The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 20
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 putitin 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.”
11The 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 youseenallthis greatmultitude? 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 ofthe 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 ofthe 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;
andthe wallfell ontwenty-seventhousand
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.”
ThenBenHadad came outtohim; andhe
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 tohim, “Yahwehsays, ‘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.