Why did King Josaphat join Achab of Israel in the ill-fated battle of Ramoth Galaad despite Micheas's warning, and how was Josaphat delivered while Achab was slain?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

2 Paralipomenon 18 chronicles King Josaphat's compromised marital alliance with King Achab of Israel, their joint military campaign against Ramoth Galaad, the true prophecy of Micheas exposing the lying spirit deceiving Achab's four hundred court prophets, and the battle in which Josaphat cried out to the Lord and was supernaturally spared while the disguised Achab was mortally wounded by a random Syrian arrow.

Chapter breakdown

### The Marital Affinity and the Invitation to Ramoth Galaad

Now Josaphat was rich and very glorious, and was joined by affinity to Achab. And he went down to him after some years to Samaria: and Achab at his coming killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people that came with him: and he persuaded him to go up to Ramoth Galaad. And Achab king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda: Come with me to Ramoth Galaad. And he answered him: Thou art as I am, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, at present the word of the Lord. So the king of Israel gathered together of the prophets four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall we forbear? But they said: Go up, and God will deliver into the king’s hand. And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire also of him? And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man, of whom we may ask the will of the Lord: but I hate him, for he never prophesieth good to me, but always evil: and it is Micheas the son of Jemla. And Josaphat said: Speak not thus, O king. And the king of Israel called one of the eunuchs, and said to him: Call quickly Micheas the son of Jemla.

### The Royal Court, Horns of Iron, and the Uncompromising Messenger

Now the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, both sat on their thrones, clothed in royal robes, and they sat in the open court by the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Sedecias the son of Chanaana made him horns of iron, and said: Thus saith the Lord: With these shalt thou push Syria, till thou destroy it. And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, and said: Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and thou shalt prosper, and the Lord will deliver them into the king’s hand. And the messenger that went to call Micheas, said to him: Behold the words of all the prophets with one mouth declare good to the king: I beseech thee therefore let not thy word disagree with them, and speak thou also good success. And Micheas answered him: As the Lord liveth, whatsoever my God shall say to me, that will I speak.

### The Parable of the Shepherdless Sheep and the Council of Heaven

So he came to the king: and the king said to him: Micheas, shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or forbear? And he answered him: Go up, for all shall succeed prosperously, and the enemies shall be delivered into your hands. And the king said: I adjure thee again and again to say nothing but the truth to me, in the name of the Lord. Then he said: I saw all Israel scattered in the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd: and the Lord said: These have no masters: let every man return to his own house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Did I not tell thee that this man would not prophesy me any good, but evil? Then he said: Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left, And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall in Ramoth Galaad? And when one spoke in this manner, and another otherwise: There came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him: By what means wilt thou deceive him? And he answered: I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive, and shalt prevail: go out, and do so. Now therefore behold the Lord hath put a spirit of lying in the mouth of all thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.

### The Strike on the Cheek, Bread of Affliction, and Appeal to the People

And Sedecias the son of Chanaana came, and struck Micheas on the cheek and said: Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me, to speak to thee? And Micheas said: Thou thyself shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go in from chamber to chamber, to hide thyself. And the king of Israel commanded, saying: Take Micheas, and carry him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joas the son of Amelech, And say: Thus saith the king: Put this fellow in prison, and give him bread and water in a small quantity till I return in peace. And Micheas said: If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said: Hear, all ye people.

### Disguise in Battle, Divine Deliverance of Josaphat, and Achab’s Fatal Wound

So the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda went up to Ramoth Galaad. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: I will change my dress, and so I will go to the battle, but put thou on thy own garments. And the king of Israel having changed his dress, went to the battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his cavalry, saying: Fight ye not with small, or great, but with the king of Israel only. So when the captains of the cavalry saw Josaphat, they said: This is the king of Israel. And they surrounded him to attack him: but he cried to the Lord, and he helped him, and turned them away from him. For when the captains of the cavalry saw, that he was not the king of Israel, they left him. And it happened that one of the people shot an arrow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the neck and the shoulders, and he said to his chariot man: Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. And the fight was ended that day: but the king of Israel stood in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and died at the sunset.

The story inside

Context: Despite his exemplary domestic reforms and military power recorded in chapter 17, King Josaphat formed a hazardous marriage alliance between his royal house and the idolatrous dynasty of King Achab of Israel.

Stakes: Visiting Samaria in royal state, Josaphat faced the grave spiritual and political danger of subordinating Juda's divine calling to northern Israel's geopolitical ambitions, entangling his kingdom in an unprovoked war with Syria over Ramoth Galaad.

Action: Seduced by lavish hospitality, Josaphat pledged unconditional military assistance to Achab ('Thou art as I am, and my people as thy people'), but insisted on inquiring of the word of the Lord. When four hundred court prophets unanimously promised victory, Josaphat discerned their sycophancy and asked for a true prophet of the Lord. Achab reluctantly summoned Micheas the son of Jemla, whom he hated for prophesying only evil. After ironic conformity, Micheas adjured by Achab revealed the divine reality: Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd, and a heavenly council where a spirit was permitted by God to become a lying spirit in the mouths of Achab's prophets to entice him to his doom. Struck on the cheek by Sedecias and sentenced by Achab to prison on scant bread and water until his return, Micheas appealed to all the people to witness whether the king would return in peace. Marching to Ramoth Galaad, the devious Achab persuaded Josaphat to wear royal robes while he disguised himself as a common soldier.

Consequence: The Syrian cavalry captains, commanded to target only Israel's king, surrounded the royally clad Josaphat, who cried out to the Lord; God immediately helped him, turning the assailants aside once they realized he was not Achab. Meanwhile, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow at random that struck Achab through the joints of his harness. Propped up in his chariot against the Syrians throughout the day to sustain troop morale, Achab bled to death by sunset.

Limits: This chapter records the military catastrophe at Ramoth Galaad, the fulfillment of Micheas's prophecy, and the death of Achab; the subsequent prophetic rebuke of Josaphat by Jehu the son of Hanani and Josaphat's judicial reforms are detailed in chapter 19.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The peril of unholy compromise: Josaphat's willingness to ally through marital affinity with an apostate monarch nearly cost him his life, demonstrating that political camaraderie with the wicked undermines spiritual discernment.
2
Prophetic integrity versus institutional consensus: Micheas stood alone against four hundred court prophets and imperial intimidation, affirming that divine truth is never determined by unanimous flattering majorities.
3
Supernatural providence and sovereign judgment: While human disguise could not shield Achab from God's decree executed through an arrow shot at random, humble cry to the Lord in the extremity of battle brought immediate divine deliverance to Josaphat.

Test your recall

What vision did Micheas describe regarding the heavenly council and Achab's prophets, what disguise did Achab adopt at Ramoth Galaad, and how did Josaphat escape the Syrian captains?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 45826–45854
18:1. Now Josaphat was rich and very glorious, and was joined by affinity to Achab. 18:2. And he went down to him after some years to Samaria: and Achab at his coming killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people that came with him: and he persuaded him to go up to Ramoth Galaad. 18:3. And Achab king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda: Come with me to Ramoth Galaad. And he answered him: Thou art as I am, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war. 18:4. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, at present the word of the Lord. 18:5. So the king of Israel gathered together of the prophets four hundred men, and he said to them: Shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or shall we forbear? But they said: Go up, and God will deliver into the king’s hand. 18:6. And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire also of him? 18:7. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: There is one man, of whom we may ask the will of the Lord: but I hate him, for he never prophesieth good to me, but always evil: and it is Micheas the son of Jemla. And Josaphat said: Speak not thus, O king. 18:8. And the king of Israel called one of the eunuchs, and said to him: Call quickly Micheas the son of Jemla.
Lines 45856–45874
18:9. Now the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, both sat on their thrones, clothed in royal robes, and they sat in the open court by the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. 18:10. And Sedecias the son of Chanaana made him horns of iron, and said: Thus saith the Lord: With these shalt thou push Syria, till thou destroy it. 18:11. And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, and said: Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and thou shalt prosper, and the Lord will deliver them into the king’s hand. 18:12. And the messenger that went to call Micheas, said to him: Behold the words of all the prophets with one mouth declare good to the king: I beseech thee therefore let not thy word disagree with them, and speak thou also good success. 18:13. And Micheas answered him: As the Lord liveth, whatsoever my God shall say to me, that will I speak.
Lines 45876–45897
18:14. So he came to the king: and the king said to him: Micheas, shall we go to Ramoth Galaad to fight, or forbear? And he answered him: Go up, for all shall succeed prosperously, and the enemies shall be delivered into your hands. 18:15. And the king said: I adjure thee again and again to say nothing but the truth to me, in the name of the Lord. 18:16. Then he said: I saw all Israel scattered in the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd: and the Lord said: These have no masters: let every man return to his own house in peace. 18:17. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: Did I not tell thee that this man would not prophesy me any good, but evil? 18:18. Then he said: Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left, 18:19. And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall in Ramoth Galaad? And when one spoke in this manner, and another otherwise:
Lines 45901–45927
18:20. There came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him: By what means wilt thou deceive him? 18:21. And he answered: I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive, and shalt prevail: go out, and do so. 18:22. Now therefore behold the Lord hath put a spirit of lying in the mouth of all thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee. 18:23. And Sedecias the son of Chanaana came, and struck Micheas on the cheek and said: Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me, to speak to thee? 18:24. And Micheas said: Thou thyself shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go in from chamber to chamber, to hide thyself. 18:25. And the king of Israel commanded, saying: Take Micheas, and carry him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joas the son of Amelech, 18:26. And say: Thus saith the king: Put this fellow in prison, and give him bread and water in a small quantity till I return in peace. 18:27. And Micheas said: If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said: Hear, all ye people.
Lines 45929–45954
18:28. So the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda went up to Ramoth Galaad. 18:29. And the king of Israel said to Josaphat: I will change my dress, and so I will go to the battle, but put thou on thy own garments. And the king of Israel having changed his dress, went to the battle. 18:30. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his cavalry, saying: Fight ye not with small, or great, but with the king of Israel only. 18:31. So when the captains of the cavalry saw Josaphat, they said: This is the king of Israel. And they surrounded him to attack him: but he cried to the Lord, and he helped him, and turned them away from him. 18:32. For when the captains of the cavalry saw, that he was not the king of Israel, they left him. 18:33. And it happened that one of the people shot an arrow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the neck and the shoulders, and he said to his chariot man: Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. 18:34. And the fight was ended that day: but the king of Israel stood in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and died at the sunset.