5. Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first, find out what the word of the Lord is ⌊in this matter⌋.”
6. So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”“Go,” they said. “The Lord will hand over Ramoth to you.”
7. But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?”
8. The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.”Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
9. The king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Quick! ⌊Get⌋ Micaiah, son of Imlah!”
10. The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were on the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them.
11. Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.”
12. All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
13. The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.”
14. Micaiah answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will tell him whatever the Lord tells me.”
15. When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”Micaiah said to him, “Attack and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
16. The king asked him, “How many times must I make you take an oath in the Lord’s name to tell me nothing but the truth?”
17. So Micaiah said, “I saw Israel’s troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These ⌊sheep⌋ have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”
18. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil?”
19. Micaiah added, “Then hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left.
20. The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?’ Some answered one way, while others said something else.
21. “Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’“‘How?’ the Lord asked.
22. “The Spirit answered, ‘I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets.’“The Lord said, ‘You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.’
23. “So, the Lord has put into the mouths of all these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The Lord has spoken evil about you.”
24. Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. “How did the Lord’s Spirit leave me to talk to you?” he asked.