23. Micaiah said, “Ahab, this has now happened. The Lord has caused your prophets to lie to you. The Lord has decided that great trouble should come to you.”
24. Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up to Micaiah. And he hit Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah said, “Do you really believe the Lord’s spirit has left me and is now speaking through you?”
25. Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room.”
26. Then Ahab king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah. Send him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son.
27. Tell them I said to put Micaiah in prison. Give him only bread and water for food. Keep him there until I come home from the battle.”
28. Micaiah said, “Ahab, if you come back safely from battle, the Lord has not spoken through me. Remember my words, all you people.”
29. So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead.
30. Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I will go into battle. But I will change my appearance so that no one will recognize me. But you wear your royal clothes.” So Ahab changed his appearance and went into battle.
31. The king of Aram had 32 chariot commanders. He ordered them, “Don’t fight with anyone but the king of Israel. It doesn’t matter if they are important or unimportant.”
32. When these commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was the king of Israel. So they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat began shouting.
33. Then the commanders saw he was not Ahab. So they stopped chasing him.
34. A soldier shot an arrow without aiming at anyone. But he hit Ahab king of Israel. The arrow hit him in a place not covered by his armor. King Ahab said to his chariot driver, “Turn the chariot around. Take me out of the battle. I am hurt!”
35. The battle continued all day. King Ahab was in his chariot, leaning against it to hold himself up. He was facing the Arameans. His blood flowed down and covered the bottom of the chariot. That evening he died.
36. Near sunset a cry went out through the army of Israel: “Each man go back to his own country and city.”
37. So in that way King Ahab died. His body was carried to Samaria and buried there.
38. The men cleaned Ahab’s chariot at a pool in Samaria. This was a pool where prostitutes bathed. And the dogs licked King Ahab’s blood from the chariot. These things happened as the Lord had said they would.
39. Everything else Ahab did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. That book also tells about the palace Ahab built and decorated with ivory. And it tells about the cities he built.
40. So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
41. Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah. This was during Ahab’s fourth year as king over Israel.
42. Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother was the daughter of Shilhi. She was named Azubah.