And Benhadad the king
of Syria
gathered
all his host
together
: and there were thirty
and two
kings
with him, and horses
, and chariots
: and he went up
and besieged
Samaria
, and warred
against it.
And he sent messengers
to Ahab
king
of Israel
into the city
, and said
unto him, Thus saith
Benhadad
,
Thy silver and thy gold
is mine; thy wives
also and thy children
, even the goodliest
, are mine.
And the king of Israel
answered
and said
, My lord
, O king
, according to thy saying
, I am thine, and all that I have.
And the messengers came again
, and said
, Thus speaketh
Benhadad
, saying
, Although I have sent
unto thee, saying
, Thou shalt deliver
me thy silver
, and thy gold
, and thy wives
, and thy children
;
Yet I will send my servants
unto thee to morrow
about this time
, and they shall search
thine house
, and the houses
of thy servants
; and it shall be
, that whatsoever is pleasant
in thine eyes
, they shall put
it in their hand
, and take it away
.
Then the king of Israel
called
all the elders
of the land
, and said
, Mark
, I pray you, and see
how this man seeketh
mischief
: for he sent
unto me for my wives
, and for my children
, and for my silver
, and for my gold
; and I denied
him not.
And all the elders and all the people
said
unto him, Hearken
not unto him , nor consent
.
Wherefore he said unto the messengers
of Benhadad
, Tell
my lord
the king
, All that thou didst send
for to thy servant
at the first
I will do
: but this thing
I may
not do
. And the messengers
departed
, and brought
him word
again
.
And Benhadad sent
unto him, and said
, The gods
do so
unto me, and more also
, if the dust
of Samaria
shall suffice
for handfuls
for all the people
that follow
me.
And the king of Israel
answered
and said
, Tell
him , Let not him that girdeth
on his harness boast
himself as he that putteth it off
.
And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message
, as he was drinking
, he and the kings
in the pavilions
, that he said
unto his servants
, Set
yourselves in array . And they set
themselves in array against the city
.
And, behold, there came a
prophet
unto Ahab
king
of Israel
, saying
, Thus saith
the LORD
, Hast thou seen
all this great
multitude
? behold, I will deliver
it into thine hand
this day
; and thou shalt know
that I am the LORD
.
And Ahab said
, By whom? And he said
, Thus saith
the LORD
, Even by the young men
of the princes
of the provinces
. Then he said
, Who shall order
the battle
? And he answered
, Thou.
Then he numbered the young men
of the princes
of the provinces
, and they were two
hundred
and thirty
two
: and after
them he numbered
all the people
, even all the children
of Israel
, being seven
thousand
.
And they went out at noon
. But Benhadad
was drinking
himself drunk
in the pavilions
, he and the kings
, the thirty
and two
kings
that helped
him.
And the young men of the princes
of the provinces
went out
first
; and Benhadad
sent out
, and they told
him, saying
, There are men
come out
of Samaria
.
And he said, Whether they be come out
for peace
, take
them alive
; or whether they be come out
for war
, take
them alive
.
So these young men of the princes
of the provinces
came out
of the city
, and the army
which followed
them.
And they slew every one
his man
: and the Syrians
fled
; and Israel
pursued
them: and Benhadad
the king
of Syria
escaped
on an horse
with the horsemen
.
And the king of Israel
went out
, and smote
the horses
and chariots
, and slew
the Syrians
with a great
slaughter
.
And the prophet came
to the king
of Israel
, and said
unto him, Go
, strengthen
thyself, and mark
, and see
what thou doest
: for at the return
of the year
the king
of Syria
will come up
against thee.
And the servants of the king
of Syria
said
unto him, Their gods
are gods
of the hills
; therefore they were stronger
than we; but
let us fight
against them in the plain
, and surely
we shall be stronger
than they.
And do this thing
, Take
the kings
away, every man
out of his place
, and put
captains
in their rooms:
And number thee an army
, like the army
that thou hast lost
, horse
for horse
, and chariot
for chariot
: and we will fight
against
them in the plain
, and surely we shall be stronger
than they. And he hearkened
unto their voice
, and did so
.
And it came to pass at the return of the year
, that Benhadad
numbered
the Syrians
, and went up
to Aphek
, to fight
against Israel
.
And the children of Israel
were numbered
, and were all present
, and went
against
them: and the children
of Israel
pitched
before them like two
little flocks
of kids
; but the Syrians
filled
the country
.
And there came a man
of God
, and spake
unto the king
of Israel
, and said
, Thus saith
the LORD
, Because the Syrians
have said
, The LORD
is God
of the hills
, but he is not God
of the valleys
, therefore will I deliver
all this great
multitude
into thine hand
, and ye shall know
that I am the LORD
.
And they pitched one
over against
the other
seven
days
. And so it was, that in the seventh
day
the battle
was joined
: and the children
of Israel
slew
of the Syrians
an hundred
thousand
footmen
in one
day
.
But the rest fled
to Aphek
, into the city
; and there a wall
fell
upon twenty
and seven
thousand
of the men
that were left
. And Benhadad
fled
, and came
into the city
, into an inner
chamber
.
And his servants said
unto him, Behold now, we have heard
that the kings
of the house
of Israel
are merciful
kings
: let us, I pray thee, put
sackcloth
on our loins
, and ropes
upon our heads
, and go out
to the king
of Israel
: peradventure he will save
thy life
.
So they girded sackcloth
on their loins
, and put ropes
on their heads
, and came
to the king
of Israel
, and said
, Thy servant
Benhadad
saith
, I pray thee, let me live
. And he said
, Is he yet alive
? he is my brother
.
Now the men did diligently observe
whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily
catch
it : and they said
, Thy brother
Benhadad
. Then he said
, Go
ye, bring
him. Then Benhadad
came forth
to him; and he caused him to come up
into the chariot
.
And Benhadad said unto him, The cities
, which my father
took
from thy father
, I will restore
; and thou shalt make
streets
for thee in Damascus
, as my father
made
in Samaria
. Then said Ahab , I will send thee away
with this covenant
. So he made
a covenant
with him, and sent him away
.
And a certain man
of the sons
of the prophets
said
unto his neighbour
in the word
of the LORD
, Smite
me, I pray thee. And the man
refused
to smite
him.
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed
the voice
of the LORD
, behold, as soon as thou art departed
from me, a lion
shall slay
thee. And as soon as he was departed
from him
, a lion
found
him, and slew
him.
Then he found another
man
, and said
, Smite
me, I pray thee. And the man
smote
him, so that in smiting
he wounded
him .
So the prophet departed
, and waited
for the king
by the way
, and disguised
himself with ashes
upon his face
.
And as the king passed by
, he cried
unto the king
: and he said
, Thy servant
went out
into the midst
of the battle
; and, behold, a man
turned aside
, and brought
a man
unto me, and said
, Keep
this man
: if by any means
he be missing
, then shall thy life
be for his life
, or else thou shalt pay
a talent
of silver
.
And as thy servant was busy
here and there, he was gone
. And the king
of Israel
said
unto him, So shall thy judgment
be ; thyself hast decided
it .
And he hasted, and took the ashes
away
from his face
; and the king
of Israel
discerned
him that he was of the prophets
.
And he said unto him, Thus saith
the LORD
, Because thou hast let go
out of thy hand
a man
whom I appointed to utter destruction
, therefore thy life
shall go for his life
, and thy people
for his people
.
And the king of Israel
went
to his house
heavy
and displeased
, and came
to Samaria
.