good?” But Micaiah said, ”I saw the Lord sitting on a heavenly throne. And a spirit said, ‘I shall entice Ahab to beguile him’ The Lord said, ‘How?’ The spirit said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
The Lord said, ‘Go forth and do so.’ So has the Lord spoken evil against you.” Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How? Has the Spirit of the Lord gone away from me, so that he is speaking to you?” Micah said, “Truly, you will see it on that day when you are going from room to room to hide.” The king commanded Ahab, “Carry him to Ammon, the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son. Throw him in the dungeon with little bread and water, until I return in peace.” Micaiah said, “If you return, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen all you people!”
So they went up to Gilead to battle. Ahab disguised himself as a warrior. But Jehoshaphat remained in his royal robes and went to battle with thirty chariots. In the battle, the men of the king of Aram concentrated on Jehoshaphat’s chariots. But he cried out and they realized that it was Ahab. And a certain man drew his bow and shot the king of Israel between his armor and his sword belt. So Ahab told the driver of his chariot, “Turn back and carry me out of the battle, I am wounded.” But the fight escalated and the king remained in the chariot against the Arameans until the evening. His blood flowed into the chariot and he died. Then a proclamation was made that every man should return to his own city. “The king is dead!” They buried him in Samaria and as the car was being washed in the pool of Samaria, the dogs licked up his blood. The prostitutes washed themselves in, it according to the word of the Lord. Then Ahaziah his son became king in his place.