1 Kings 22:22
New International Version
“’By what means?’ the LORD asked. “’I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “’You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

New Living Translation
“‘How will you do this?’ the LORD asked. “And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’ “‘You will succeed,’ said the LORD. ‘Go ahead and do it.’

English Standard Version
And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’

Berean Standard Bible
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

New King James Version
The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’

New American Standard Bible
And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’

NASB 1995
“The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’

NASB 1977
“And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’

Amplified Bible
The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then the LORD said, ‘You are to entice him and also succeed. Go and do so.’

Christian Standard Bible
“The LORD asked him, ‘How? ’ “He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ “Then he said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD asked him, ‘How?’” He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’” Then He said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.’”

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Contemporary English Version
"I'll make Ahab's prophets lie to him." "Good!" the LORD replied. "Now go and do it."

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The Spirit answered, 'I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab's prophets.' "The LORD said, 'You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.'

Good News Translation
'How?' the LORD asked. The spirit replied, 'I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The LORD said, 'Go and deceive him. You will succeed.'"

International Standard Version
"And the LORD asked him, 'How?' "'I will go,' he announced, 'and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!' "So the LORD said, 'You're just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.'

Majority Standard Bible
And he replied, ?I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.? ?You will surely entice him and prevail,? said the LORD. ?Go and do it.?

NET Bible
He replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' The LORD said, 'Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.'

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' He said, 'You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.'

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to him, With what? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets? And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ He said, ‘You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he says, I go out, and have been a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets; and He says, You entice, and also you are able; go out and do so.

Young's Literal Translation
and he saith, I go out, and have been a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets; and He saith, Thou dost entice, and also thou art able; go out and do so.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say, I will go forth and be to him a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he will say, Thou shalt deceive, and thou shalt be able: go forth and do thus.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: I will go forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said: Thou shalt deceive him, and shalt prevail: a go forth, and do so.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said: ‘You will deceive him, and you will prevail. Go forth, and do so.’

New American Bible
He answered, ‘I will go forth and become a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD replied: You shall succeed in deceiving him. Go forth and do this.

New Revised Standard Version
‘How?’ the LORD asked him. He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then the LORD said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do it.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said to him, You shall persuade him and prevail also; go forth and do so.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said: “I shall go out and I shall be a spirit of lying in the mouth of all of his Prophets!” He said to him: “You seduce and you are able. Go out and do so!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto him: Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said: Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth, and do so.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to him, Whereby? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt deceive him, yea, and shalt prevail: go forth, and do so.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
21Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. 22And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ 23So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”…

Cross References
Job 1:6-12
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. / “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” / Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.” ...

Job 2:1-6
On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him. / “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” / Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” ...

2 Chronicles 18:21
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

Isaiah 19:14
The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.

Ezekiel 14:9
But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, / in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 20:3
And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

Jeremiah 4:10
Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”

Jeremiah 20:7
You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.

Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. / After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. / The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ...

Luke 22:31-32
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat. / But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Acts 5:3
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?

Acts 13:10
and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to him, With which? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You shall persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

a lying spirit

Job 1:8-11
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? …

Job 2:4-6
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life…

John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Thou shalt

1 Kings 22:20
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

Judges 9:23
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

Job 12:16
With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

Jump to Previous
Able Deceit Deceiving Effect Entice Enticing Falsehood Forth Lying Means Mouth Mouths Persuade Prevail Prophets Spirit Succeed Trick Wherewith
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Able Deceit Deceiving Effect Entice Enticing Falsehood Forth Lying Means Mouth Mouths Persuade Prevail Prophets Spirit Succeed Trick Wherewith
1 Kings 22
1. Ahab, seduced by false prophets, by Michaiah's word, is slain at Ramoth Gilead
37. The dogs lick up his blood, and Ahaziah succeeds him
41. Jehoshaphat's good reign
45. His acts
46. Jehoram succeeds him
51. Ahaziah's evil reign














And he replied,
This phrase introduces the response of a spirit in the heavenly council. The context is a vision of the prophet Micaiah, who is revealing the divine deliberation concerning King Ahab's fate. The setting is a heavenly court, a common motif in ancient Near Eastern literature, where divine beings gather to discuss and decide earthly matters. This reflects the biblical theme of God's sovereignty over human affairs.

‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’
The spirit's proposal to become a lying spirit highlights the concept of divine judgment through deception. In the ancient world, prophets were seen as intermediaries between the divine and human realms. The false prophets in Ahab's court were already inclined to speak favorably to the king, and this spirit's influence would ensure their messages would lead Ahab to his downfall. This aligns with the biblical principle that God sometimes uses the existing inclinations of individuals to accomplish His purposes, as seen in Romans 1:24-28, where God gives people over to their sinful desires.

‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD.
The LORD's response indicates His approval of the spirit's plan, underscoring the theme of divine justice. Ahab's persistent idolatry and rejection of God's prophets, like Elijah and Micaiah, have led to this moment of judgment. The assurance of success ("you will surely entice him and prevail") reflects the certainty of God's plans, reminiscent of Isaiah 46:10, where God declares the end from the beginning.

‘Go and do it.’
This command from the LORD authorizes the spirit to carry out the plan, demonstrating God's ultimate control over both good and evil. It echoes the biblical truth that nothing happens outside of God's sovereign will, as seen in Job 1:12 and Job 2:6, where God permits Satan to test Job. This phrase also serves as a reminder of the seriousness of rejecting God's truth, as Ahab's refusal to heed true prophetic warnings leads to his demise.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The sovereign God who permits the lying spirit to deceive Ahab's prophets.

2. Lying Spirit
A spirit that volunteers to deceive Ahab's prophets, demonstrating the spiritual battle and God's control over all spirits.

3. Ahab
The King of Israel, known for his wickedness and idolatry, who is being led to his downfall.

4. Prophets of Ahab
The false prophets who are deceived by the lying spirit, leading Ahab to his demise.

5. Micaiah
The true prophet of God who reveals the vision of the heavenly council and the deception planned for Ahab.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over All
God is in control of all spiritual realms and uses even deceitful spirits to accomplish His purposes.

The Danger of Rejecting Truth
Ahab's rejection of God's truth through Micaiah leads to his downfall, warning us to heed God's word.

Spiritual Discernment
Believers must seek discernment to recognize truth from deception, relying on the Holy Spirit and Scripture.

Consequences of Sin
Ahab's persistent sin and idolatry result in divine judgment, reminding us of the serious consequences of turning away from God.

The Role of True Prophets
Micaiah stands firm in delivering God's message despite opposition, encouraging us to speak truth boldly.Verse 22. - And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? [Heb. By what?] And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit [Heb. a spirit of a lie. Cf. Zechariah 13:2; 1 John 4:6] in the mouth of all his prophets. [His prophets, not God's. Cf. 2 Kings 3:13.] And he said, Thou shalt persuade him. and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And he replied,
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘I will go out
אֵצֵא֙ (’ê·ṣê)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

and be
וְהָיִ֙יתִי֙ (wə·hā·yî·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a lying
שֶׁ֔קֶר (še·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8267: Deception, disappointment, falsehood

spirit
ר֣וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

in the mouth
בְּפִ֖י (bə·p̄î)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

of all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

his prophets.’
נְבִיאָ֑יו (nə·ḇî·’āw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

‘You will surely
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

entice him
תְּפַתֶּה֙ (tə·p̄at·teh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6601: To open, be, roomy, to be, simple, delude

and prevail,’
תּוּכָ֔ל (tū·ḵāl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3201: To be able, have power

said [the LORD].
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Go
צֵ֖א (ṣê)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

and do
וַעֲשֵׂה־ (wa·‘ă·śêh-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

it.’
כֵֽן׃ (ḵên)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus


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OT History: 1 Kings 22:22 Yahweh said to him 'How?' He said (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 22:21
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