The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them.<n id="1" /> Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.<n id="2" />

The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, &#8220;Ben Hadad is your brother.&#8221; Ahab<n id="1" /> then said, &#8220;Go, get him.&#8221; So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot.

So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, &#8220;Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?&#8221;<n id="1" /> They said, &#8220;Attack! The sovereign one<n id="2" /> will hand it over to the king.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones,<n id="1" /> dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria.<n id="2" /> All the prophets were prophesying before them.

Micaiah<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8216;They have no master. They should go home in peace.&#8217;&#8221;

Now an archer shot an arrow at random,<n id="1" /> and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king<n id="2" /> ordered his charioteer, &#8220;Turn around and take me from the battle line,<n id="3" /> because I&#8217;m wounded.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The king then told Abiathar the priest, &#8220;Go back to your property<n id="1" /> in Anathoth. You deserve to die,<n id="2" /> but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.&#8221;<n id="3" />

May the <sc>Lordsc> punish him for the blood he shed;<n id="1" /> behind my father David&#8217;s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he<n id="2" /> &#8211; Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel&#8217;s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah&#8217;s army.

Now, O <sc>Lord,sc> God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, &#8216;You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel,<n id="1" /> provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.&#8217;<n id="2" />

The prophet<n id="1" /> visited the king of Israel and said, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;Because the Syrians said, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,&#8221; I will hand over to you this entire huge army.<n id="2" /> Then you will know that I am the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;&#8221;p>

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, &#8220;There is still one man through whom we can seek the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s will.<n id="1" /> But I despise<n id="2" /> him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.<n id="3" /> Jehoshaphat said, &#8220;The king should not say such things.&#8221;