So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
So Micaiah came to the king. The king asked him, 'Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?' And Micaiah answered him, 'Go ahead and you'll succeed, because the LORD will hand it over to the king.'
The prophet Micaiah gives King Ahab what sounds like encouragement to go to war, but he's speaking sarcastically since the king only wants to hear good news.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Kings 22, King Ahab of Israel was allied with King Jehoshaphat of Judah and sought advice from prophets about attacking Ramoth-gilead, a city under enemy control. Most of Ahab's prophets gave flattering, false assurances of victory to gain favor, but Micaiah was a true prophet of God who was reluctantly summoned for an honest prophecy. Micaiah's initial response in this verse was sarcastic, mirroring the false prophets to highlight their deception before he revealed the actual divine message.
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