1 Reis 20

1 And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,

3 Thy silver and thy gold

4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I

5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, 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,

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this

8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not

9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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 Ben-hadad 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

12 And it came to pass, when

13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the

14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the

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,

16 And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad

17 And 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 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 Ben-hadad 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

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,

26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad 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

29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And

30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and

31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel

32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and

33 Now the men did diligently observe whether

34 And

35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the

36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the

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

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

41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he

42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the

43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.