Study Desk

Now the king of Israel said to his servants, "Are you aware that ^(C1)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are hesitant to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?"

So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go to battle with me at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "^(F1)(C1)Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours!"

However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please request the word of the LORD ^(F1)first."

So ^(C1)the king of Israel assembled the ^(F1)prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king."

But ^(C1)Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of him?"

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."

Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly."

Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(C1)all the prophets were prophesying before them.

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(C1)horns of iron for himself and said, "This is what the LORD says: '^(C2)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!'"

All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will hand it over to the king."

Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets are ^(F1)unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."

But Micaiah said, "^(C1)As the LORD lives, whatever ^(C2)the LORD says to me, I shall speak it."

When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?" And he said, "^(C1)Go up and succeed, for the LORD will hand it over to the king!"