20:1 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it.
20:2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says:
20:3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”
20:4 The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”
20:5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children.
20:6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’”
20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”
20:8 The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.”
20:9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.’” They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
20:10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”
20:11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”
20:12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men: “Prepare to attack.” So they prepared to attack the city.
20:13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
20:14 “But who will do this?” asked Ahab. The prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘The young officers of the provincial commanders will do it.’” “And who will start the battle?” he asked. The prophet answered, “You will.”
20:15 So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.
20:16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
20:17 The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.”
20:18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
20:19 The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them
20:20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.
20:21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.
20:22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”
20:23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
20:24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers.
20:25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost–horse for horse and chariot for chariot–so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.
20:26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
20:27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
20:28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
20:29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
20:30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
20:31 His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
20:32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’” The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
20:33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said. “Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
20:34 “I will return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad offered. “You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said,”On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.
20:35 By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but the man refused.
20:36 So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
20:37 The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him.
20:38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
20:39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’
20:40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”
20:41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
20:42 He said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’”
20:43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.
20:1 And Ben-hadad the king of Syria assembled all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, as well as horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.
20:2 And he sent messengers to the city to Ahab the king of Israel and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad,
20:3 Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.
20:4 And the king of Israel answered and said, As you say, O my lord the king, I and all that I have are yours.
20:5 And the messengers came again and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, I sent word to you, saying, You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children;
20:6 But tomorrow at this time I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and your servants houses; and whatever is pleasant in your sight, they will put in their hand and take away.
20:7 And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Look now, and see how this man seeks trouble; for he sent word to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold; and I did not deny him.
20:8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen to him, nor shall you give consent.
20:9 And he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed and brought word back to him.
20:10 And Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, The gods do so to me and even more, if the dust of Samaria will provide even a handful for all the people who follow me!
20:11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him who puts on his armor boast like him who takes it off.
20:12 And when he heard this word, as he and the kings in the tents were drinking, he said to his servants, Set yourselves in position. And they set themselves in position against the city.
20:13 Then at that moment a certain prophet approached Ahab the king of Israel and said, Thus says Jehovah, Have you seen all this great multitude? I am now delivering it into your hand today, and you will know that I am Jehovah.
20:14 And Ahab said, Through whom? And he said, Thus says Jehovah, Through the attendants of the leaders of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he said, You.
20:15 And he numbered the attendants of the leaders of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.
20:16 And they went out at noon; and Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.
20:17 And the attendants of the leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out men, and they told him, saying, Some men have come forth from Samaria.
20:18 And he said, If they have come forth for peace, take them alive; or if they have come forth for war, take them alive.
20:19 But these had come forth from the city, the attendants of the leaders of the provinces and the army that followed them.
20:20 And each man struck down his opponent; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. And Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.
20:21 And the king of Israel went forth and struck down the horses and chariots, and he struck down the Syrians with a great slaughter.
20:22 And the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, Go; strengthen yourself, and consider and see what you should do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.
20:23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their gods are gods of the mountains; therefore they were stronger than we. But if we fight against them in the plain, we will surely be stronger than they.
20:24 So do this: Remove the kings, each from his place, and put governors in their places.
20:25 And you number an army, like the army that you lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain. We will surely be stronger than they. And he listened to their voice and did so.
20:26 And at the return of the year Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight with Israel.
20:27 And the children of Israel were numbered and supplied with food, and they went to meet them. And the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the land.
20:28 And the man of God approached and spoke to the king of Israel and said, Thus says Jehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is a God of the mountains, but He is not a God of the valleys, I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand; and you will know that I am Jehovah.
20:29 And they camped, one army against the other, for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the children of Israel struck down a hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day.
20:30 And the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on the twenty-seven thousand of them who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city, hiding from one room to another.
20:31 And his servants said to him, Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. We beg you, let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will preserve your life.
20:32 And they girded sackcloth on their loins and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says, I beg you, preserve my life. And he said, Is he still alive? He is my brother.
20:33 And the men were looking for some sign and quickly caught what came from him; and they said, Ben-hadad is your brother. And he said, Go and bring him. And Ben-hadad came forth to him, and he brought him up into the chariot.
20:34 And Ben-hadad said to him, The cities that my father took from your father I will restore; and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And I, said Ahab, will send you away with this treaty. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
20:35 And a certain one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of Jehovah, Strike me. But the man refused to strike him.
20:36 Then he said to him, Because you have not listened to the voice of Jehovah, as soon as you depart from me, the lion will strike you down. And when he had departed from him, the lion found him and struck him down.
20:37 Then he found another man and said, Strike me. And the man struck him violently and wounded him.
20:38 And the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and he disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
20:39 And when the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and then a man turned aside and brought another man to me and said, Guard this man; if he is missing at all, your life will be for his life, or you will pay a talent of silver.
20:40 And because your servant was doing things here and there, he got away. And the king of Israel said to him, So be your judgment; you have determined it yourself.
20:41 Then he quickly took the bandage away from over his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
20:42 And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah, Because you have released out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.
20:43 And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and he came to Samaria.
