Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

2 Chronicles 18

¹ Now Jehoshaphat _a had great riches and honor, _b and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. ² _c After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³ Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He answered him, "I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war."

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord." ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king." ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?" ⁷ 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 always evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." ⁸ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah." ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor _d at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'" ¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied so and said, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king."

¹² And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably." ¹³ But Micaiah said, _e "As the Lord lives, _f what my God says, that I will speak." ¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And he answered, "Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand." ¹⁵ But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?" ¹⁶ And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, _g as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'" ¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" ¹⁸ And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: _h I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, 'I will entice him.' And the Lord said to him, 'By what means?' ²¹ And he said, 'I will go out, and will be _i a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' ²² Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you."

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near _j and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?" ²⁴ And Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself." ²⁵ And the king of Israel said, "Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon _k the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, ²⁶ and say, 'Thus says the king, _l Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.'" ²⁷ And Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me." And he said, _m "Hear, all you peoples!"

1. Cross References
   2 Chronicles 17:5
   Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.
   
2. Cross References
   2 Chronicles 21:6
   And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
   2 Kings 8:18
   And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
   
3. Cross References
   2 Chronicles 18:2 - 34
   After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.
   1 Kings 22:2 - 35
   But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
   
4. Cross References
   Ruth 4:1
   Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Turn aside, friend; sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down.
   
5. Cross References
   1 Kings 17:1
   Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.
   
6. Cross References
   Numbers 22:18
   But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more.
   Numbers 24:13
   If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak'?
   
7. Cross References
   Numbers 27:17
   Who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.
   Matthew 9:36
   When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
   
8. Cross References
   1 Kings 22:19
   And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.
   
9. Cross References
   1 Kings 22:22
   And the Lord said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.
   
10. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:24
    Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?
    
11. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 34:8
    Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
    
12. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 16:10
    Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
    
13. Cross References
    Micah 1:2
    Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
    

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.