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the book of Chronicles has recorded. But the prophet Micaiah, even though the eunuch sent to him urged him to report good things, did not endure to grant the lie to the king. "For as the Lord lives," he said, "whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak." Q. 68. For what reason then, when asked by Ahab, "Shall I go up to Ramoth-gilead?" did he say, "Go up, and the Lord will prosper it in the hand of the king"? He waited to be put under oath, and then to speak the truth. For since Ahab supposed that the prophet foretold grievous things out of hatred, he first said what was pleasing. Then, having been put under oath, he declared the divine things. For when Ahab had said, "How many times must I adjure you to speak the truth to me in the name of the Lord?" and the *posakis* [how many times] is put for *pollakis* [many times]; 80.741 Micaiah added, "Not so," instead of, "I did not speak those things well. For I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd." And by these things he shows that his wickedness is working the defeat; for if they had chanced upon a pious shepherd, they would have utterly conquered their enemies. Then he also shows a way of salvation. "For the Lord said," he says, "If they are truly with God, let each man then return to his own house in peace." If, believing in God, you wish to learn from him what must be done, disband the army. But when Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that this man does not prophesy good things for me, but only evil?" the prophet said, "Not I; hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord the God of Israel sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven was standing around him on his right hand and on his left, and he said, 'Who will deceive Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up to Ramoth-gilead and fall there?' And one said one thing, and another said another. And he said, 'You will not be able.' And a spirit came forth and stood before the Lord and said, 'I will deceive him.' And the Lord said to it, 'In what way?' And it said, 'I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets, and I will deceive him.' 80.744 And he said, 'You will be able; go out and do it.'" But this is a kind of personification, teaching the divine permission. For God, who is true and the teacher of truth, did not command Ahab to be deceived, who said through the prophet, "If they are truly with God, let each man then return to his own house in peace." Through these things, therefore, the prophet taught that the spirit of deceit, using impious men as instruments, falsely promises victory. And this happens with God's permission. For though he was able to prevent it, he did not prevent it, since Ahab was unworthy of divine care. But Josephus said that Micaiah was the one who had already previously used the strap, and announced grievous things to Ahab, conjecturing this from Ahab's saying, "I have hated him, because he does not speak good concerning me, but only evil." And now he sent him to the prison, having commanded him to partake of very little food, by which he was only to prevent death from starvation. But not even so did the prophet depart from his boldness, but said, crying out, "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken in me." And after hearing these words he rushed into the war; and Jehoshaphat also went up with him, having done things unworthy of his own piety. For having sought a prophet, and sent away the false prophets, and learned from Micaiah what was to be done, he preferred friendship to piety. Nevertheless, because of his other virtue, he enjoyed divine care. For when the Syrians, from his royal robe, guessed him to be the king of Israel and advanced against him, he called upon the help of God; and He promptly provided salvation for him. But the divine prophecy received its fulfillment. For Ahab, having been wounded, continued standing in his chariot for a very long time, so that he might not cause a rout by his flight; but the flowing blood was fixed in the chariot. This, near a certain spring approaching the city, the charioteer

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ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστόρησε βίβλος. Ὁ δὲ προ φήτης Μιχαίας, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποσταλέντος εὐνούχου χρηστὰ ἀπαγγεῖλαι παρεγγυήσαντος, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο χαρίσασθαι τὸ ψεῦδος τῷ βασιλεῖ. "Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι ἃ ἂν εἴπῃ Κύριος πρός με, ταῦτα λαλήσω." ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΗʹ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐρωτηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ, Ἵνα ἀναβῶ εἰς Ῥαμὼθ Γαλαὰδ, ἔφη, Ἀνάβαινε, καὶ εὐοδώσει Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ βασιλέως; Ἀνέμεινεν ὁρκωθῆναι, εἶθ' οὕτω φάναι τὸ ἀληθές. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὑπελάμβανεν Ἀχαὰβ διὰ μῖσος τὸν προφήτην προλέγειν τὰ λυπηρὰ, πρότερον τὰ κατα θύμια εἴρηκεν. Εἶτα ὁρκωθεὶς τὰ θεῖα μεμήνυκε. Τοῦ γὰρ Ἀχαὰβ εἰρηκότος· "Ποσάκις ὁρκίζω σε ἐγὼ, ὅπως λαλήσῃς πρός με ἀλήθειαν ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου;" τὸ δὲ ποσάκις ἀντὶ τοῦ πολλάκις τέθει 80.741 κεν· ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Μιχαίας· "Οὐχ οὕτως," ἀντὶ τοῦ, "οὐ καλῶς, ἔφην ἐκεῖνα. Ἑώρακα γὰρ πάντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διεσπαρμένον ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν, ὡς πρό βατα οἷς οὐκ ἔστι ποιμήν." ∆ηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς ἡ ἐκείνου πονηρία τὴν ἧτταν ἐργάζεται· εἰ γὰρ ποι μένος ἔτυχον εὐσεβοῦς, κατακράτος ἂν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνίκησαν. Εἶτα καὶ τρόπον ἀποδείκνυσι σωτηρίας. "Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος· Εἰ κυρίως αὐτοὶ πρὸς Θεὸν, ἀποστραφήτω δὴ ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὑ τοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ." Εἰ πιστεύοντες τῷ Θεῷ μαθεῖν βούλεσθε παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πρακτέον, τὴν στρατιὰν διαλύσατε. Τοῦ δὲ Ἀχαὰβ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ εἰρηκότος· "Οὐκ εἶπόν σοι, ὅτι οὐ προφητεύει οὗτος ἐμοὶ καλὰ, ἀλλ' ἢ κακά;" εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης· "Οὐκ ἐγώ· ἄκουσον τὸν λόγον Κυρίου. Εἶδον Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσραὴλ καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἱστήκει περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε· Τίς ἀπατήσει τὸν Ἀχαὰβ βασιλέα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται εἰς Ῥαμὼθ Γαλαὰδ, καὶ πεσεῖται ἐκεῖ; Καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως οὗτος, καὶ οὗτος οὕτως. Καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐ δυνήσῃ. Καὶ ἐξῆλθε πνεῦμα, καὶ ἔστη ἐν ώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ ἀπατήσω αὐτόν. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὸ, Ἐν τίνι; Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐξελεύσομαι, καὶ ἔσομαι πνεῦμα ψευδὲς ἐν στόματι πάντων αὐτοῦ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ ἀπατήσω αὐτόν. 80.744 Καὶ εἶπε, ∆υνήσῃ, ἔξελθε καὶ ποίησον." Ταῦτα δὲ προσωποποιία τίς ἐστι, διδάσκουσα τὴν θείαν συγ χώρησιν. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἀληθῶς Θεὸς καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας διδάσκαλος προσέταττεν ἀπατηθῆναι τὸν Ἀχαὰβ, ὁ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου εἰπών· "Εἰ κυρίως αὐτοὶ πρὸς Θεὸν, ἀναστραφήτω δὴ ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον ἐν εἰρήνῃ." ∆ιὰ τούτων τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης ἐδί δαξεν, ὡς τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀπάτης, ὀργάνοις χρώ μενον τοῖς δυσσεβέσιν ἀνθρώποις, ψευδῶς ὑπισχνεῖ ται τὴν νίκην. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωρή σαντος. Κωλῦσαι γὰρ δυνάμενος, οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἐπείπερ ὁ Ἀχαὰβ τῆς θείας ἦν κηδεμονίας ἀν άξιος. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος τὸν Μιχαίαν ἔφησεν εἶναι, τὸν ἤδη πρότερον τῷ τελαμῶνι χρησάμενον, καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ τῷ Ἀχαὰβ προαγγείλαντα, τεκμαιρόμενος τῷ φάναι τὸν Ἀχαὰβ, ὅτι Μεμίσηκα αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐ λέγει περὶ ἐμοῦ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλ' ἢ κακά. Καὶ νῦν δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔπεμψεν, τροφῆς αὐτὸν ὀλίγης ἄγαν μεταλαμβάνειν προστεταχὼς, ᾗ μόνον κωλύειν ἔμελλε τὴν ἐκ λιμοῦ τελευτήν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ὁ προφήτης ἐξέστη τῆς παῤῥησίας, ἀλλ' ἔφη βοῶν· "Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέφων ἐπιστρέφῃς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, οὐ λελάληκε Κύριος ἐν ἐμοί." Καὶ τούτων δὲ ἀκού σας τῶν λόγων ὥρμησεν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον· συναπῆρε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Ἰωσαφὰτ, τῆς οἰκείας εὐσεβείας ἀν άξια δεδρακώς. Ἐπιζητήσας γὰρ προφήτην, καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας ἀποπεμψάμενος, καὶ τὸ πρακτέον παρὰ τοῦ Μιχαίου μεμαθηκὼς, τῆς εὐσεβείας προτε τίμηκε τὴν φιλίαν. Πλὴν διὰ τὴν ἄλλην αὐτοῦ ἀρε τὴν τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἀπήλαυσε. Τῶν γὰρ Σύρων ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀμπεχόνης τοπασάντων αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ χωρησάντων, ὁ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ἐκάλεσεν· ὁ δὲ συν τόμως αὐτῷ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπόρισεν. Ἡ δὲ θεία πρόῤῥησις τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο. Τρωθεὶς γὰρ ὁ Ἀχαὰβ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος διετέλεσεν, ἵνα μὴ τροπὴν ἐργάζηται τῇ φυγῇ· τὸ δὲ αἷμα φερόμε νον ἐνεπάγη τῷ ἅρματι. Τοῦτο παρὰ κρήνην τινὰ τῷ ἄστει πελάζουσαν ὁ ἡνίοχος