1 Kings 20
1 Then Ben-hadad the King of Aram assembled all his armie, and two and thirtie Kings with him, with horses, and charets, and went vp and besieged Samaria, and fought 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 And he sent messengers to Ahab King of Israel, into the citie,
And he sente messangeris to Achab, kyng of Israel, in to the citee,
3 And sayd vnto him, Thus sayth Ben-hadad, Thy siluer and thy golde is mine: also thy women, and thy fayre children are mine.
and seide, Benadab seith these thingis, Thi siluer and thi gold is myn, and thi wyues, and thi beste sones ben myn.
4 And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, My lord King, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I haue.
And the kyng of Israel answeride, Bi thi word, my lord the kyng, Y am thin, and alle my thingis `ben thine.
5 And when the messengers came againe, they said, Thus commandeth Ben-hadad, and saith, When I shall send vnto thee, and command, thou shalt deliuer me thy siluer and thy golde, and thy women, and thy 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 Or els I will sende my seruants vnto thee by to morow this time: and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy seruants: and whatsoeuer is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall take it in their handes, and bring it away.
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 Then the King of Israel sent for all the Elders of the land, and sayd, Take heede, I pray you, and see how he seeketh mischiefe: for he sent vnto me for my wiues, and for my children, and for my siluer, and for my golde, and I denyed him not.
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 And all the Elders, and all the people sayd to him, Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.
And alle the gretter men in birthe, and al the puple seiden to hym, Here thou not, nether assente thou to hym.
9 Wherefore hee sayde vnto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lorde the King, All that thou didddest sende for to thy seruant at the first time, that I will doe, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him an answere.
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 And Ben-hadad sent vnto him, and sayde, The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria be ynough to all the people that follow me, for euery man an handfull.
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 And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth his harneis, boast himselfe, as he that putteth 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 And when he heard that tidings, as he was with the Kings drinking in the pauilions, he sayd vnto his seruants, Bring forth your engines, and they set them against the citie.
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 And beholde, there came a Prophet vnto Ahab King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou seene all this great multitude? beholde, I will deliuer it into thine hande this day, that thou mayest knowe, 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 And Ahab sayd, By whome? And he sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, By the seruants of the princes of the prouinces. He sayde againe, Who shall order the battel? And he answered, Thou.
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 Then he nombred the seruantes of the princes of the prouinces, and they were two hundreth, two and thirtie: and after them he nombred the whole people of all the children of Israel, euen seuen thousand.
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 And they went out at noone: but Ben-hadad did drinke till he was drunken in the tentes, both he and the Kings: for two and thirtie Kings helped him.
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 So the seruants of the princes of the prouinces went out first: and Ben-hadad sent out, and they shewed him, saying, There are men come out of 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 And he sayde, Whether they be come out for peace, take them aliue: or whether they bee come out to fight, take them yet aliue.
And he seide, Whether thei comen for pees, take ye hem quyke; whether to fiyte, take ye hem quyke.
19 So they came out of the citie, to wit, the seruants of the princes of the prouinces, and the hoste which followed them.
Therfor the children of prynces of prouynces yeden out,
20 And they slew euery one his enemie: and the Aramites fled, and Israel pursued them: but Ben-hadad ye King of Aram escaped on an horse with his horsemen.
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 And the King of Israel went out, and smote the horses and charets, and with a great slaughter slew he the Aramites.
Also the king of Israel yede out, and smoot horsis and charis, and he smoot Sirie with a ful greet veniaunce.
22 (For there had come a Prophet to the King of Israel, and had sayd vnto him, Goe, be of good courage, and consider, and take heede what thou doest: for when the yeere is gone about, the King of Aram wil come vp against thee)
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 Then the seruants of the King of Aram said vnto him, Their gods are gods of the moutaines, and therefore they ouercame vs: but let vs fight against them in the playne, and doubtlesse we shall ouercome 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 And this doe, Take the Kings away, euery one out of his place, and place captaines for them.
Therfor do thou this word; remoue thou alle kyngis fro thin oost, and sette thou princis for hem;
25 And nomber thy selfe an armie, like the armie that thou hast lost, with such horses, and such charets, and we wil fight against them in the plaine, and doubtlesse we shall ouercome them: and he hearkened vnto their voyce, and did so.
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 And after the yeere was gone about, Ben-hadad nombred the Aramites, and went vp to Aphek to fight against Israel.
Therfor after that the yeer hadde passid, Benadab noumbride men of Sirie, and he stiede in to Affech, to fiyte ayens Israel.
27 And the children of Israel were nombred, and were all assembled and went against them, and the children of Israel pitched before them, like two litle flockes of kiddes: but the Aramites filled the countrey.
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 And there came a man of God, and spake vnto the King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Because the Aramites haue sayd, The Lord is the God of the mountaines, and not God of the valleis, therefore will I deliuer all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know 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 And they pitched one ouer against the other seuen dayes, and in the seuenth day the battel was ioyned: and the children of Israel slew of the Aramites an hundreth thousand footemen 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 But the rest fled to Aphek into the citie: and there fel a wall vpon seuen and twentie thousand men that were left: and Ben-hadad fled into the citie, and came into a secret chamber.
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 And his seruants sayd vnto him, Beholde nowe, we haue heard say that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings: we pray thee, let vs put sacke cloth about our loynes, and ropes about our heads, and goe out to the King of Israel: it may be that he will saue thy life.
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 Then they gyrded sackecloth about their loynes, and put ropes about their heads, and came to the King of Israel, and sayd, Thy seruant Ben-hadad sayth, I pray thee, let me liue: and he sayd, Is he yet aliue? he is 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 Now the men tooke diliget heede, if they could catch any thing of him, and made haste, and sayd, Thy brother Ben-hadad. And he sayd, Go, bring him. So Ben-hadad came out vnto him, and he caused him to come vp vnto the 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 And Ben-hadad sayd vnto him, The cities, which my father tooke from thy father, I wil restore, and thou shalt make streetes for thee in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will let thee goe with this couenant. So he made a couenant with him, and let him goe.
`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 Then a certaine man of the children of the Prophets sayd vnto his neighbour by the comandement of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite 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 Then sayd he vnto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, beholde, as soone as thou art departed from me, a lyon shall slay thee. So when he was departed from him, a lyon found him and slew 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 Then he founde another man, and sayde, Smite mee, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him.
But also the prophete foond another man, and he seide to that man, Smyte thou me. Which smoot him, and woundide him.
38 So the Prophet departed, and wayted for the King by the way, and disguised himselfe with ashes vpon his face.
Therfor the prophete yede, and mette the kyng in the weie; and he chaungide his mouth and iyen, by sprynging of dust.
39 And when the King came by, he cried vnto the King, and said, Thy seruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, and sayd, Keepe this man: if he be lost, and want, thy life shall go for his life, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer.
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 And as thy seruant had here and there to do, he was gone: And the King of Israel said vnto him, So shall thy iudgement be: thou hast giuen sentence.
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 And hee hasted, and tooke the ashes away from his face: and the King of Israel knewe him that he was 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 And he said vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let goe out of thine handes a man whom I appoynted to dye, thy life shall goe for his life, and thy 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 And the King of Israel went to his house heauie and in displeasure, and came to Samaria.
Therfor the kyng of Israel turnede ayen in to his hows, and dispiside to here, and cam wod in to Samarie.
