1 Kings 20
1. 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.
2. And he sent * messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said * unto him, Thus saith * Benhadad,
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 saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5. 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;
6. 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 * .
7. 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.
8. And all the elders and all the people said * unto him, Hearken * not unto him, nor consent * .
9. 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 * .
10. 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.
11. 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 * .
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
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 children 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 and two kings that helped * him.
17. 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.
18. And he said * , Whether they be come out * for peace, take * them alive;or whether they be 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 which followed them.
20. 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.
21. And the king of Israel went out * , and smote * the horses and chariots, and slew * the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. And do * this thing, Take * the kings away, every man out of his place, and put * captains in their rooms:
25. 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 * .
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 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.
28. 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.
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 children of Israel slew * of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30. 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.
31. 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.
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 said * , Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33. 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.
34. 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 * .
35. 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.
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 slay * thee. And as soon as he was departed * from him, a lion found * him, and slew * him.
37. Then he found * another man, and said * , Smite * me, I pray thee. And the man smote * him, so that in smiting * he wounded * him.
38. So the prophet departed * , and waited * for the king by the way, and disguised * himself with ashes upon his face.
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 * , 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.
40. 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.
41. And he hasted * , and took the ashes away * from his face; and the king of Israel discerned * him that he was of the prophets.
42. 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.
43. And the king of Israel went * to his house heavy and displeased, and came * to Samaria.
