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The First Book of Kings 20

20 Now Ben Hadad the king of Aram gathered all his strength and 32 kings with him, and horse and chariotry. And he went up and laid seige against Samaria and he fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab the king of Israel at the city. 3 And he said to him, ‘Thus says Ben Hadad, “Your silver and your gold, it is for me. And your wives and your sons, the good ones, they are for me.” ’ 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “According to your word, my master the king, I and all that is for me is for you.” 5 And the messengers returned and said, “Thus says Ben Hadad, saying, ‘Surely I sent to you, saying, your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons you will give to me, 6 but rather around this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search through your house and the houses of your servants. And it will happen that any precious thing of your eyes they will put in their hand and they will take.’ ”

7 And the king of Israel called to all the elders of the land. And he said, “Please know and see that this one is seeking evil, for he has sent to me for my wives and for my sons and for my silver and for my gold, and I have not withheld from him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen and do not consent.” 9 And he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say to my master the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I am not able to do.’ ” And the messengers went and returned him word. 10 And Ben Hadad sent to him and he said, “Thus may gods do to me and thus may they add, if the dust of Samaria will be sufficient for handfuls for all the people who will be at my feet!” 11 And the king of Israel answered and said, “Speak, ‘one about to gird should not boast like one who is ungirding.’ ” 12 And it happened at the hearing of this word as he was drinking, he and the kings in the huts, that he said to his servants, “Set up,” and they set up against the city.

13 And behold, one prophet came near to Ahab the king of Israel and he said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Have you seen all of this great crowd? Behold, I am about to give it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’ ” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says Yahweh, by the young men of the commanders of the provinces.” And he said, “Who will tie up the battle?” And he said, “You.” 15 And he mustered the young men of the commanders of the provinces, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel were 7,000.

16 And they went out at the midday. And Ben Hadad was drinking drunk in the huts, he and the kings, 32 kings who helped him. 17 And the young men of the commanders of the provinces went out at the first. And Ben Hadad sent and they told him, saying, “Men have gone out from Samaria.” 18 And he said, “If they have gone out for peace, seize them alive, and if they have gone out for war, alive seize them.” 19 And these went out from the city, the young men of the commanders of the provinces and the strength that was behind them. 20 But they struck down, a man his man. And Aram fled and Israel pursued them. And Ben Hadad the king of Aram slipped away on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and he struck down the horse and the chariot. And he struck Aram a great blow.

22 And the prophet came near to the king of Israel and he said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and know and see what you should do, because at the return of the year the king of Aram will be coming up against you.” 23 And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains. Therefore they were stronger than us. But indeed let us fight them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than them. 24 And do this thing: remove the kings, a man from his place, and set governors in their places. 25 And you should assign for yourself strength like the strength that fell from you, and a horse like the horse and a chariot like the chariot, and we will fight them in the plain. Surely will we be stronger than them.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

26 And it happened at the return of the year, that Ben Hadad mustered Aram. And he went up to Aphek for the battle with Israel. 27 And the sons of Israel had been mustered and were sustained and they went to meet them. And the sons of Israel camped in front of them were like two little flocks of goats, and Aram filled the land. 28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because Aram said “Yahweh is a god of mountains, but he is not a god of valleys,” I shall give all of this great crowd into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’ ” 29 And they camped, these opposite these, seven days. And it happened on the seventh day that the battle approached, and the sons of Israel struck down Aram, 100,000 on foot in one day. 30 And the ones who were left fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on 127,000 men, the ones who were left. And Ben Hadad fled and entered into the city, a room in a room.

31 And his servants said to him, “Behold, please, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel, that they are kings of mercy. Please let us put sackcloth around our loins and ropes on our heads, and we will go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he may let your life live.” 32 And they girded on sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and they came to the king of Israel. And they said, “Your servant Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let my life live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 And the men sought an omen and they hurried and accepted whether it was from him. And they said, “Your brother is Ben Hadad.” And he said, “Come, bring him!” And Ben Hadad went out to him, and he brought him up on the chariot. 34 And he said to him, “I will return the cities that my father took from with your father, and the outside you may set up for yourself in Damascus, just as my father set up in Samaria. As for me, by the covenant, I will send you away.” And he cut a covenant for him and he sent him away.

35 And one man from the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor, “By the word of Yahweh, please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 And he said to him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh, behold, you are about to go from with me, and the lion will strike you down.” And he went from beside him and the lion found him and struck him down. 37 And he found one man and said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him, striking and wounding. 38 And the prophet went and he stood for the king on the road. And he made himself unrecognizable with the covering over his eyes. 39 And it happened that the king was passing by and he himself cried out to the king. And he said, “Your servant went out in the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and he brought a man to me. And he said, ‘Keep this man. If he is missing at all, then your life will be in place of his life or you must weigh a kikkar of silver.’ ” 40 And it happened that your servant was doing here and there, and he was not there.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Thus is your judgment, you yourself have decided.” 41 And he hurried and removed the covering from over his eyes. And the king of Israel recognized him, that he was from the prophets. 42 And he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have sent away a man of complete destruction from hand. And it will be your life in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.’ ” 43 And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and he came to Samaria.

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