1 Kings 22:8

Douay-Rheims Bible

And the king of Israel said to Josaphat. There is one man left, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; Micheas, the son of Jemla: but I hate him, for he doth not prophecy good to me, but evil. And Josaphat said: Speak not so, O king.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

Hebrew Names Version
The king of Yisra'el said to Yehoshafat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Mikhayahu the son of Yimlah: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. Yehoshafat said, "Don't let the king say so."

King James Version
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord : but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

English Standard Version
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord , Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

New Century Version
Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one other prophet. We could ask the Lord through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, but something bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat said, "King Ahab, you shouldn't say that!"

New English Translation
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord 's will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say such things."

Amplified Bible
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one more man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good news for me, but only evil." But Jehoshaphat said, "May the king not say that [Micaiah only tells bad news]."

New American Standard Bible
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "May the king not say so."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King of Israel said vnto Iehoshaphat, There is yet one man (Michaiah the sonne of Imlah) by whom we may aske counsel of the Lord, but I hate him: for he doeth not prophecie good vnto me, but euill. And Iehoshaphat sayd, Let not the King say so.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

Contemporary English Version
"We could ask Micaiah son of Imlah," Ahab said. "But I hate Micaiah. He always has bad news for me." "Don't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.

Complete Jewish Bible
The king of Isra'el said to Y'hoshafat, "Yes, there is still one man through whom we can consult Adonai , Mikhay'hu the son of Yimlah; but I hate him, because he doesn't prophesy good things for me, but bad!" Y'hoshafat replied, "The king shouldn't say such a thing."

Darby Translation
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah; but I hate him, for he prophesies no good concerning me, but evil: [it is] Micah the son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Easy-to-Read Version
King Ahab answered, "Yes, there is another prophet. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he will not say anything good about me when he speaks for the Lord . He always says things that I don't like." Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say that!"

George Lamsa Translation
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may enquire of the LORD; his name is Micah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Good News Translation
Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.

Lexham English Bible
Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say so."

Literal Translation
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Yet one man, to seek Jehovah by him. But I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil, Micaiah the son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat said, let not the king say so.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The kinge of Israel saide vnto Iosaphat Here is yet a man, one Micheas the sonne of Iemla, at whom we maye axe of the LORDE: but I hate him, for he prophecieth me no good, but euell. Iosaphat sayde: Let not the kynge saye so.

American Standard Version
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Bible in Basic English
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is still one man by whom we may get directions from the Lord, Micaiah, son of Imlah; but I have no love for him, for he is a prophet of evil to me and not of good. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king of Israel sayde vnto Iehosaphat: There is yet one man (Michea the sonne of Iimla) by whom we may aske counsell of the Lorde: But I hate him, for he doth not prophecie good vnto me, but euyll. And Iehosaphat sayde: Let not the king say so.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat: 'There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.' And Jehoshaphat said: 'Let not the king say so.'

King James Version (1611)
And the king of Israel said vnto Iehoshaphat, There is yet one man, (Micaiah the sonne of Imlah) by whom we may enquire of the Lord; but I hate him, for he doth not prophesie good concerning me, but euill. And Iehoshaphat said, Let not the King say so.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Israel said to Josaphat, There is one man here for us to enquire of the Lord by; but I hate him, for he does not speak good of me, but only evil; Michaias son of Jemblaa. And Josaphat king of Juda said, Let not the king say so.

English Revised Version
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Berean Standard Bible
The king of Israel answered, "There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng of Israel seide to Josephat, O man, Mychee, sone of Hiemla, is left, bi whom we moun axe the Lord; but Y hate hym, for he prophesieth not good to me, but yuel. To whome Josephat seide, Kyng, spek thou not so.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, `Yet -- one man to seek Jehovah by him, and I have hated him, for he doth not prophesy concerning me good, but evil -- Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, `Let not the king say so.'

Update Bible Version
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Don't let the king say so.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

World English Bible
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. Jehoshaphat said, "Don't let the king say so."

New King James Version
So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!"

New Living Translation
The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, "There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah." Jehoshaphat replied, "That's not the way a king should talk! Let's hear what he has to say."

New Life Bible
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is only one other man whom we may ask of the Lord, but I hate him. He does not speak anything good about me, only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say that."

New Revised Standard
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one other by whom we may inquire of the Lord , Micaiah son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable about me, but only disaster." Jehoshaphat said, "Let the king not say such a thing."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Besides, is a certain man, by whom we might seek Yahweh, but, I, hate him, for he is never moved to prophesy concerning me anything good, only evil, Micaiah, son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Revised Standard Version
And the king of Israel said to Jehosh'aphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micai'ah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil." And Jehosh'aphat said, "Let not the king say so."

THE MESSAGE
The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "As a matter of fact, there is still one such man. But I hate him. He never preaches anything good to me, only doom, doom, doom—Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king shouldn't talk about a prophet like that," said Jehoshaphat.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

Contextual Overview

¹ And there passed three years without war between Syria and Israel. ² And in the third year, Josaphat, king of Juda, came down to the king of Israel. ³ (And the king of Israel said to his servants: Know ye not that Ramoth Galaad is ours, and we neglect to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?) ⁴ And he said to Josaphat: Wilt thou come with me to battle to Ramoth Galaad? ⁵ And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: As I am, so art thou: my people and thy people are one: and my horsemen are thy horsemen. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, this day the word of the Lord. ⁶ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall I forbear? They answered: Go up, and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. ⁷ And Josaphat said: Is there not here some prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire by him? ⁸ And the king of Israel said to Josaphat. There is one man left, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; Micheas, the son of Jemla: but I hate him, for he doth not prophecy good to me, but evil. And Josaphat said: Speak not so, O king. ⁹ Then the king of Israel called an eunuch, and said to him: Make haste, and bring hither Micheas, the son of Jemla. ¹⁰ And the king of Israel, and Josaphat, king of Juda, sat each on his throne, clothed with royal robes, in a court, by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

yet one man: 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 19:10, 1 Kings 19:14, 1 Kings 20:41, 1 Kings 20:42

but I hate him: 1 Kings 22:27, 1 Kings 20:43, 1 Kings 21:20, Genesis 37:8, 2 Chronicles 36:16, Psalms 34:21, Proverbs 9:8, Proverbs 15:12, Isaiah 49:7, Jeremiah 18:18, Jeremiah 20:10, Jeremiah 43:3, Jeremiah 43:4, Amos 5:10, Zechariah 11:8, Matthew 10:22, John 3:19-21, John 7:7, John 15:18, John 15:19, John 17:14, Galatians 4:16, Revelation 11:7-10

good: 1 Kings 22:13, Isaiah 30:10, Jeremiah 38:4, Micah 2:11

concerning me: 1 Kings 20:35-42, 2 Kings 9:22, Isaiah 3:11, Isaiah 57:19-21

Let not the: 1 Kings 21:27-29, Proverbs 5:12-14, Micah 2:7

Reciprocal: Numbers 22:6 - I wot 2 Samuel 12:13 - David 1 Kings 14:6 - for I am 1 Kings 16:33 - did more to provoke 1 Kings 20:22 - the prophet 1 Kings 22:18 - Did I not tell 1 Kings 22:23 - and the Lord 2 Kings 1:9 - sent unto 2 Kings 6:31 - if the head 2 Kings 22:13 - inquire Proverbs 15:10 - grievous Proverbs 29:10 - The bloodthirsty Ecclesiastes 4:13 - will no more be Jeremiah 15:10 - a man Jeremiah 28:8 - prophesied Jeremiah 36:23 - he cut Amos 2:11 - I raised Matthew 5:12 - for so Mark 11:18 - feared Luke 6:23 - for in Luke 11:45 - thou John 3:20 - every Acts 5:28 - intend 2 Timothy 4:3 - they will Revelation 11:10 - these Revelation 22:15 - whosoever

Cross-References

Genesis 18:14
Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I will return to thee at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son.

Genesis 22:19
Abraham returned to his young men, and they went to Bersabee together, and he dwelt there.

Genesis 22:20
After these things, it was told Abraham, that Melcha also had borne children to Nachor his brother.

2 Chronicles 25:9
And Amasias said to the man of God: What will then become of the hundred talents which I have given to the soldiers of Israel? and the man of God answered him: The Lord is rich enough to be able to give thee much more than this.

Matthew 19:26
And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.

John 1:29
The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him; and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who taketh away the sin of the world.

John 1:36
And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.

Revelation 5:6
And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing, as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

Revelation 5:12
Saying with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and benediction.

Revelation 7:14
And I said to him: My Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they who are come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man (Micaiah the son of Imlah), by whom we may inquire of the Lord,.... And but one in Samaria; Elijah and Elisha were elsewhere:

but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy of good concerning me, but evil; who is thought to be the same that was several times with him when engaged in the war with the king of Syria, 1 Kings 20:13 and each time, excepting the last, he brought him good tidings; but because, in his last message, he told him, that, since he had let Benhadad go, his life should go for his life, and his people for his people, for that he hated him:

and Jehoshaphat said, let not the king say so; which was very modestly, though perhaps too gently, said; suggesting that the prophets of the Lord should be heard, respected, and honoured, let their message be as it would, since they spake not of their own mind and will, but what they were moved unto by the Spirit of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There is yet one man, Micaiah - Elijah, it appears, had withdrawn again after the events of the last chapter, and there was no known prophet of Yahweh within reach of Samaria except Micaiah.

He doth not prophesy good concerning me but evil - Whether the tradition in 1 Kings 20:41 note be true or not, it is certain that Ahab had imprisoned him 1 Kings 22:26, and probable that the imprisonment was on account of threatening prophecies. Ahab suggests to Jehoshaphat that Micaiah is one who allows his private feelings to determine the utterances which he delivers as if from Yahweh. Hence, the force of Jehoshaphat’s answer, “Let not the king say so;” i. e., “Let not the king suppose that a prophet would be guilty of such impiety,” - an impiety from which even Balaam shrank Numbers 22:18.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 22:8. Micaiah the son of Imlah — The Jews suppose that it was this prophet who reproved Ahab for dismissing Ben-hadad, 1 Kings 20:35, &c. And that it was because of the judgments with which he had threatened him, that Ahab hated him: I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.