1 Kings 20

1Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered his whole army. Thirty-two kings were with him, along with horses and chariots. He went up, besieged Samaria, and attacked it.

2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel to tell him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:

3‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your finest children are mine.’”

4The king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord the king: I am yours, and all that I have.”

5The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I sent word to you, “You must give me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.”

6But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will lay hands on everything you value and carry it away.’”

7Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Look and see how this man is looking for trouble. When he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not refuse him.”

8All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen to him or give in.”

9So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your servant at first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” The messengers left and took the answer back to him.

10Then Ben-hadad sent to him, saying, “May the gods do so to me, and more, if there is enough dust in Samaria for each of the troops who follow me to have a handful.”

11The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘The one who puts on his armor should not boast like the one who takes it off.’”

12Ben-hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their shelters. He said to his servants, “Take your positions!” So they took their positions against the city.

13Just then a prophet came up to Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Do you see all this great horde? I am going to hand it over to you today, and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

14Ahab asked, “By whom?” He answered, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’” Ahab asked, “Who will start the battle?” He answered, “You.”

15So Ahab mustered the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 of them. After them he mustered all the troops, all the Israelites, seven thousand in all.

16They went out at noon while Ben-hadad was getting drunk in the shelters, he and the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

17The young officers of the district governors went out first. Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out of Samaria.”

18He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. If they have come out for war, take them alive.”

19These went out from the city—the young officers of the district governors and the army behind them.

20Each one struck down his man. The Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with some horsemen.

21The king of Israel went out and struck down the horses and chariots and inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.

22Then the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen your forces, and consider carefully what you must do, for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

23Meanwhile the officials of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. 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.

24Do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put governors in their place.

25Then raise an army for yourself like the army you lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot, and let us fight them on the plain. Surely we will be stronger than they are.” He listened to their advice and did so.

26At the turn of the year Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

27The Israelites were also mustered and supplied, and they went out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the countryside.

28Then the man of God came up and said to the king of Israel, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Because the Arameans have said, “Yahweh is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand this whole great horde over to you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

29They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle was joined, and the Israelites struck down a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers in a single day.

30The rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on 27,000 of the men who were left. Ben-hadad also fled and went into the city and hid in an inner room.

31His servants said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings who show kindness. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

32So they tied 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 were watching for a sign, and they quickly caught his word and said, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad!” He said, “Go and bring him.” When Ben-hadad came out to him, he had him come up into his chariot.

34Ben-hadad said to him, “I will return the cities my father took from your father, and you may set up markets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said, “On the terms of this covenant I will let you go.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

35Now a certain man from the company of prophets said to his companion by the word of Yahweh, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him.

36So he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, as soon as you leave me, a lion will strike you down.” When he had left him, a lion found him and struck him down.

37Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him hard and wounded him.

38Then the prophet went and waited for the king by the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

39As the king passed by, he called out to the king, “Your servant went out into the thick of the battle, and a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If he goes missing, it will be your life for his life, or else you must pay a talent of silver.’

40While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “That is your sentence. You have decided it yourself.”

41Then he quickly took the bandage off his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42He said to the king, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Because you have let the man I had devoted to destruction slip out of your hand, it will be your life for his life and your people for his people.’”

43The king of Israel went off to his house sullen and angry, and he came to Samaria.