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.
Porro Benadad rex Syriæ, congregavit omnem exercitum suum, et triginta duos reges secum, et equos, et currus: et ascendens pugnabat contra Samariam, et obsidebat eum.
2 He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, in the city to tell him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
Mittensque nuncios ad Achab regem Israel in civitatem,
3 Your silver and gold belong to me now, and your best wives and children also belong to me!”
ait: Hæc dicit Benadad: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum meum est: et uxores tuæ, et filii tui optimi, mei sunt.
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.”
Responditque rex Israel: Iuxta verbum tuum, domine mi rex, tuus sum ego, et omnia mea.
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.
Revertentesque nuncii, dixerunt: Hæc dicit Benadad, qui misit nos ad te: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum, et uxores tuas, et filios tuos dabis mihi.
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.”
Cras igitur hac eadem hora mittam servos meos ad te, et scrutabuntur domum tuam, et domum servorum tuorum: et omne, quod eis placuerit, ponent in manibus suis, et auferent.
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.”
Vocavit autem rex Israel omnes seniores terræ, et ait: Animadvertite, et videte quoniam insidietur nobis. misit enim ad me pro uxoribus meis, et filiis, et pro argento et auro: et non abnui.
8 All the elders and all the people present responded, “Don't listen to him. Don't agree to his demands.”
Dixeruntque omnes maiores natu, et universus populus ad eum: Non audias, neque acquiescas illi.
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.
Respondit itaque nunciis Benadad: Dicite domino meo regi: Omnia propter quæ misisti ad me servum tuum in initio, faciam: hanc autem rem facere non possum.
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!”
Reversique nuncii retulerunt ei. Qui remisit, et ait: Hæc faciant mihi dii, et hæc addant, si suffecerit pulvis Samariæ pugillis omnis populi, qui sequitur 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.”
Et respondens rex Israel, ait: Dicite ei: Ne glorietur accinctus æque ut discinctus.
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.
Factum est autem, cum audisset Benadad verbum istud, bibebat ipse et reges in umbraculis, et ait servis suis: Circumdate civitatem. Et circumdederunt eam.
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.”
Et ecce propheta unus accedens ad Achab regem Israel, ait ei: Hæc dicit Dominus: Certe vidisti omnem multitudinem hanc nimiam? ecce, ego tradam eam in manu tua hodie: ut scias, quia ego sum Dominus.
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!”
Et ait Achab: Per quem? Dixitque ei: Hæc dicit Dominus: Per pedissequos principum provinciarum. Et ait: Quis incipiet præliari? Et ille dixit: Tu.
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.
Recensuit ergo pueros principum provinciarum, et reperit numerum ducentorum triginta duorum: et recensuit post eos populum, omnes filios Israel, septem millia.
16 They left at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings with him were busy getting drunk in their tents.
et egressi sunt meridie. Benadad autem bibebat temulentus in umbraculo suo, et reges triginta duo cum eo, qui ad auxilium eius venerant.
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.”
Egressi sunt autem pueri principum provinciarum in prima fronte. Misit itaque Benadad. Qui nunciaverunt ei, dicentes: Viri egressi sunt de Samaria.
18 “If they're coming in peace, take them alive,” he ordered. “If they're coming to attack, take them alive.”
Et ille ait: Sive pro pace veniunt, apprehendite eos vivos: sive ut prælientur, vivos eos capite.
19 The young officers of the district commanders advanced from the city, followed by the army.
Egressi sunt ergo pueri principum provinciarum, ac reliquus exercitus sequebatur:
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.
et percussit unusquisque virum, qui contra se veniebat: fugeruntque Syri, et persecutus est eos Israel. Fugit quoque Benadad rex Syriæ in equo cum equitibus suis.
21 Then the king of Israel came out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.
Necnon egressus rex Israel percussit equos et currus, et percussit Syriam plaga magna.
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.”
(Accedens autem propheta ad regem Israel, dixit ei: Vade, et confortare, et scito, et vide quid facias: sequenti enim anno rex Syriæ ascendet contra te.)
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.
Servi vero regis Syriæ dixerunt ei: Dii montium sunt dii eorum, ideo superaverunt nos: sed melius est ut pugnemus contra eos in campestribus, et obtinebimus eos.
24 You should do this: remove each of the kings from their positions and replace them with commanders.
Tu ergo verbum hoc fac: Amove reges singulos ab exercitu tuo, et pone principes pro eis:
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.
et instaura numerum militum, qui ceciderunt de tuis, et equos secundum equos pristinos, et currus secundum currus, quos ante habuisti: et pugnabimus contra eos in campestribus, et videbis quod obtinebimus eos. Credidit consilio eorum, et fecit ita.
26 When spring came Ben-hadad called up the Aramean army and went to attack Israel at Aphek.
Igitur postquam annus transierat, recensuit Benadad Syros, et ascendit in Aphec ut pugnaret contra 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.
Porro filii Israel recensiti sunt, et acceptis cibariis profecti ex adverso, castraque metati sunt contra eos, quasi duo parvi greges caprarum: Syri autem repleverunt terram.
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.”
(Et accedens unus vir Dei, dixit ad regem Israel: Hæc dicit Dominus: Quia dixerunt Syri: Deus montium est dominus, et non est Deus Vallium: dabo omnem multitudinem hanc grandem in manu tua, et scietis quia ego sum Dominus.)
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.
Dirigebantque septem diebus ex adverso hi, atque illi acies, septima autem die commissum est bellum: percusseruntque filii Israel de Syris centum millia peditum in die una.
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.
Fugerunt autem qui remanserant in Aphec, in civitatem: et cecidit murus super viginti septem millia hominum, qui remanserant. Porro Benadad fugiens ingressus est civitatem, in cubiculum quod erat intra cubiculum.
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.”
dixeruntque ei servi sui: Ecce, audivimus quod reges domus Israel clementes sint: ponamus itaque saccos in lumbis nostris, et funiculos in capitibus nostris, et egrediamur ad regem Israel: forsitan salvabit animas nostras.
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.”
Accinxerunt saccis lumbos suos, et posuerunt funiculos in capitibus suis, veneruntque ad regem Israel, et dixerunt ei: Servus tuus Benadad dicit: Vivat, oro te, anima mea. Et ille ait: Si adhuc vivit, frater meus est.
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.
Quod acceperunt viri pro omine: et festinantes rapuerunt verbum ex ore eius, atque dixerunt: Frater tuus Benadad. Et dixit eis: Ite, et adducite eum ad me. Egressus est ergo ad eum Benadad, et levavit eum in currum suum.
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.
Qui dixit ei: Civitates, quas tulit pater meus a patre tuo, reddam: et plateas fac tibi in Damasco, sicut fecit pater meus in Samaria, et ego fœderatus recedam a te. Pepigit ergo fœdus, et dimisit eum.
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.
Tunc vir quidam de filiis prophetarum dixit ad socium suum in sermone Domini: Percute me. At ille noluit percutere.
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.
Cui ait: Quia noluisti audire vocem Domini, ecce recedes a me, et percutiet te leo. Cumque paululum recessisset ab eo, invenit eum leo, atque percussit.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me!” So the man hit him, wounding him.
Sed alterum inveniens virum, dixit ad eum: Percute me. Qui percussit eum, et vulneravit.
38 Then the prophet went and stood beside the road, waiting for the king. He had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
Abiit ergo propheta, et occurrit regi in via, et mutavit aspersione pulveris os et oculos suos.
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.’
Cumque rex transisset, clamavit ad regem, et ait: Servus tuus egressus est ad præliandum cominus: cumque fugisset vir unus, adduxit eum quidam ad me, et ait: Custodi virum istum: qui si lapsus fuerit, erit anima tua pro anima eius, aut talentum argenti appendes.
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.”
Dum autem ego turbatus huc illucque me verterem, subito non comparuit. Et ait rex Israel ad eum: Hoc est iudicium tuum, quod ipse decrevisti.
41 Then the prophet quickly took off the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets.
At ille statim abstersit pulverem de facie sua, et cognovit eum rex Israel, quod esset de 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.”
Qui ait ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Quia dimisisti virum dignum morte de manu tua, erit anima tua pro anima eius, et populus tuus pro populo eius.
43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria, sulking and infuriated.
Reversus est igitur rex Israel in domum suam, audire contemnens, et furibundus venit in Samariam.
