76 ROBERT B. CHISHOLM, JR. d) J. Long’s proposal: “YAHWEH entices Jehoram into a failed mili- tary campaign” 22 Long argues that Elisha’s prophecy, like Micaiah’s in 1 Kings 22, is a case of “divine deception” 23. Pointing to the use of hkn in 2 Kings 3,25, he acknowledges that Elisha’s words were “technically true” and affirms: “ Elisha is a reliable prophet of YAHWEH, whose words come to pass” 24. Yet structural and verbal parallels with 1 Kings 22 suggest that Elisha “is a reliable prophet of YAHWEH who is enticing Jehoram to go up against Moab ” 25. In the end Jehoram’s fear of being deceived (cf. 2 Kgs 3,10.13) is realized 26. Yet there are differences between 1 Kings 22 and 2 Kings 3 as well: “YAHWEH has enticed Jehoram to go up to defeat, but, although in retreat, he returns alive with his reign still secure. The king who is better than his parents [cf. 2 Kgs 3,2], and is both good and bad, receives a ‘stay of execution’” 27. YAHWEH does indeed sometimes deceive the objects of his judg- ment, 28 but is 2 Kings 3 really an instance of this? The parallels with 1 Kings 22 might suggest as much, but a closer comparison indicates this is not the case. Micaiah’s false prophecy, which mimicked the words of Ahab’s prophets, was an outright lie (1 Kgs 22,15; cf vv. 6, 12) that was not fulfilled in any way, shape, or form. Elisha’s prophecy was almost fulfilled and was aborted only when Israel retreated. Likewise, YAHWEH’s J. LONG, Jr., “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception? A Literary 22 Reading of 2 Kings 3”, Stone-Campbell Journal 7 (2004) 116. LONG, “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception?”, 102. Fretheim 23 seems open to this idea as well. See T. FRETHEIM, First and Second Kings (Louisville, KY 1999) 143-144. LONG, “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception?”, 113-114. See also 24 J. LONG, Jr. – M. SNEED, “‘YAHWEH Has Given these Three Kings into the Hand of Moab’: A Socio-Literary Reading of 2 Kings 3”, Inspired Speech. Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. Essays in Honor of Herbert B. Huffmon (eds. J. KALTNER – L. STULMAN) (JSOTSS 378; London 2004) 265. LONG, “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception?”, 108. See as well 25 S. DeVries, “The Three Comparisons in 1 Kings XXII 4B and its Parallel and 2 Kings III 7B”, VT 39 (1989) 283-306; Kissling, Reliable Characters, 182; and J. MCCONVILLE, “Narrative and Meaning in the Books of Kings”, Bib 70 (1989) 40, who observes that there is “a certain sense of déjà vu” in 2 Kings 3. LONG, “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception?”, 106. 26 LONG, “Unfulfilled Prophecy or Divine Deception?”, 116. See as well 27 J. LONG, Jr., “Elisha’s Deceptive Prophecy in 2 Kings 3: A Response to Raymond Westbrook”, JBL 126 (2007) 171. See R. CHISHOLM, “Does God Deceive?”, BSac 155 (1998) 11-28; and 28 J. ROBERTS, “Does God Lie? Divine Deceit as a Theological Problem in Israe- lite Prophetic Literature”, VTS 40 (1988) 211-220.