Chapter 18

¹Now Josaphat was rich and very glorious, and was joined by affinity to Achab. ²And he went down to him after some years to Samaria: and Achab at his coming killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people that came with him: and he persuaded him to go up to Ramoth Galaad. ³And Achab king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda: Come with me to Ramoth Galaad. And he answered him: Thou art as I am, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war. ⁴And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, at present the word of the Lord. ⁵So the king of Israel gathered together of the prophets four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall we forbear ? But they said: Go up, and God will deliver it into the king's hand. ⁶And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire also of him? ⁷And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man, of whom we may ask the will of the Lord: but I hate him, for he never prophesieth good to me, but always evil: and it is Micheas the son of Jemla. And Josaphat said: Speak not thus, O king. ⁸And the king of Israel called one of the eunuchs, and said to him : Call quickly Micheas the son of Jemla. ⁹Now the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, both sat on their thrones, clothed in royal robes, and they sat in the open court by the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. ¹⁰And Sedecias the son of Chanaana made him horns of iron, and said: Thus saith the Lord: With these shalt thou push Syria, till thou destroy it. ¹¹And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, and said: Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and thou shalt prosper, and the Lord will deliver them into the king's hand. ¹²And the messenger that went to call Micheas, said to him: Behold the words of all the prophets with one mouth declare good to the king: I beseech thee therefore let not thy word disagree with them, and speak thou also good success. ¹³And Micheas answered him: As the Lord liveth, whatsoever my God shall say to me, that will I speak. ¹⁴So he came to the king: and the king said to him: Micheas, shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or forbear? And he answered him: Go up, for all shall succeed prosperously, and the enemies shall be delivered into your hands. ¹⁵And the king said: I adjure thee again and again to say nothing but the truth to me, in the name of the Lord. ¹⁶Then he said: I saw all Israel scattered in the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd : and the Lord said: These have no masters: let every man return to his own house in peace. ¹⁷And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Did I not tell thee that this man would not prophesy me any good, but evil? ¹⁸Then he said: Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left. ¹⁹And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall in Ramoth Galaad? And when one spoke in this manner, and another otherwise: ²⁰There came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him: By what means wilt thou deceive him? ²¹And he answered: I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive, and shalt prevail: go out, and do so. ²²Now therefore behold the Lord hath put a spirit of lying in the mouth of all thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee. ²³And Sedecias the son of Chanaana came, and struck Micheas on the cheek and said: Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me, to speak to thee? ²⁴And Micheas said :Thou thyself shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go in from chamber to chamber, to hide thyself. ²⁵And the king of Israel commanded, saying: Take Micheas, and carry him to Amen the governor of the city, and to Joas the son of Amelech, ²⁶And say: Thus saith the king: Put this fellow in prison, and give him bread and water in a small quantity till I return in peace. ²⁷And Micheas said: If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said: Hear, all ye people. ²⁸So the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda went up to Ramoth Galaad. ²⁹And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: I will change my dress, and so I will go to the battle, but put thou on thy own garments. And the king of Israel having changed his dress, went to the battle. ³⁰Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his cavalry, saying: Fight ye not with small, or great, but with the king of Israel only. ³¹So when the captains of the cavalry saw Josaphat, they said: This is the king of Israel. And they surrounded him to attack him: but he cried to the Lord, and he helped him, and turned them away from him. ³²For when the captains of the cavalry saw, that he was not the king of Israel, they left him. ³³And it happened that one of the people shot an arrow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the neck and the shoulders, and he said to his chariot man: Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. ³⁴And the fight was ended that day: but the king of Israel stood in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and died at the sunset.