God

Then the word of ADONAI came to Eliyahu from Tishbe:

"Do you see how Ach'av has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring this evil during his lifetime; but during his son's lifetime I will bring the evil on his house."

But Y'hoshafat said to the king of Isra'el, "First, we should seek the word of ADONAI."

So the king of Isra'el assembled the prophets, about 400 men. "Should I attack Ramot-Gil'ad?" he asked them, "Or should I hold off?" They said, "Attack! Adonai will hand it over to the king."

But Y'hoshafat said, "Besides these, isn't there a prophet of ADONAI here that we can consult?"

The king of Isra'el said to Y'hoshafat, "Yes, there is still one man through whom we can consult ADONAI, Mikhay'hu the son of Yimlah; but I hate him, because he doesn't prophesy good things for me, but bad!" Y'hoshafat replied, "The king shouldn't say such a thing."

Tzidkiyah the son of Kena'anah had made himself some horns out of iron and said, "This is what ADONAI says: 'With these you will gore Aram until they are destroyed.'"

All the prophets prophesied the same thing: "Go up and attack Ramot-Gil'ad. You will succeed, for ADONAI will hand it over to the king."

But Mikhay'hu answered, "As ADONAI lives, whatever ADONAI says to me is what I will say."

When he reached the king, the king asked him, "Mikhay'hu, should we go up and attack Ramot-Gil'ad; or should we hold off?" He answered, "Go up, you will succeed, ADONAI will hand it over to the king."

The king said to him, "How many times do I have to warn you to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of ADONAI?"

Then he said, "I saw all Isra'el scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd; and ADONAI said, 'These men have no leader; let everyone go home in peace.'"

Mikhay'hu continued: "Therefore hear the word of ADONAI. I saw ADONAI sitting on his throne with the whole army of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left.

ADONAI asked, 'Who will entice Ach'av to go up to his death at Ramot-Gil'ad?' One of them said, 'Do it this way,' and another, 'Do it that way.'

Then a spirit stepped up, stood in front of ADONAI and said, 'I will entice him.'

ADONAI asked, 'How?' and he answered, 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' ADONAI said, 'You will succeed in enticing him. Go, and do it.'

So now ADONAI has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; meanwhile, ADONAI has ordained disaster for you."

Then Tzidkiyah the son of Kena'anah came up, slapped Mikhay'hu in the face and said, "And how did the Spirit of ADONAI leave me to speak to you?"

Mikhay'hu said, "If you return in peace at all, ADONAI has not spoken through me!" Then he added, "Did you hear me, you peoples, all of you?"

They washed the chariot at the Pool of Shomron where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up his blood, in keeping with the word ADONAI had spoken.

He lived in the manner of Asa his father and did not turn away from it, doing what was right from ADONAI's perspective;

He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, living in the manner of his father, his mother and Yarov'am the son of N'vat, by which he led Isra'el into sin.

He also served Ba'al and worshipped him; and he made ADONAI the God of Isra'el angry, in keeping with everything his father had done.

But an angel of ADONAI said to Eliyahu from Tishbe, "Get up, and intercept the messengers of the king of Shomron, and ask them, 'Is it because there's no God in Isra'el that you're on your way to consult Ba'al-Z'vuv the god of 'Ekron?

Therefore ADONAI says, "You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will certainly die."'" Then Eliyahu left.