17. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you, he does not prophesy good about me, but only evil?”
18. Micaiah continued: “Therefore hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord seated on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing to his right and to his left.
19. The Lord asked: Who will deceive Ahab, king of Israel, so that he will go up and fall on Ramoth-gilead? And one said this, another that,
20. until this spirit came forth and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked: How?
21. He answered, ‘I will go forth and become a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord replied: You shall succeed in deceiving him. Go forth and do this.
22. So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours; but the Lord himself has decreed evil against you.”
23. Thereupon Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, came up and struck Micaiah on the cheek, saying, “Has the spirit of the Lord, then, passed from me to speak with you?”
24. Micaiah said, “You shall find out on the day you go into an innermost room to hide.”
25. The king of Israel then said: “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon, prefect of the city, and to Joash the king’s son,
26. and say, ‘This is the king’s order: Put this man in prison and feed him scanty rations of bread and water until I come back in safety!’”
27. But Micaiah said, “If ever you return in safety, the Lord has not spoken through me.” (He also said, “Hear, O peoples, all of you!”)
28. The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead,
29. and the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle. But you, put on your own robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle.
30. In the meantime, the king of Aram had given his chariot commanders the order, “Fight with no one, great or small, except the king of Israel alone.”
31. When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “There is the king of Israel!” and wheeled to fight him. But Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord helped him; God induced them to leave him alone.
32. The chariot commanders, seeing that he was not the king of Israel, turned away from him.
33. But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his breastplate. He ordered his charioteer, “Rein about and take me out of the ranks, for I am wounded.”