1 Now A1 Kin 15:18, 20; 2 Kin 6:24Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, B1 Kin 22:31and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and C1 Kin 16:24; 2 Kin 6:24besieged Samaria and fought against it. 2 Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’ ” 4 The king of Israel replied, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” 5 Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says 1Lit Ben-hadad, sayingBen-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” 6 but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and 1Lit all the desire of your eyeswhatever is desirable in your eyes, they will 2Lit puttake in their hand and carry away.’ ”

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please observe and A2 Kin 5:7see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 So 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 him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May A1 Kin 19:2; 2 Kin 6:31the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who 1Lit are at my feetfollow me.” 11 Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘AProv 27:1Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’ ” 12 When Ben-hadad heard this message, as A1 Kin 16:9; Prov 31:4, 5he was drinking 1Lit he andwith the kings in the 2Or boothstemporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

13 Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, A1 Kin 20:28I will deliver them into your hand today, and B1 Kin 18:36you shall know that I am the Loʀᴅ.’ ” 14 Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who shall 1Lit bindbegin the battle?” And he 2Lit saidanswered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

16 They went out at noon, while A1 Kin 16:9; 20:12; Prov 20:1Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the 1Or boothstemporary shelters 2Lit he and the 32 kingswith the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18 A2 Kin 14:8-12Then 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 from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They 1Lit smotekilled each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and 1Lit smotestruck the horses and chariots, and 1Lit smotekilled the Arameans with a great slaughter.

22 Then A1 Kin 20:13the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for B2 Sam 11:1; 1 Kin 20:26at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “A1 Kin 14:23; Jer 16:19-21; Rom 1:21-23Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24  “Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, 25 and 1Lit numbermuster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

26 A1 Kin 20:22At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to B2 Kin 13:17Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, AJudg 6:3-5; 1 Sam 13:5-8but the Arameans filled the country. 28 Then A1 Kin 17:18a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “B1 Kin 20:23The Loʀᴅ is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore C1 Kin 20:13I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Loʀᴅ.’ ” 29 So they camped one over against the other seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel 1Lit smotekilled of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 But the rest fled to A1 Kin 20:26Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city B1 Kin 22:25; 2 Chr 18:24into an inner chamber.

31 A1 Kin 20:23-26His servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings, please let us BGen 37:34; 2 Sam 3:31put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will save your 1Lit soullife.” 32 So A1 Kin 20:31they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “B1 Kin 20:3-6Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men 1Lit divinedtook this as an omen, and quickly 2Lit caught from himcatching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he 3Lit caused him to come uptook him up into the chariot. 34 Ben-hadad said to him, “A1 Kin 15:20The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

35 Now a certain man of A2 Kin 2:3-7the sons of the prophets said to 1Lit his neighboranother B1 Kin 13:17, 18by the word of the Loʀᴅ, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Loʀᴅ, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, A1 Kin 13:24a lion will 1Lit smitekill you.” And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and 2Lit smotekilled him. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Please 1Lit smitestrike me.” And the man 2Lit smotestruck him, 3Lit striking and woundingwounding him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and A1 Kin 14:2disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, A2 Kin 10:24then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40  “While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him that he was of the prophets. 42 He said to him, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore A1 Kin 20:39your 1Lit soullife shall go for his 1Lit soullife, and your people for his people.’ ” 43 So A1 Kin 21:4the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.