1 Kings 20
1 Ben-hadad, king of Aram, called up his entire army. Together with thirty-two kings and their assembled horses and chariots, he marched to besiege Samaria, to fight against it.
Ben Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army together. There were thirty-two lesser kings with him, and horses and chariots. He went up, besieged Samaria and fought against it.
2 He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, in the city to tell him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Ben Hadad says this:
3 Your silver and gold belong to me now, and your best wives and children also belong to me!”
'Your silver and your gold are mine. Also your wives and children, the best ones, are now mine.'”
4 “It's as you say, my lord the king,” the king of Israel replied. “I am yours, as well as everything that belongs to me.”
The king of Israel answered and said, “It is as you say, my master, king. I and all that I have are yours.”
5 The messengers returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: I have sent you a message demanding you give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
The messengers came again and said, “Ben Hadad says this, 'I sent word to you saying that you must give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
6 But around this time tomorrow I'm going to send my men to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take and carry away everything you see as valuable.”
But I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and your servants' houses. They will seize with their own hands and take away whatever pleases their eyes.'”
7 The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and told them, “Look how this man is trying to cause trouble! When he demanded my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I didn't say no.”
Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land together and said, “Please take note and see how this man seeks trouble. He has sent word to me in order to take my wives, children, and silver and gold, and I have not refused him.”
8 All the elders and all the people present responded, “Don't listen to him. Don't agree to his demands.”
All the elders and all the people said to Ahab, “Do not listen to him or consent to his demands.”
9 So the king told Ben-hadad's messengers, “Tell my lord the king: Everything you demanded at first your servant will do, but I cannot agree to this latest demand.” The messengers took the reply back to him.
So Ahab said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Tell my master the king, 'I agree to everything that you sent your servant to do the first time, but I cannot accept this second demand.'” So the messengers left and took this response to Ben Hadad.
10 Ben-hadad responded to him, “May the gods do as much to me and more if there remains enough dust in Samaria to give my subjects a handful each!”
Then Ben Hadad sent his reply to Ahab, and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if even the ashes of Samaria will be enough for all the people who follow me to have a handful each.”
11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him this: A man putting on his armor should not brag like one who is taking it off.”
The king of Israel answered and said, “Tell Ben Hadad, 'No one who is just putting on his armor, should boast as if he were taking it off.'”
12 Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents. He immediately gave the order to his officers, “Get ready to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.
Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings under him who were in their tents. Ben Hadad commanded his men, “Line yourselves up in position for battle.” So they prepared themselves in position of battle to attack the city.
13 At the same time a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and told him, “This is what the Lord says: You see this massive army? Just watch, because I will make you victorious today, and you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
Then behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says, 'Have you seen this great army? Look, I will place it into your hand today, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'”
14 “But who's going to do this?” Ahab asked. The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says: It will be the young officers under the district commanders.” “And who's going to start the battle?” he asked. The prophet replied, “You are!”
Ahab replied, “By whom?” Yahweh replied and said, “By the young officers who serve the governors of the districts.” Then Ahab said, “Who will begin the battle?” Yahweh answered, “You.”
15 So Ahab called up the 232 young officers of the district commanders, and assembled the 7,000 soldiers that made up Israel's army.
Then Ahab mustered the young officers who served the governors of the districts. They numbered 232. After them he mustered all the soldiers, all the army of Israel; seven thousand in number.
16 They left at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings with him were busy getting drunk in their tents.
They went out at noon. Ben Hadad had been drinking himself drunk in his tent, he and the thirty-two lesser kings who were supporting him.
17 The young officers of the district commanders took the lead. The scouts Ben-hadad had sent out came and reported to him, “Enemy soldiers are advancing from Samaria.”
The young officers who served the governors of the districts went forward first. Then Ben Hadad was informed by scouts that he had sent out, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”
18 “If they're coming in peace, take them alive,” he ordered. “If they're coming to attack, take them alive.”
Ben Hadad said, “Whether they have come out for peace or war, take them alive.”
19 The young officers of the district commanders advanced from the city, followed by the army.
So the young officers who served the governors of the districts went out of the city and the army followed them.
20 Each man killed his opponent, and the Arameans ran away. The Israelites chased them, but Ben-hadad, king of Aram, escaped on horseback with his cavalry.
Each man killed his opponent. The Arameans fled and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse along with some horsemen.
21 Then the king of Israel came out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.
Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.
22 Later on the prophet came to the king of Israel and told him, “Go and reinforce your defenses, and check what you need to do, because in the spring the king of Aram will come and attack you again.”
So the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and understand and plan what you are doing, because at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you again.”
23 In the meantime the king of Aram's officers told him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains. That's why they could defeat us. But if we fight them in the lowlands, we can beat them.
The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. But now let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are.
24 You should do this: remove each of the kings from their positions and replace them with commanders.
So you must do this: Remove all the kings from their positions of authority and replace them with military commanders.
25 You also have to raise another army to replace the one you lost—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. Then we can fight them in the lowlands and we will definitely beat them.” Ben-hadad listened to their advice and did as they said.
Raise up an army like the army you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight them in the plain. Then surely we will be stronger than they are.” So Ben Hadad listened to their advice and did what they advised.
26 When spring came Ben-hadad called up the Aramean army and went to attack Israel at Aphek.
After the beginning of the new year, Ben Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27 The Israelite army was also called up and provided with supplies. They went to confront the Arameans. But when the Israelites set up their camp opposite the enemy they looked like couple of flocks of goats in comparison with the Aramean army that filled the whole land.
The people of Israel were mustered and supplied to fight against them. The people of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the countryside.
28 Then the man of God came to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is only a god of the mountains and not of the valleys,’ I will make you victorious over the whole of this massive army. Then you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says: 'Because the Arameans have said that Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, I will place this great army into your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'”
29 The armies camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle took place. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day.
So the armies camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle started. The people of Israel killed 100,000 Aramean footmen in one day.
30 The rest ran away to the town of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on 27,000 of those that remained. Ben-hadad also ran to the town and hid in an inside room.
The rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner room.
31 Ben-hadad's officers said to him, “Look, we've heard that the Israelite kings are merciful. Let's surrender to the king of Israel, wearing sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads. Maybe he will let you live.”
Ben Hadad's servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 So wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, they went and surrendered to the king of Israel, and told him, “Your servant Ben-hadad asks, ‘Please let me live.’” The king replied “Is he still alive? I think of him as my brother.”
So they put sackcloth on their waists and ropes around their heads and then went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'” Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 The men thought this was a good sign and they immediately took the king at his word, saying, “Yes, Ben-hahad is your brother.” “Go and fetch him!” said the king. So Ben-hadad came out of hiding and surrendered to Ahab, who pulled him up into his chariot.
Now the men were listening for any sign from Ahab, so they quickly answered him, “Yes, your brother Ben Hadad is alive.” Then Ahab said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben Hadad came to him, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will return the towns my father took from your father, and you can organize your own places for trade in Damascus, like my father did in Samaria.” “By making this agreement I set you free,” Ahab replied. He made a treaty with Ben-hadad and let him go.
Ben Hadad said to Ahab, “I will restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may make markets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab replied, “I will let you go with this covenant.” So Ahab made a covenant with him and then let him go.
35 Following a message he received from the Lord, one of the sons of the prophets said to his colleague, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him.
A certain man, one of the sons of the prophets, said to one of his fellow prophets by the word of Yahweh, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him.
36 So the prophet told him, “Since you have not done what the Lord said, once you leave me a lion is going to kill you.” When the man left, a lion came and killed him.
Then the prophet said to his fellow prophet, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as that man had left him, a lion came upon him and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me!” So the man hit him, wounding him.
Then the prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me.” So the man hit him and wounded him.
38 Then the prophet went and stood beside the road, waiting for the king. He had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
Then the prophet left and waited for the king by the road; he had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 As the king was passing by, he shouted out to the king: “Your servant had gone out fighting right in the middle of the battle, when all of a sudden a man came over with a prisoner and told me, ‘Guard this man! If for any reason he escapes, you will pay for his life with your life, or you will be fined a talent of silver.’
As the king passed by, the prophet cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and a soldier stopped and brought a man to me and said, 'Watch this man. If by any means he goes missing, your life will be given for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.'
40 But while your servant was busy with other things, the man got away.” “So that will be your punishment then,” the king of Israel told him. “You have sentenced yourself.”
But because your servant was busy going here and there, the man escaped.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “This is what your punishment will be—you yourself have decided it.”
41 Then the prophet quickly took off the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets.
Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
42 He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: You have let go a man I had decided should die. Therefore you will pay for his life with your life, your people for his people.”
The prophet said to the king, “Yahweh says, 'Because you have let go from your hand the man whom I had sentenced to death, your life will take the place of his life, and your people for his people.'”
43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria, sulking and infuriated.
So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and angry, and arrived in Samaria.
