Bible in Basic English
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were seated on their seats of authority, dressed in their robes, by the doorway into Samaria; and all the prophets were acting as prophets before them.
And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself iron horns and said, The Lord says, Pushing back the Aramaeans with these, you will put an end to them completely.
And all the prophets said the same thing, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and it will go well for you, for the Lord will give it into the hands of the king.
Now the servant who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, See now, all the prophets with one voice are saying good things to the king; so let your words be like theirs, and say good things.
And Micaiah said, By the living Lord, whatever the Lord says to me I will say.
When he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, are we to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And he said, Go up, and it will go well for you; and they will be given up into your hands.
And the king said to him, Have I not, again and again, put you on your oath to say nothing to me but what is true in the name of the Lord?
Then he said, I saw all Israel wandering on the mountains like sheep without a keeper; and the Lord said, These have no master: let them go back, every man to his house in peace.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say that he would not be a prophet of good to me, but of evil?
Then he said, Give ear now to the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord seated on his seat of power, and all the army of heaven in their places, at his right hand and at his left.
And the Lord said, How may Ahab, king of Israel, be tricked into going up to Ramoth-gilead to his death? And one said one thing and one another.
Then a spirit came forward and took his place before the Lord and said, I will get him to do it by a trick. And the Lord said to him, How?
And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of deceit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Your trick will have its effect on him: go out and do so.
And now, see, the Lord has put a spirit of deceit in the mouth of these prophets of yours; and the Lord has said evil against you.
Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and gave Micaiah a blow on the side of his face, saying, Where is the spirit of the Lord whose word is in you?
And Micaiah said, Truly, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to keep yourself safe.
And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon, the ruler of the town, and to Joash, the king's son;
And say, By the king's order this man is to be put in prison, and given prison food till I come back in peace.
And Micaiah said, If you come back at all in peace, the Lord has not sent his word by me.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will make a change in my clothing, so that I do not seem to be the king, and will go into the fight; but do you put on your robes. So the king of Israel made a change in his dress, and they went to the fight.
Now the king of Aram had given orders to the captains of his war-carriages, saying, Make no attack on small or great, but only on the king of Israel.
So when the captains of the war-carriages saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. And turning about, they came round him, but Jehoshaphat gave a cry, and the Lord came to his help, and God sent them away from him.
Now when the captains of the war-carriages saw that he was not the king of Israel, they went back from going after him.
And a certain man sent an arrow from his bow without thought of its direction, and gave the king of Israel a wound where his breastplate was joined to his clothing; so he said to the driver of his war-carriage, Go to one side and take me away out of the army, for I am badly wounded.
But the fight became more violent while the day went on; and the king of Israel was supported in his war-carriage facing the Aramaeans till the evening; and by sundown he was dead.
— 2 Chronicles 18:9-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said,“This is what the LORD says,‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed!’” All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying,“Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king!” Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him,“Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!” But Micaiah said,“As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!” Micaiah came before the king and the king asked him,“Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him,“Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.” The king said to him,“How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?” Micaiah replied,“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said,‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” Micaiah said,“That being the case, listen to the LORD’s message. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. The LORD said,‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said,‘I will deceive him.’ The LORD asked him,‘How?’ He replied,‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said,‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’ So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.” 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?” Micaiah replied,“Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” Then the king of Israel said,“Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. Say,‘This is what the king says:“Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water until I return safely.”’” Micaiah said,“If you really do return safely, then the LORD has not spoken through me!” Then he added,“Take note, all you people.” The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“I will disguise myself and then enter the battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle. Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders,“Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel!” When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said,“He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The LORD helped him; God lured them away from him. When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. Now an archer shot an arrow at random and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer,“Turn around and take me from the battle line, for I am wounded.” While the battle raged throughout the day, the king of Israel stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.”
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there no other prophet of the Lord here from whom we may get directions?
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is still one man by whom we may get directions from the Lord, but I have no love for him, because he has never been a prophet of good to me, but only of evil: he is Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Then the king of Israel sent for one of his unsexed servants and said, Go quickly and come back with Micaiah, the son of Imla.
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were seated on their seats of authority, dressed in their robes, by the doorway into Samaria; and all the prophets were acting as prophets before them.
And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself iron horns and said, The Lord says, Pushing back the Aramaeans with these, you will put an end to them completely.
And all the prophets said the same thing, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and it will go well for you, for the Lord will give it into the hands of the king.
Now the servant who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, See now, all the prophets with one voice are saying good things to the king; so let your words be like theirs, and say good things.
And Micaiah said, By the living Lord, whatever the Lord says to me I will say.
When he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, are we to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And he said, Go up, and it will go well for you; and they will be given up into your hands.
And the king said to him, Have I not, again and again, put you on your oath to say nothing to me but what is true in the name of the Lord?
Then he said, I saw all Israel wandering on the mountains like sheep without a keeper; and the Lord said, These have no master: let them go back, every man to his house in peace.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say that he would not be a prophet of good to me, but of evil?
Then he said, Give ear now to the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord seated on his seat of power, and all the army of heaven in their places, at his right hand and at his left.
And the Lord said, How may Ahab, king of Israel, be tricked into going up to Ramoth-gilead to his death? And one said one thing and one another.
Then a spirit came forward and took his place before the Lord and said, I will get him to do it by a trick. And the Lord said to him, How?
And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of deceit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Your trick will have its effect on him: go out and do so.
And now, see, the Lord has put a spirit of deceit in the mouth of these prophets of yours; and the Lord has said evil against you.
Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and gave Micaiah a blow on the side of his face, saying, Where is the spirit of the Lord whose word is in you?
And Micaiah said, Truly, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to keep yourself safe.
And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon, the ruler of the town, and to Joash, the king's son;
And say, By the king's order this man is to be put in prison, and given prison food till I come back in peace.
And Micaiah said, If you come back at all in peace, the Lord has not sent his word by me.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will make a change in my clothing, so that I do not seem to be the king, and will go into the fight; but do you put on your robes. So the king of Israel made a change in his dress, and they went to the fight.
Now the king of Aram had given orders to the captains of his war-carriages, saying, Make no attack on small or great, but only on the king of Israel.
So when the captains of the war-carriages saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. And turning about, they came round him, but Jehoshaphat gave a cry, and the Lord came to his help, and God sent them away from him.
Now when the captains of the war-carriages saw that he was not the king of Israel, they went back from going after him.
And a certain man sent an arrow from his bow without thought of its direction, and gave the king of Israel a wound where his breastplate was joined to his clothing; so he said to the driver of his war-carriage, Go to one side and take me away out of the army, for I am badly wounded.
But the fight became more violent while the day went on; and the king of Israel was supported in his war-carriage facing the Aramaeans till the evening; and by sundown he was dead.