Then said he who writes: “Daniel the prophet, describing the history of the kings of Israel and their tyrants, writes thus: “The king of Israel joined himself with the king of Judah to fight against the sons of Belial (that is, reprobates) who were the Ammonites. Now Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Israel, being seated both on a throne in Samaria, there stood before them four hundred false prophets, who said to the king of Israel: “Go up against the Ammonites, for God will give them into your hands, and you shall scatter Ammon.”
Then said Jehoshaphat: “Is there here any prophet of the God of our fathers?” Ahab answered: “There is one only, and he is evil, for he always predicts evil concerning me; and him I hold in prison.” And this he said, to wit, “there is only one,” because as many as were found had been slain by decree of Ahab;, so that the prophets, even as you have said, O Master, were fled to the mountain tops where men dwelt not. Then said Jehoshaphat: “Send for him here, and let us see what he says.” Ahab therefore commanded that Micaiah be sent for hither, who came with fetters on his feet, and his face bewildered like a man that lives between life and death. Ahab asked him, saying: “Speak, Micaiah;, in the name of God. Shall we go up against the Ammonites? Will God give their cities into our hands?”
Micaiah answered: “Go up, go up, for prosperously shall you go up, and still more prosperously come down!” Then the false prophets praised Micaiah as a true prophet of God, and broke off the fetters from his feet. Jehoshaphat, who feared our God, and had never bowed his knees before the idols, asked Micaiah, saying: “For the love of the God of our fathers, speak the truth, as you have seen the issue of this war.” Micaiah ;answered: “O Jehoshaphat, I fear your face where. fore I tell you that I have seen the people of Israel as sheep without a shepherd.” Then Ahab, smiling, said to Jehoshaphat;: “I told you that this fellow predicts only evil, but you did not believe it.. Then said they both: “Now how know you this, O Micaiah?”
“Micaiah answered: “Methought there assembled a council of the angels in the presence of God, and I heard God say thus: “Who will deceive Ahab that he may go up against Ammon and be slain?” Whereupon one said one thing and another said another. Then came an angel and said: “Lord, I will fight against Ahab, and will go to his false prophets and will put the lie into their mouth, and so shall he go up and be slain.” And hearing this, God said: “Now go and do so, for you shall prevail”. Then were the false prophets enraged, and their chief smote Micaiah’s cheek, saying: “O reprobate of God, when did the angel of truth depart from us and come to you? Tell us, when came to us the angel that brought the lie?”
‘Micaiah answered: “You shall know when you shall flee from house to house for fear of being slain, having deceived your king.” Then Ahab was wroth, and said: “Seize Micaiah, and the fetters which he had upon his feet place on his neck, and keep him on barley bread and water until my return, for now I know not what death I would inflict on him”., They went up, then, and according to the word of Micaiah the matter befell. For the king of the Ammonites ;said to his servants: “See that you fight not against the king of Judah, nor against the princes of Israel, but slay the king of Israel, Ahab, my enemy.”‘ Then Jesus said: “Stop there, Barnabas; for it is enough for our purpose.”