Prophet Micaiah (Israel/Judah)

Micaiah son of Imlah was the prophet Ahab admitted he hated, "because he never prophesies good about me." When Ahab and Jehoshaphat of Judah planned to retake Ramoth-gilead from Aram, some 400 court prophets, led by Zedekiah son of Chenaanah brandishing iron horns, promised victory. At Jehoshaphat's insistence Micaiah was summoned; he first mimicked their chorus, then described what he had seen: all Israel scattered on the hills "like sheep without a shepherd," and the Lord enthroned in heaven sending a lying spirit into the mouths of Ahab's prophets. Zedekiah slapped him, and Ahab jailed him on bread and water. "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken through me," Micaiah answered (1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18).

Ahab went into battle disguised, but an arrow shot "at random" struck between the plates of his armor, and he died at evening. Micaiah's vision of the heavenly council is one of the Bible's sharpest scenes about true and false prophecy; the Talmud (Sanhedrin 89a) identifies the lying spirit as the spirit of Naboth, avenging himself on Ahab.