1 Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, with horses and chariots. He went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Ben Hadad says, 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine. Your wives also and your children, even the best, are mine.’"

4 The king of Israel answered, "It is according to your saying, my lord, O king. I am yours, and all that I have."

5 The messengers came again and said, "Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent indeed to you, saying, "You shall deliver me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants. Whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hand, and take it away."’"

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, "Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him."

8 All the elders and all the people said to him, "Don’t listen, and don’t consent."

9 Therefore 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.’"

The messengers departed and brought him back the message. 10 Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, "The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me."

11 The king of Israel answered, "Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’"

12 When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, "Prepare to attack!" So they prepared to attack the city.

13 Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, "Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’"

14 Ahab said, "By whom?"

He said, "Yahweh says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’"

Then he said, "Who shall begin the battle?"

He answered, "You."

15 Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16 They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, "Men are coming out from Samaria."

18 He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive."

19 So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22 The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you."

23 The servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let’s fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place. 25 Muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are."

He listened to their voice and did so. 26 At the return of the year, Ben Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28 A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Yahweh says, ‘Because the Syrians have said, "Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’"

29 They encamped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled and came into the city, into an inner room. 31 His servants said to him, "See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our bodies and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will save your life."

32 So they put sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, and 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."

33 Now the men observed diligently and hurried to take this phrase; and they said, "Your brother Ben Hadad."

Then he said, "Go, bring him."

Then Ben Hadad came out to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 Ben Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria."

"I", said Ahab, "will let you go with this covenant." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

35 A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by Yahweh’s word, "Please strike me!"

The man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed Yahweh’s voice, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you." As soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him and killed him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, "Please strike me."

The man struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king, and he said, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and behold, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man! If by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone."

The king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be. You yourself have decided it."

41 He hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 He said to him, "Yahweh says, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will take the place of his life, and your people take the place of his people.’"

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

1 Then Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his host together; and [there were] thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria and warred against it.

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, into the city and said unto him, Thus hath Benhadad said,

3 Thy silver and thy gold [is] mine; thy wives also and thy children, [even] the goodliest, [are] mine.

4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy word, I [am] thine and all that I have.

5 And the messengers came again and said, Thus hath Benhadad said, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver and thy gold and thy wives and thy children,

6 yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be [that] whatever is precious in thine eyes, they shall put [it] in their hand and take [it] away.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Understand, I pray you, and see how this man seeks only evil, 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.

8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not [unto him], nor consent.

9 So 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.

10 And Benhadad sent unto him again and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, that the dust of Samaria shall not be enough for the [open] hands of all the people that follow me.

11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell [him], Let not him that girds on [his harness] boast as he that puts it off.

12 And when he heard this word, as he [was] drinking with the kings in the pavilions, he said unto his servants, Set [yourselves in array]. And they set [themselves in array] against the city.

13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab, king of Israel, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into thy hand today, that thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD.

14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus hath the LORD said, [Even] by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, Thou.

15 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 sons of Israel, [being] seven thousand.

16 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad [was] drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him.

17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first. And Benhadad had sent out men who warned him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

18 Then he said, If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.

19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army followed after them.

20 And each one smote the man that came against him; and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them. And Benhadad, the king of Syria, escaped on a horse with some of the horsemen.

21 And the king of Israel went out and smote the horsemen and the chariots and smote the Syrians with a great slaughter.

22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and consider, and see what thou must do, for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods [are] gods of the mountains; therefore, they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

24 Therefore, do this: Remove the kings from their positions and put captains in their place.

25 And prepare another army like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot; then 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.

26 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.

27 And the sons of Israel were numbered and took provisions and went against them; and the sons of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the land.

28 [Then] the man of God came and spoke unto the king of Israel and said, Thus hath the LORD said, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD [is] God of the mountains, but he [is] not God of the valleys, therefore, I will deliver all this great multitude into thy hand that ye may know that I [am] the LORD.

29 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 sons of Israel slew of the Syrians one hundred thousand footmen in one day.

30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men [that were] left. And Benhadad also fled and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

31 Then 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 give thee thy life.

32 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 replied, If he is yet alive, he [is] my brother.

33 Now these men took this as a good omen and quickly took this word from his mouth, and they said, Thy brother Benhadad! And he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.

34 And [Benhadad] said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make plazas for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria, and I will leave here confederated with thee. So he made a covenant with him and sent him away.

35 Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour by the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

36 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 smite thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him and smote him.

37 Then he found another man and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him and wounded him.

38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way and disguised himself with a veil over his eyes.

39 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, Guard this man; if by any means he should get away, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

40 And when thy servant was busy here and there, he disappeared. Then the king of Israel said unto him, So [shall] thy sentence [be]; thou thyself hast decided [it].

41 Then he quickly took the veil away from his face; and the king of Israel recognized that he [was] of the prophets.

42 And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Because thou hast let go out of [thy] hand the man of my anathema, therefore, thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people.

43 And the king of Israel went to his house, sad and angry, and came to Samaria.: