1 Kings 22:6-8
22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” 1 They said, “Attack! The sovereign one 2 will hand it over to the king.”
22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?”
22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. 3 But I despise 4 him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. 5 Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.”
1 Kings 22:13-14
22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. 6 Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.” 7
22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”
1 Kings 22:24-28
22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?”
22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.”
22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son.
22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water 8 until I safely return.”’” 9
22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, 10 all you people.”
1 tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
2 tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the Lord” (יְהוָה, Yahweh), they stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title אֲדֹנָי (’adonai, “lord; master”). This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the four hundred are genuine prophets of the Lord.
3 tn Heb “to seek the Lord from him.”
4 tn Or “hate.”
5 tn The words “his name is” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
7 tn Heb “let your words be like the word of each of them and speak good.”
8 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
9 tn Heb “come in peace.” So also in v. 28.
10 tn Heb “Listen.”