Verse
WEB
World English Bible
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
Ben Hadad 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 fought
against it.
Now
Ben -
hadad king of Aram
assembled
his entire
army.
Accompanied
by
thirty-two kings with their
horses and chariots ,
he marched
up ,
besieged Samaria, and waged
war
against it.
He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into
the
city,
and
said
to
him,
Thus
says
Ben
Hadad,
Then
he sent messengers into
the
city
to Ahab king of Israel,
Your silver and your
gold is
mine ;
your wives also
and your
children ,
even
the
best,
are mine .
saying,
“This
is
what
Ben-hadad
says:
‘
Your silver and gold are
mine ,
and
your best
wives and children are mine !’”
The king of Israel answered
, It
is
according
to
your
saying
, my lord ,
O
king ;
I am yours, and
all that I have.
And
the king of Israel replied
, “Just
as
you
say
, my lord the
king :
I am yours, along
with
all that I have. ”
The messengers came again,
and said, Thus
speaks
Ben Hadad ,
saying,
I sent indeed
to you ,
saying,
You
shall
deliver
me
your silver, and
your gold, and
your wives, and your children ;
The messengers came back
and said, “This
is
what
Ben -
hadad says:
‘
I have
sent to you to
demand
your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children .
but I will send my servants to you
tomorrow
about
this
time,
and
they
shall
search your house,
and the houses of your servants ;
and
it
shall
be,
that
whatever
is
pleasant
in
your
eyes,
they shall
put
it
in
their
hand,
and take
it
away.
But about
this
time
tomorrow
I will send my servants to search your palace
and the houses of your servants .
They will
seize
and carry
away all
that
is
precious
to
you
. ’”
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.
Then the king of Israel summoned
all the elders of the land and said, “
Please take
note
and
see
that
this man is
looking
for trouble,
for when
he
demanded
my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold ,
I did
not
deny him. ”
All
the elders and all
the people said to
him
, Don't
you
listen ,
neither
consent.
And
the elders and the people all
said, “Do
not
listen to
him
or
consent to
his
terms
. ”
Therefore
he
said
to
the messengers of Ben Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you did
send
for
to
your servant at
the first I will do ;
but this thing I may
not
do. The messengers departed ,
and brought
him
word
again
.
So
Ahab
answered
the messengers of Ben -
hadad, “
Tell my lord the king, ‘
All that you demanded
of
your servant the first time
I will do ,
but this thing I cannot
do. ’”
So
the messengers departed and relayed
the
message
to
Ben-hadad
.
Ben Hadad sent to him,
and
said,
The gods do
so
to
me, and more
also
, if the
dust of Samaria shall
suffice
for handfuls
for
all
the
people
who
follow
me
.
Then
Ben -
hadad sent another
message
to Ahab:
“May
the gods deal
with
me, and ever
so
severely
, if enough
dust remains
of Samaria for each
of
my
men
to
have
a
handful
. ”
The king of Israel answered
, Tell him ,
Don't
let
him
who
girds
on [
his armor ]
boast himself
as
he
who
puts
it off.
And
the king of Israel replied
, “
Tell him :
‘The
one
putting
on his armor should
not
boast like
one
taking
it off. ’”
It
happened,
when
[
Ben Hadad ]
heard
this message ,
as
he
was
drinking,
he and the kings ,
in the
pavilions
, that
he said to his servants, Set
[yourselves
in
array]
. They set
[
themselves in
array]
against the city.
Ben -
hadad received
this message while
he and the kings were
drinking
in their
tents
, and
he said to his servants, “Take
your
positions
. ”
So
they stationed
themselves against the city.
Behold,
a prophet came
near
to
Ahab king of Israel ,
and said
, Thus
says Yahweh,
Have
you seen
all
this great multitude
? behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day ;
and you shall
know that I am Yahweh
.
Meanwhile
a prophet approached
Ahab king of Israel and declared
, “This
is
what
the
LORD
says :
‘Do
you see
this entire
great army
? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very
day ,
and you will
know that I am the
LORD
. ’”
Ahab
said,
By whom? He
said
, Thus
says Yahweh,
By the young men
of
the
princes
of the provinces
. Then
he
said,
Who shall
begin
the battle? He
answered,
You.
“
By whom? ”
Ahab
asked.
And
the
prophet
replied
, “This
is
what
the
LORD
says :
‘
By the young officers
of the district
governors
. ’”
“
Who will
start
the battle? ”
asked
Ahab.
“
You will,”
answered
the
prophet
.
Then
he
mustered
the young men
of
the
princes
of the provinces
, and they
were two
hundred
and
thirty-two:
and after them he
mustered
all
the
people
, even
all
the children
of Israel
, being
seven
thousand
.
So
Ahab
assembled
the young officers
of the district
governors
, and there
were 232
men.
And after them, he
assembled
the rest
of the
Israelite
troops
, 7,000
in
all
.
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.
They marched
out at noon while
Ben -
hadad and the 32
kings allied
with
him were
in
their
tents
getting
drunk
.
The young men
of
the
princes
of the provinces
went
out first ;
and
Ben Hadad sent out, and
they
told
him, saying,
There
are
men come
out from
Samaria.
And
the young officers
of the district
governors
marched
out first .
Now
Ben -
hadad had
sent out scouts
, who
reported
to
him, “
Men are
marching
out of
Samaria. ”
He
said,
Whether
they are
come
out for
peace, take them alive ,
or
whether
they are
come
out for war, taken
them alive.
“If
they have
marched
out in
peace, ”
he
said,
“
take them alive .
Even
if
they have
marched
out for war, take
them alive. ”
So
these
went
out
of
the
city
, the
young men
of the princes
of the provinces
, and
the army which
followed
them .
Meanwhile
, these
young officers
of the district
governors
marched
out
of the city
, with
the army behind
them ,
They
killed
everyone
his
man;
and the Syrians
fled, and
Israel
pursued
them:
and
Ben Hadad the
king of Syria
escaped on a
horse
with horsemen
.
and each
one
struck
down
his
opponent.
So
the Arameans
fled, with
the
Israelites
in
pursuit.
But
Ben -
hadad king of Aram
escaped on horseback
with the
cavalry
.
The king of Israel went
out ,
and struck
the horses and chariots, and
killed
the
Syrians
with
a great slaughter.
Then
the king of Israel marched
out and attacked
the horses and chariots, inflicting
a great slaughter on
the
Arameans
.
The prophet came
near
to
the king of Israel ,
and said to
him
, Go ,
strengthen
yourself,
and mark
, and see
what you do ;
for at
the
return
of
the year
the king of Syria
will come up against you.
Afterward,
the prophet approached
the king of Israel and said, “
Go and strengthen
your
position
, and take
note
what you must
do ,
for in
the spring
the king of Aram
will come up against you. ”
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
us fight against
them in
the plain,
and
surely we shall
be
stronger
than
they
.
Meanwhile,
the servants of the king of Aram
said to him, “
Their gods
are
gods
of the hills .
That
is
why
they prevailed
over
us .
Instead,
we
should
fight them on
the plains;
surely then
we will
prevail
.
Do this thing
: take
the kings away,
every
man
out
of
his
place,
and
put
captains
in
their room;
So
do this: Dismiss
all
the kings from
their positions
and
replace
them
with
other
officers.
and number
you an army ,
like the army
that
you have 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
. He
listened
to
their voice,
and did
so
.
And you must
raise
an army like the one
you have lost —
horse for horse and chariot for chariot —so
we can
fight the Israelites
on
the
plain, where
we will
surely
prevail
. ”
And
the
king
approved
their plan
and acted
accordingly
.
It
happened
at
the
return
of
the year
, that
Ben Hadad mustered
the Syrians,
and went up to Aphek ,
to fight against Israel.
In
the spring
, Ben -
hadad mobilized
the Arameans
and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
The children
of
Israel
were
mustered
, and
were
provisioned
, and went
against
them :
and
the children
of
Israel
encamped
before them like two little
flocks of kids;
but
the Syrians
filled
the country
.
The Israelites
also
mobilized
, gathered
supplies
, and marched
out
to
meet
them .
The Israelites
camped
before them like two small
flocks of goats,
while
the Arameans
covered
the countryside
.
A
man of God came
near
and
spoke
to
the king of Israel ,
and said, Thus
says Yahweh,
Because the Syrians
have
said,
Yahweh
is a god of the hills ,
but
he
is
not a
god
of the valleys ;
therefore
will
I deliver all this great multitude
into your hand ,
and
you shall
know that I am Yahweh
.
Then
the
man of God approached
the king of Israel and said, “This
is
what
the
LORD
says :
‘
Because the Arameans
think
the
LORD
is a god of the hills and
not of the valleys ,
I will
deliver all this great army
into your hand .
Then
you will
know that I am the
LORD
. ’”
They
encamped
one
over
against
the
other
seven days .
So
it
was
, that
in
the seventh day the battle was
joined;
and the children
of
Israel
killed
of
the Syrians
one
hundred thousand footmen
in one day.
For
seven days the
armies
camped
opposite
each
other
, and
on
the seventh day the battle ensued,
and the Israelites
struck
down
the Arameans—a
hundred thousand foot
soldiers
in one day.
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 chamber
.
The rest of
them
fled into the city of
Aphek,
where
the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of
the
remaining
men. Ben -
hadad also
fled to
the city and
hid
in
an inner room
.
His
servants said to him, See
now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings:
let us ,
we
pray
you,
put
sackcloth
on
our
loins,
and
ropes
on
our
heads,
and
go out to the king of Israel :
peradventure
he will save
your life.
Then
the
servants of
Ben-hadad
said to him, “Look
now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful .
Let us go out to the king of Israel with
sackcloth
around
our
waists
and
ropes
around
our
heads.
Perhaps
he will spare
your life. ”
So they
girded
sackcloth on
their loins,
and [put]
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 yet
alive? he is my brother.
So with
sackcloth around
their waists
and ropes around
their heads, they
went
to the king of Israel and said, “
Your servant Ben -
hadad says, ‘
Please spare
my
life
. ’”
And
the
king
answered
, “
Is he still
alive? He is my brother. ”
Now the men observed
diligently,
and
hurried
to
catch
whether
it
were his
mind;
and they said
, Your brother Ben Hadad. Then
he
said,
Go you,
bring
him. Then Ben Hadad came forth
to
him;
and he
caused
him to
come up into the
chariot.
Now the men were looking
for
a
sign
of
hope,
and they quickly
grasped
at
this
word
and
replied
, “Yes,
your brother Ben -
hadad. ”
“
Go and
get
him !”
said
the
king
. Then Ben -
hadad came out,
and Ahab
had
him come up into his
chariot.
[
Ben Hadad ]
said to him, The cities which
my father took from your father I
will
restore
; and
you shall
make
streets
for
you
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
.
Ben -
hadad said to him, “I
will
restore
the cities my father took from your father; you may
set
up
your
own
marketplaces
in Damascus, as my father did
in Samaria. ”
“By
this
treaty
I release
you
, ”
Ahab replied
. So he made a treaty
with him and sent
him away
.
A
certain
man
of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow
by
the
word
of
Yahweh
, Please
strike me .
The man refused to strike him.
Meanwhile,
by
the
word
of the LORD,
one
of
the
sons of the prophets said to his companion
, “
Strike me ,
please!”
But
the man refused to strike him.
Then said he
to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh,
behold
, as soon as you are
departed
from me ,
a lion shall
kill you. As
soon
as
he was
departed
from
him
, a lion found him ,
and killed him.
Then the
prophet
said to him, “
Because you have not obeyed the voice of the
LORD
, as soon as you depart
from me a lion will
kill you. ”
And
when
he left
, a lion found him and killed him.
Then he
found another man ,
and said, Please
strike me .
The man struck him ,
smiting
and wounding
him .
Then the
prophet
found another man and said, “
Strike me ,
please!”
So
the man struck him and wounded
him ,
So
the prophet departed,
and waited for the king by
the
way
, and
disguised
himself with his
headband
over his eyes.
and
the prophet went
and waited on
the
road
for the king, disguising
himself with a
bandage
over his eyes.
As the king passed by, he cried to the king ;
and
he
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
, Keep
this man :
if by
any
means
he be
missing, then
shall
your life be for his life, or else
you shall
pay
a talent of silver.
As the king passed by, he cried out
to the king :
“
Your servant had
marched
out into the middle
of the battle, when
suddenly
a man came
over
with
a captive
and told
me
, ‘Guard
this man !
If he goes
missing for
any
reason
, your life will
be exchanged
for his life, or you will
weigh
out
a talent of silver. ’
As
your servant was busy here and there, he
was
gone
. The king of Israel said to him, So shall your judgment be; yourself
have decided
it.
But
while
your servant was busy here and there, the
man
disappeared
. ”
And
the king of Israel said to him, “
So shall your judgment be; you
have pronounced
it on
yourself
. ”
He
hurried,
and
took
the headband
away
from his eyes ;
and the king of Israel discerned
him that
he
was
of the prophets.
Then
the prophet
quickly
removed
the
bandage
from his eyes ,
and the king of Israel recognized
him as
one
of the prophets.
He
said to him
, Thus
says Yahweh,
Because you have let go
out
of
your hand the man whom
I had devoted to destruction, therefore
your life shall
go
for his life, and your people for his people.
And
the
prophet
said to the
king
, “This
is
what
the
LORD
says :
‘
Because you have let slip
from
your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will
be
exchanged
for his life, and your people for his people. ’”
The king of Israel went to
his
house
sullen
and
angry,
and
came
to Samaria.
Sullen
and
angry,
the king of Israel went home
to Samaria.
Scripture text: World English Bible and Berean Standard Bible. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org.; Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC..