1 Kings 20
1 Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered his whole army. Thirty-two kings were with him, along with horses and chariots. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
2 He sent messengers into the city, to Ahab king of Israel.
3 He sent him this message: “Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your wives and your finest sons are mine.’”
4 The king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with everything I have.”
5 The messengers returned and said, “Ben-hadad says: ‘I sent word to you: “You will give me your silver and gold, your wives and your sons.”
6 But tomorrow at this time I will send my servants to you. They will search your house and the houses of your servants, and whatever you treasure they will take in their hands and carry away.’”
7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Take note and see that this man is bent on trouble. He sent for my wives, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.”
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or agree.”
9 He said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king: ‘I will do everything you first asked of your servant, but I cannot do this.’” The messengers went and brought back his answer.
10 Ben-hadad sent him this message: “May the gods do so to me, and more besides, if there will be enough dust in Samaria to fill the hands of all the people who follow me.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘Let not the one putting on his armor boast like the one taking it off.’”
12 When Ben-hadad heard this reply, he was drinking with the kings in the tents. He said to his servants, “Take your positions!” So they took their positions against the city.
13 Then a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “The LORD says: ‘Do you see this great multitude? Today I will deliver it into your hand, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
14 Ahab asked, “By whom?” He answered, “The LORD says: ‘By the young men of the provincial commanders.’” Ahab asked, “Who will begin the battle?” He answered, “You will.”
15 So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial commanders; there were 232. After them he counted all the people, all the Israelites: seven thousand.
16 They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was getting drunk in the tents with the kings—the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
17 The young men of the provincial commanders went out first. Ben-hadad sent someone to find out what was happening, and he was told, “Men have come out of Samaria.”
18 He said, “If they have come out in peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 So the young men of the provincial commanders came out of the city, followed by the army behind them.
20 Each man struck down his opponent. The Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some horsemen.
21 The king of Israel went out and struck down the horses and chariots, and inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.
22 The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and consider carefully what you must do, because at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
23 The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their god is a god of the mountains. That is why they were stronger than we were. But if we fight them on the plain, we will surely be stronger than they are.
24 Do this as well: remove the kings, each from his post, and put governors in their places.
25 Then raise an army for yourself equal to the army you lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. We will fight them on the plain, and we will surely be stronger than they are.” He listened to them and did so.
26 At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad called the Arameans together and marched up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27 The Israelites were also counted and given provisions, and they went out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the land.
28 The man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “The LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will deliver this great multitude into your hand, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
29 They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites struck down a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
30 The survivors fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on the 27,000 men who remained. Ben-hadad fled and entered the city, hiding from room to room.
31 His servants said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put on sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 They put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” He said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 The men took this as a good sign and quickly seized on his words. They said, “Ben-hadad is your brother.” He said, “Go and bring him.” Ben-hadad came out to meet him, and the king had him come up into his chariot.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will return the cities that my father took from your father, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” The king of Israel replied, “For my part, I will let you go under a treaty.” He made a treaty with him and let him go.
35 One of the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.
36 He said to him, “Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD, as soon as you leave me, a lion will strike you down.” The man left him, and a lion found him and struck him down.
37 He found another man and said, “Please strike me.” The man struck him and wounded him.
38 The prophet went and waited for the king along the road, disguising himself with a band over his eyes.
39 As the king passed by, he called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me another man, saying, ‘Guard this man. If he goes missing, your life will answer for his life, or you will pay a talent of silver.’
40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “That is your sentence; you have pronounced it yourself.”
41 He quickly removed the band from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
42 He said to the king, “The LORD says: ‘Because you let go from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will answer for his life, and your people for his people.’”
43 The king of Israel went home sullen and angry, and he came to Samaria.
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