1 Kings 20
1 Ben-hadad, king of Aram, called up his entire army. Together with thirty-two kings and their assembled horses and chariots, he marched to besiege Samaria, to fight against it.
Forsothe Benadab, kyng of Sirye, gaderide al his oost, and two and thritti kyngis with hym, and horsis, and charis; and he stiede ayens Samarie, and fauyt, and bisegide it.
2 He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, in the city to tell him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
And he sente messangeris to Achab, kyng of Israel, in to the citee,
3 Your silver and gold belong to me now, and your best wives and children also belong to me!”
and seide, Benadab seith these thingis, Thi siluer and thi gold is myn, and thi wyues, and thi beste sones ben myn.
4 “It's as you say, my lord the king,” the king of Israel replied. “I am yours, as well as everything that belongs to me.”
And the kyng of Israel answeride, Bi thi word, my lord the kyng, Y am thin, and alle my thingis `ben thine.
5 The messengers returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: I have sent you a message demanding you give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
And the messangeris turneden ayen, and seiden, Benadab, that sente vs to thee, seith these thingis, Thou schalt yyue to me thi siluer, and thi gold, and thi wyues, and thi sones.
6 But around this time tomorrow I'm going to send my men to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take and carry away everything you see as valuable.”
Therfor to morewe, in this same our, Y schal sende my seruauntis to thee, and thei schulen seke thin hows, and the hows of thi seruauntis; and thei schulen putte in her hondis, and take awey al thing that schal plese hem.
7 The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and told them, “Look how this man is trying to cause trouble! When he demanded my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I didn't say no.”
Forsothe the kyng of Israel clepide alle the eldere men of the lond, and seide, Perseyue ye, and se, that he settith tresoun to vs; for he sente to me for my wyues, and sones, and for siluer, and gold, and Y forsook not.
8 All the elders and all the people present responded, “Don't listen to him. Don't agree to his demands.”
And alle the gretter men in birthe, and al the puple seiden to hym, Here thou not, nether assente thou to hym.
9 So the king told Ben-hadad's messengers, “Tell my lord the king: Everything you demanded at first your servant will do, but I cannot agree to this latest demand.” The messengers took the reply back to him.
And he answeride to the messangeris of Benadab, Seie ye to my lord the kyng, Y schal do alle thingis, for whiche thou sentist in the bigynnyng to me, thi seruaunt; forsothe Y may not do this thing.
10 Ben-hadad responded to him, “May the gods do as much to me and more if there remains enough dust in Samaria to give my subjects a handful each!”
And the messangeris turneden ayen, and telden alle thingis to hym. Which sente ayen, and seide, Goddis do these thingis to me, and adde these thingis, if the dust of Samarie schal suffice to the fistis of al the puple that sueth me.
11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him this: A man putting on his armor should not brag like one who is taking it off.”
And the kyng of Israel answeride, and seide, Seie ye to hym, A gird man, `that is, he that goith to batel, haue not glorie euenli as a man vngird.
12 Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents. He immediately gave the order to his officers, “Get ready to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.
Forsothe it was doon, whanne Benadab hadde herd this word, he drank, and the kyngis, in schadewyng places; and he seide to hise seruauntis, Cumpasse ye the citee.
13 At the same time a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and told him, “This is what the Lord says: You see this massive army? Just watch, because I will make you victorious today, and you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
And thei cumpassiden it. And lo! o prophete neiyede to Acab, kyng of Israel, and seide to hym, The Lord God seith these thingis, Certis thou hast seyn al this multitude ful greet; lo! Y schal bitake it in to thin hond to dai, that thou wite that Y am the Lord.
14 “But who's going to do this?” Ahab asked. The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says: It will be the young officers under the district commanders.” “And who's going to start the battle?” he asked. The prophet replied, “You are!”
And Achab seide, Bi whom? And he seide to Achab, The Lord seith these thingis, Bi the squyeris of the princes of prouynces. And Achab seide, Who schal bigynne to fiyte? And the prophete seide, Thou.
15 So Ahab called up the 232 young officers of the district commanders, and assembled the 7,000 soldiers that made up Israel's army.
Therfor he noumbryde the children of the princes of prouynces, and he foond the noumbre of twei hundrid and two and thretti; and aftir hem he noumbride the puple, alle the sones of Israel, seuene thousynde.
16 They left at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings with him were busy getting drunk in their tents.
And thei yeden out in myddai. Forsothe Benadab drank, and was drunkun in his schadewyng place, and two and thretti kyngis with hym, that camen to the help of hym.
17 The young officers of the district commanders took the lead. The scouts Ben-hadad had sent out came and reported to him, “Enemy soldiers are advancing from Samaria.”
Sotheli the children of princes of prouynces yeden out in the firste frount. Therfor Benadab sente men, whiche telden to hym, and seide, Men yeden out of Samarie.
18 “If they're coming in peace, take them alive,” he ordered. “If they're coming to attack, take them alive.”
And he seide, Whether thei comen for pees, take ye hem quyke; whether to fiyte, take ye hem quyke.
19 The young officers of the district commanders advanced from the city, followed by the army.
Therfor the children of prynces of prouynces yeden out,
20 Each man killed his opponent, and the Arameans ran away. The Israelites chased them, but Ben-hadad, king of Aram, escaped on horseback with his cavalry.
and the residue oost suede; and ech smoot the man that cam ayens hym. And men of Sirie fledden, and Israel pursuede hem; also Benadab, kyng of Sirie, fledde on an hors with his kniytis.
21 Then the king of Israel came out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.
Also the king of Israel yede out, and smoot horsis and charis, and he smoot Sirie with a ful greet veniaunce.
22 Later on the prophet came to the king of Israel and told him, “Go and reinforce your defenses, and check what you need to do, because in the spring the king of Aram will come and attack you again.”
Forsothe a prophete neiyede to the kyng of Israel, and seide, Go thou, and be coumfortid, and wyte, and se, what thou schalt do; for the kyng of Sirie schal stie ayens thee in the yeer suynge.
23 In the meantime the king of Aram's officers told him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains. That's why they could defeat us. But if we fight them in the lowlands, we can beat them.
Sotheli the seruauntis of the kyng of Sirie seiden to hym, The Goddis of hillis ben the Goddis of the sones of Israel, therfor thei ouercamen vs; but it is betere that we fiyte ayens hem in feeldi placis, and we schulen geet hem.
24 You should do this: remove each of the kings from their positions and replace them with commanders.
Therfor do thou this word; remoue thou alle kyngis fro thin oost, and sette thou princis for hem;
25 You also have to raise another army to replace the one you lost—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. Then we can fight them in the lowlands and we will definitely beat them.” Ben-hadad listened to their advice and did as they said.
and restore thou the noumbre of knyytis, that felden of thine, and horsis bi the formere horsis, and restore thou charis, bi the charis whiche thou haddist bifore; and we schulen fiyte ayens hem in feeldy places, and thou schalt se, that we schulen gete hem. He bileuyde to the counsel of hem, and dide so.
26 When spring came Ben-hadad called up the Aramean army and went to attack Israel at Aphek.
Therfor after that the yeer hadde passid, Benadab noumbride men of Sirie, and he stiede in to Affech, to fiyte ayens Israel.
27 The Israelite army was also called up and provided with supplies. They went to confront the Arameans. But when the Israelites set up their camp opposite the enemy they looked like couple of flocks of goats in comparison with the Aramean army that filled the whole land.
Forsothe the sones of Israel weren noumbrid; and whanne meetis weren takun, thei yeden forth euene ayens, and thei, as twey litle flockis of geet, settiden tentis ayens men of Sirie. Forsothe men of Sirie filliden the erthe.
28 Then the man of God came to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is only a god of the mountains and not of the valleys,’ I will make you victorious over the whole of this massive army. Then you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
And o prophete of God neiyede, and seide to the kyng of Israel, The Lord God seith these thingis, For men of Sirie seiden, God of hillis is the Lord of hem, and he is not God of valeis, Y schal yyue al this greet multitude in thin hond, and ye schulen wite that Y am the Lord.
29 The armies camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle took place. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day.
In seuene daies these and thei dressiden scheltruns euene ayens; forsothe in the seuenthe dai the batel was joyned togidere, and the sones of Israel smytiden of men of Syrie an hundrid thousynde of foot men in o dai.
30 The rest ran away to the town of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on 27,000 of those that remained. Ben-hadad also ran to the town and hid in an inside room.
Forsothe thei that leften fledden in to the citee of Affech, and the wal felde doun on seuene and twenti thousynde of men that leften. Forsothe Benadab fledde, and entride in to the citee, in to a closet that was with ynne a closet;
31 Ben-hadad's officers said to him, “Look, we've heard that the Israelite kings are merciful. Let's surrender to the king of Israel, wearing sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads. Maybe he will let you live.”
and hise seruauntis seiden to him, We herden that the kyngis of the hows of Israel ben merciful, therfor putte we sackis in oure leendis, and cordis in oure heedis, and go we out to the kyng of Israel; in hap he schal saue oure lyues.
32 So wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, they went and surrendered to the king of Israel, and told him, “Your servant Ben-hadad asks, ‘Please let me live.’” The king replied “Is he still alive? I think of him as my brother.”
Thei girdiden her leendis with sackis, and puttiden coordis in her heedis, and thei camen to the kyng of Israel, and seiden to hym, Thi seruaunt Benadab seith, Y preye thee, lete `my soule lyue. And he seide, If Benadab lyueth yit, he is my brother.
33 The men thought this was a good sign and they immediately took the king at his word, saying, “Yes, Ben-hahad is your brother.” “Go and fetch him!” said the king. So Ben-hadad came out of hiding and surrendered to Ahab, who pulled him up into his chariot.
Which thing the men of Sirie token for a graciouse word, and rauyschiden hastily the word of his mouth, and seiden, Thi brother Benadab lyueth. And Achab seide to hem, Go ye, and brynge ye hym to me. Therfor Benadab yede out to hym, and he reiside Benadab in to his chare.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will return the towns my father took from your father, and you can organize your own places for trade in Damascus, like my father did in Samaria.” “By making this agreement I set you free,” Ahab replied. He made a treaty with Ben-hadad and let him go.
`Which Benadab seide to hym, Y schal yelde the citees whiche my fadir took fro thi fadir, and make thou stretis to thee in Damask, as my fadir made in Samarie; and Y schal be boundun to pees, and Y schal departe fro thee. Therfor he made boond of pees, and delyuerede hym.
35 Following a message he received from the Lord, one of the sons of the prophets said to his colleague, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him.
Thanne sum man of the sones of prophetis seide to his felowe, in the word of the Lord, Smyte thou me. And he nolde smyte.
36 So the prophet told him, “Since you have not done what the Lord said, once you leave me a lion is going to kill you.” When the man left, a lion came and killed him.
To `whiche felowe he seide, For thou noldist here the vois of the Lord, lo! thou schalt go fro me, and a lioun schal smyte thee. And whanne he hadde go a litil fro hym, a lioun foond hym, and slowy hym.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me!” So the man hit him, wounding him.
But also the prophete foond another man, and he seide to that man, Smyte thou me. Which smoot him, and woundide him.
38 Then the prophet went and stood beside the road, waiting for the king. He had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
Therfor the prophete yede, and mette the kyng in the weie; and he chaungide his mouth and iyen, by sprynging of dust.
39 As the king was passing by, he shouted out to the king: “Your servant had gone out fighting right in the middle of the battle, when all of a sudden a man came over with a prisoner and told me, ‘Guard this man! If for any reason he escapes, you will pay for his life with your life, or you will be fined a talent of silver.’
And whanne the kyng hadde passid, he criede to the kyng, and seide, Thi seruaunt yede out to fiyte anoon, and whanne o man hadde fledde, sum man brouyte hym to me, and seide, Kepe thou this man; and if he aschapith, thi lijf schal be for his lijf, ether thou schalt paye a talent of siluere.
40 But while your servant was busy with other things, the man got away.” “So that will be your punishment then,” the king of Israel told him. “You have sentenced yourself.”
Sotheli while Y was troblid, and turnede me hidur and thidur, sodeynly he apperide not. And the kyng of Israel seide to hym, This is thi doom which thou hast demed.
41 Then the prophet quickly took off the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets.
And anoon he wipide awey the dust fro his face, and the kyng of Israel knew him, that he was of the prophetis.
42 He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: You have let go a man I had decided should die. Therefore you will pay for his life with your life, your people for his people.”
Which seide to the kyng, The Lord seith these thingis, For thou deliueridist fro thin hond a man worthi the deeth, thi lijf schal be for his lijf, and thi puple `schal be for his puple.
43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria, sulking and infuriated.
Therfor the kyng of Israel turnede ayen in to his hows, and dispiside to here, and cam wod in to Samarie.
