1 Kings 20
1 Now Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got all his army together, and thirty-two kings with him, and horses and carriages of war; he went up and made war on Samaria, shutting it in.
Now, Ben-hadad, king of Syria, had gathered together all his forces, and, thirty-two kings, were with him, and horses and chariots, —then came he up, and laid siege to Samaria, and made war against it.
2 And he sent representatives into the town to Ahab, king of Israel;
And he sent messengers unto Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, —Thus, saith Ben-hadad,
3 And they said to him, Ben-hadad says, Your silver and your gold are mine; and your wives and children are mine.
Thy silver and thy gold, are, mine, and, thy wives and thy sons, the goodliest, are, mine.
4 And the king of Israel sent him an answer saying, As you say, my lord king, I am yours with all I have.
Then responded the king of Israel, and said, According to thy word, my lord O king! thine, am I, and all that I have.
5 Then the representatives came back again, and said, These are the words of Ben-hadad: I sent to you saying, Give up to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children;
And the messengers came back again, and said, Thus, speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, —Because I sent unto thee, saying, Thy silver and thy gold and thy wives and thy sons, to me, shalt thou give,
6 But I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, to make a search through your house and the houses of your people, and everything which is pleasing in your eyes they will take away in their hands.
Therefore, about this time to-morrow, will I send my servants unto thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants, —and it shall be, that, all the delight of thine eyes, shall they put in their hand, and take away.
7 Then the king of Israel sent for all the responsible men of the land, and said, Now will you take note and see the evil purpose of this man: he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I did not keep them back.
Then called the king of Israel, for all the elders of the land, and said—Mark, I pray you, and see, how this man is seeking, mischief, —for he had sent unto me, for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I refused him not.
8 And all the responsible men and the people said to him, Do not give attention to him or do what he says.
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, —Do not thou hearken, neither do thou consent.
9 So he said to the representatives of Ben-hadad, Say to my lord the king, All the orders you sent the first time I will do; but this thing I may not do. And the representatives went back with this answer.
So he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad—Say ye to my lord the king, —All that thou didst send for, to thy servant at the first, will I do, but, this thing, I cannot do. And the messengers departed, and took him back word.
10 Then Ben-hadad sent to him, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if there is enough of the dust of Samaria for all the people at my feet to take some in their hands.
Then Ben-hadad sent unto him and said, —So, let the gods do to me, and, so, let them add, —if the dust of Samaria suffice by handfuls, for all the people who are at my feet.
11 And the king of Israel said in answer, Say to him, The time for loud talk is not when a man is putting on his arms, but when he is taking them off.
And the king of Israel responded and said: Tell him, —Let not, him that girdeth, boast himself like him, that looseneth.
12 Now when this answer was given to Ben-hadad, he was drinking with the kings in the tents, and he said to his men, Take up your positions. So they put themselves in position for attacking the town.
And it came to pass, when he heard this message, as, he, was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants—Make ready! So they made ready, against the city.
13 Then a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and said, The Lord says, Have you seen all this great army? See, I will give it into your hands today, and you will see that I am the Lord.
And lo! a certain prophet, drew near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, —Thus, saith Yahweh, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold me! delivering it into thy hand, to-day, so shalt thou know that, I, am, Yahweh.
14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, The Lord says, By the servants of the chiefs who are over the divisions of the land. Then he said, By whom is the fighting to be started? And he made answer, By you.
And Ahab said—By whom? And he said—Thus, saith Yahweh, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then said he—Who shall begin the war? And he said—Thou!
15 Then he got together the servants of all the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land, two hundred and thirty-two of them; and after them, he got together all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.
Then numbered he the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were found to be, two hundred and thirty-two, —and, after them, he numbered all the people all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.
16 And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
And they went forth at noon. Now, Ben-hadad, was drinking himself drunk, in the pavilions, he and the thirty-two kings helping him.
17 And the servants of the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land went forward first; and when Ben-hadad sent out, they gave him the news, saying, Men have come out from Samaria.
Then went forth the young men of the princes of the provinces, first, —and, when Ben-hadad sent, they told him, saying—Men, have come forth, out of Samaria.
18 And he said, If they have come out for peace, take them living, and if they have come out for war, take them living.
And he said—If, peaceably, they have come, take them alive, —or, if, fighting, they have come, alive, take ye them.
19 So the servants of the chiefs of the divisions of the land went out of the town, with the army coming after them.
Now, when, these, had come forth out of the city, even the young men of the princes of the provinces, —with the force which was following them,
20 And every one of them put his man to death, and the Aramaeans went in flight with Israel after them; and Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got away safely on a horse with his horsemen.
then smote they every one his man, and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, —but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on horse, with horsemen.
21 And the king of Israel went out and took the horses and the war-carriages, and made great destruction among the Aramaeans.
And the king of Israel went forth, and took the horses and the chariots, —and he went on smiting the Syrians, with a great smiting.
22 Then the prophet came up to the king of Israel, and said to him, Now make yourself strong, and take care what you do, or a year from now the king of Aram will come up against you again.
Then drew near the prophet, unto the king of Israel, and said unto him—Go strengthen thyself, and mark and see, what thou wilt do, —for, at the return of the year, is, the king of Syria, coming up against thee.
23 Then the king of Aram's servants said to him, Their god is a god of the hills; that is why they were stronger than we: but if we make an attack on them in the lowlands, we will certainly be stronger than they.
And, the servants of the king of Syria, said unto him, —Gods of the mountains, are their gods, for this cause, prevailed they against us, —but, only let us fight with them in the plain, and verily we shall prevail against them.
24 This is what you have to do: take away the kings from their positions, and put captains in their places;
But, this thing, do, —set aside the kings, every man out of his place, and put governors in their stead;
25 And get together another army like the one which came to destruction, horse for horse, and carriage for carriage; and let us make war on them in the lowlands, and certainly we will be stronger than they. And he gave ear to what they said, and did so.
and, thou, must number thee a force, like the force which thou hast lost, both horse for horse and chariot for chariot, and, if we fight with them in the plain, verily we shall prevail against them. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
26 So, a year later, Ben-hadad got the Aramaeans together and went up to Aphek to make war on Israel.
And so it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, —and came up to Aphek, to fight with Israel;
27 And the children of Israel got themselves together, and food was made ready and they went against them; the tents of the children of Israel were like two little flocks of goats before them, but all the country was full of the Aramaeans.
and, the sons of Israel, were numbered, and provisioned, and went to meet them, —and the sons of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, whereas, the Syrians, filled the land.
28 And a man of God came up and said to the king of Israel, The Lord says, Because the Aramaeans have said, The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the valleys; I will give all this great army into your hands, and you will see that I am the Lord.
Then approached the man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said—Thus, saith Yahweh—Because the Syrians have said—A god of the mountains, is Yahweh, but, not a god of the vales, is he, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude, into thy hand, so shalt thou know, that, I, am Yahweh.
29 Now the two armies kept their positions facing one another for seven days. And on the seventh day the fight was started; and the children of Israel put to the sword a hundred thousand Aramaean footmen in one day.
So they encamped, these, over against, those, seven days, —and it came to pass, on the seventh day, that the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel smote the Syrians, a hundred thousand footmen, in one day.
30 But the rest went in flight to Aphek, into the town, where a wall came down on the twenty-seven thousand who were still living. And Ben-hadad went in flight into the town, into an inner room.
And they who were left fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left, —and, Ben-hadad, fled, and came into the city, into a chamber within a chamber.
31 Then his servants said to him, It is said that the kings of Israel are full of mercy: let us then put on haircloth, and cords on our heads, and go to the king of Israel; it may be that he will give you your life.
And his servants said unto him, Lo! we pray thee, we have heard, of the kings of the house of Israel, that, kings known for lovingkindness, they are. Let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes about our head, and let us go forth unto the king of Israel, peradventure he will save alive thy soul.
32 So they put on haircloth, and cords on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says, Let me now keep my life. And he said, Is he still living? he is my brother.
So they girded sackcloth upon their loins, and [put] ropes about their heads, and came in unto the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant, Ben-hadad, saith, —Let my soul live, I pray thee. And he said, —Is he yet alive? My brother, he is.
33 Now the men took it as a sign, and quickly took up his words; and they said, Ben-hadad is your brother. Then he said, Go and get him. So Ben-hadad came out to him and he made him get up into his carriage.
Now, the men, could divine, so they hastened to let him confirm the word of his own accord, and they said, —Thy brother, is Ben-hadad! He said therefore, —Go fetch him. So Ben-hadad came forth unto him, and he made him come up unto him on his chariot.
34 And Ben-hadad said to him, The towns my father took from your father I will give back; and you may make streets for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria. And as for me, at the price of this agreement you will let me go. So he made an agreement with him and let him go.
And he said unto him—The cities which my father took from thy father, will I restore, and, bazaars, shalt thou make thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. So then, I, with this covenant, will let thee go. So he solemnised with him a covenant, and let him go.
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the Lord, Give me a wound. But the man would not.
And, a certain man of the sons of the prophets, said unto his neighbour, by the word of Yahweh—Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him.
36 Then he said to him, Because you have not given ear to the voice of the Lord, straight away when you have gone from me a lion will put you to death. And when he had gone, straight away a lion came rushing at him and put him to death.
So he said to him—Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, lo! when thou art departing from me, there shall smite thee a lion. And when he departed from beside him, a lion found him, and smote him.
37 Then he came across another man, and said, Give me a wound. And the man gave him a blow wounding him.
Then found he another man, and said, —Smite me, I pray thee. So the man smote him—kept on smiting and wounding.
38 So the prophet went away, and pulling his head-band over his eyes to keep his face covered, took his place by the road waiting for the king.
Then the prophet departed, and waited for the king, by the way, —and disguised himself with his turban over his eyes.
39 And when the king went by, crying out to him he said, Your servant went out into the fight; and a man came out to me with another man and said, Keep this man: if by any chance he gets away, your life will be the price of his life, or you will have to give a talent of silver in payment.
And so it was, when, the king, was passing, he, cried out unto the king, —and said—Thy servant, went out in the midst of the battle, and lo! a man, turned aside and brought unto me a man, and said—Keep this man, if he be, missing, then shall, thy life, go for, his life, or, a talent of silver, shalt thou weigh out.
40 But while your servant was turning this way and that, he was gone. Then the king of Israel said to him, You are responsible; you have given the decision against yourself.
And so it was, as thy servant was busy here and there, that, he, was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him—Such, is thy judgment, thou thyself, hast decided it.
41 Then he quickly took the head-band from his eyes; and the king of Israel saw that he was one of the prophets.
Then hastened he, and removed the turban from over his eyes, —and the king of Israel knew him, that, of the prophets, was, he.
42 And he said to him, These are the words of the Lord: Because you have let go from your hands the man whom I had put to the curse, your life will be taken for his life, and your people for his people.
And he said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, Because thou hast let go the man whom I had devoted, out of thy hand, therefore shall, thy life, be instead of, his life, and, thy people, instead of, his people.
43 Then the king of Israel went back to his house, bitter and angry, and came to Samaria.
And the king of Israel departed unto his house, sullen and disturbed, —and entered Samaria.
