Open English Translation 1KI Chapter 20

20 At that time, King Ben-Hadam of Aram (Syria) joined with thirty-two smaller kingdoms and they brought their combined armies and horses and chariots and besieged Israel’s capital Shomron (Samaria) ready to attack it. 2 He sent messengers to Israel’s King Ahav who was inside the city 3 to tell him, “Ben-Hadad says that your gold and silver are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.”

4 “Whatever you say, my master the king,” replied Israel’s king. “I’m yours along with everything I have.”

5 Then the messengers returned, saying, “Ben Hadad said that you’ll give him your gold and silver and your wives and sons, 6 but around this time tomorrow, he’ll send his servants to you to search through your palace and the homes of your people, and they’ll take everything that they consider to be of value.”

7 So Israel’s king summoned all Israel’s leaders and told them, “Listen and note how this man is looking for trouble. He’s claiming my wives and my sons, and my gold and silver, and I didn’t contradict him.”

8 But the elders and all the others responded, “No, don’t listen to him and don’t consent to his demands.”

9 So Ahab told Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my master the king that everything he demanded the first time, I’ll do, but I can’t agree to this new demand.”

So they returned to Ben-Hadad with that response 10 and Ben-Hadad sent another message, “The gods can do whatever they like to me and more if I leave enough dust in Shomron for all my prisoners to have a handful each.”[fn]

11 Israel’s king replied, “Tell Ben-Hadad that someone who’s heading to battle shouldn’t boast like someone relaxing after his victory.”

12 Ben-Hadad received that message while he was in the huts drinking with the other kings, and he immediately ordered his men to get into position so they got ready to attack the city.

13 Just then,, a prophet approached Israel’s King Ahav and told him, “Yahweh asks if you’ve seen that great army, because he’s going to give you victory over them today so you’ll know that Yahweh is God.”

14 “Who will enable the victory?” Ahav asked.

“Yahweh says it’ll be the young men under the provincial commanders,” he answered.

“Who should lead the attack?” he asked.

“You should,” the prophet replied.

15 So Ahav gathered the provincial commanders’ young men and there were 232 of them. He also assembled the fighting men and there were merely seven thousand of them.

16 They exited the city at midday, while Ben-Hadad and the other kings were still getting drunk in their huts. 17 The young men under the provincial commanders led the way out, and the scouts that Ben-Hadad had sent out informed him that men were coming out of Shomron. 18 He ordered, “Whether they’ve come out for peace or for battle, capture them alive.”

19 The provincial commanders’ young men exited the city followed by the warriors 20 and each of them killed their opponent. Then the Arameans took off with the Israelis chasing them, but King Ben-Hadad escaped on a horse along with other riders. 21 Then Israel’s king led more men out and they attacked the horses and chariots—thoroughly defeating Aram.

22 Afterwards that same prophet went back to King Ahav and told him, “Go back and fortify your defenses and plan your strategy, because Aram’s king will attack you again at the same time next year.”

23 Meanwhile the servants of Aram’s king told him, “Their gods are the gods of the hills, so that’s why they were stronger than us. But let’s fight them on the plain instead then we’ll be sure to defeat them. 24 So this is what you should do: relieve those kings of their command and replace them with military commanders. 25 Then gather an army like the one that was defeated, with as many horses and chariots as you had. Then we’ll fight them on the plain and we’ll be sure to defeat them.”

Ben-Hadad took their advice and put the plan into action. 26 The following year, he assembled his army and went to Afek to battle the Israelis, 27 and the Israeli warriors assembled and received their supplies. Then they went to confront them, but they seemed like ants in comparison to the massive Aramean army.

28 A man of God approached Israel’s king and told him, “Yahweh says that the Arameans have been saying that he’s a god of the hills, but not of the valleys. Because of that, he’s going to help you defeat this huge army, and then you’ll know that Yahweh is God.”

29 The two armies remained camped opposite each other for seven days, then the battle began and the Israelis killed a hundred thousand Aramean soldiers that day. 30 The remainder fled into Afek, but the city wall fell onto the remaining twenty-seven thousand men.

Ben-Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room, 31 but his servants told him, “Listen, we’ve heard that the Israeli kings show mercy. Please let us wrap sackcloth around our waists and go out to Israel’s king with ropes on our heads—perhaps he’ll spare your life.” 32 So they wrapped their waists in sacking and put ropes on their heads, and went to Israel’s king, saying, “Your servant Ben Hadad asks you to spare his life.”

“Is he still alive?” he asked. “He’s like a brother to me.”

33 The men were looking for an indication of mercy and when they heard that they were encouraged. “Yes,, Ben-Hadad is like your brother,” they said.

“Yes,, bring him here,” he responded.

So Ben-Hadad revealed himself and was brought into Ahav’s chariot, 34 and he told Ahav, “I’ll return the cities that my father took from with yours, and your traders can set up stalls in Damascus, just as my father did in Shomron.”

“Okay, I’ll accept that agreement and release you,” Ahav said, and after formalising the agreement, he sent him away.

35 One day, a prophet in training with a group told his companion, “By Yahweh’s command, please wound me.” But the man refused to slash him, 36 so the first prophet told him, “Because you didn’t obey Yahweh’s command, listen, as soon as you leave here you’ll be attacked by a lion.” Then after he left, a lion found him and killed him.[ref]

37 Then he found another prophet and said, “Strike me, please,” and the man struck him with a sword—wounding him. 38 Then the wounded prophet disguised himself with a covering over his eyes and went and stood on the road to wait for the king. 39 When the king came past, the prophet called out to him, saying, “Your servant went out in the middle of the battle, and suddenly, a man came across with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man. If he goes missing, your life will be forfeit in place of his, or else you’ll be fined three thousand pieces of silver.’ 40 But while I was busy with other things, the man escaped.”

“Well, by your own testimony, you deserve your punishment,” King Ahav responded.

41 Then he quickly uncovered his eyes and the king recognised that he was one of the prophets, 42 and the prophet told him, “Yahweh says that because you released a man who should have been executed, then your life will be required in place of his, and your people in place of his people.”

43 Then the king went on to his house in Shomron, but he was angry and depressed inside.