1 Kings 20

1Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his full forces, with thirty-two kings alongside him plus horses and chariots; he advanced, laid siege to Samaria, and attacked it.

2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab, king of Israel, saying to him, "Ben Hadad says,

3Your silver and your gold are mine. Your wives and your children, even the choicest, are mine.

4The king of Israel answered and said, "According to your word, my lord the king, I am yours, and all that I have."

5The messengers returned again and said, "Thus Benhadad says, saying, 'Indeed I sent to you saying, "Give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children." ' "

6If tomorrow about this time I send my servants to you and they search your house and the houses of your servants, then whatever is precious in your eyes they will put in their hands and carry off.

7The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Please know and see how this one seeks evil, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not withhold from him."

8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen, nor consent."

9He said to Benhadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you first sent to your servant I will do, but I cannot carry out this matter.'" The messengers departed and brought word back to him.

10Benhadad sent to him and said, "May the gods deal thus with me and worse still, if the dust of Samaria suffices for handfuls for all the people who are at my feet."

11The king of Israel answered and said, "Tell him, 'Let not the one girding on his armor boast like the one stripping it off.'"

12It happened when he heard this report, as he and the kings were drinking in the pavilions, that he said to his servants, "Position yourselves!" And they positioned themselves against the city.

13Look, one prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, and said, "Here's what Yahweh declares: Have you seen all this vast throng? See, I'm delivering it into your hand today, and you'll know that I am Yahweh."

14Ahab said, "By whom?" He answered, "Thus says Yahweh, by the young men of the provincial captains." He said, "Who shall gird the battle?" He answered, "You."

15He mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, who were two hundred thirty-two, and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.

16They went out at noon, but Ben-hadad was drunkenly drinking in the pavilions—he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

17The young men of the provincial princes went out first. Benhadad sent out, and they reported to him, saying, "Men have come out from Samaria."

18He said, "If they come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they come out for war, seize them alive."

19These set out from the city—the young men of the provincial rulers and the army that followed them.

20They each struck down their man, the Arameans fled, Israel pursued them, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

21The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, then inflicted a great slaughter on the Arameans.

22The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, know and see what you will do, for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

23The servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills, so they prevailed over us; but let us fight them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they."

24Do this: remove the kings, each man from his place, and appoint governors in their stead.

25Raise an army for yourself like the army that fell from your ranks, horse for horse, chariot for chariot, and we will fight them on the plain—surely we will be stronger than they. He listened to their voice and did so.

26At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek for battle against Israel.

27The sons of Israel mustered and were supplied, then marched to meet them; the sons of Israel encamped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the land.

28A man of God drew near and said to the king of Israel, "Yahweh says this: Because the Arameans have said, 'Yahweh is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys,' I will hand this entire great host over to you, and you will know that I am Yahweh."

29They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day battle broke out, and the sons of Israel struck down a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers in one day.

30The survivors fled to Aphek, into the city; the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-Hadad fled and entered the city, into an inner chamber.

31His servants said to him, "See, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel show mercy. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists, ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life."

32They girded sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, came 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."

33The men watched closely and hurried to catch it from him; they said, "Your brother Ben-Hadad." He said, "Come, get him." Ben-Hadad came out to him, and he brought him up into the chariot.

34He said to him, "I will return the cities my father took from your father, and you shall establish streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father established in Samaria." He said, "I will release you with this covenant." So he made a covenant with him and released him.

35A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the word of Yahweh, "Please strike me!" The man refused to strike him.

36He said to him, "Because you did not obey Yahweh's voice, look, as you go from me a lion will strike you." He went from him, the lion found him, and struck him.

37He found another man and said, "Strike me, please." The man struck him, striking and wounding him.

38The prophet went and stood by the road for the king, disguising himself with ashes over his eyes.

39When the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and look, a man turned aside and brought a man to me, and he said, 'Watch this man! If he goes missing at all, then your life will be in place of his life, or else you will weigh out a talent of silver.'"

40While your servant was occupied here and there, he disappeared. The king of Israel said to him, "So it shall be by your judgment—you yourself have decided it."

41He hurried and removed the ashes from over his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42He said to him, Thus says Yahweh: Because you released from your hand the man I devoted to destruction, your life shall be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.

43The king of Israel went to his house dejected and wrathful, and came to Samaria.