I Regum 20
1 Porro Benadad rex Syriae, congregavit omnem exercitum suum, et triginta duos reges secum, et equos, et currus: et ascendens pugnabat contra Samariam, et obsidebat eam.
And Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his host together; and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
2 Mittensque nuncios ad Achab regem Israel in civitatem,
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city,
3 ait: Haec dicit Benadad: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum meum est: et uxores tuae, et filii tui optimi, mei sunt.
and said unto him: 'Thus saith Ben-hadad: Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.'
4 Responditque rex Israel: Iuxta verbum tuum, domine mi rex, tuus sum ego, et omnia mea.
And the king of Israel answered and said: 'It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king: I am thine, and all that I have.'
5 Revertentesque nuncii, dixerunt: Haec dicit Benadad, qui misit nos ad te: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum, et uxores tuas, et filios tuos dabis mihi.
And the messengers came again, and said: 'Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying: I sent indeed unto thee, saying: Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
6 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.
but I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.'
7 Vocavit autem rex Israel omnes seniores terrae, 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.
Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said: 'Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief; for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.'
8 Dixeruntque omnes maiores natu, et universus populus ad eum: Non audias, neque acquiescas illi.
And all the elders and all the people said unto him: 'Hearken thou not, neither consent.'
9 Respondit itaque nunciis Benadad: Dicite domino meo regi: Omnia propter quae misisti ad me servum tuum in initio, faciam: hanc autem rem facere non possum.
Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad: 'Tell my lord the king: All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do.' And the messengers departed, and brought him back word.
10 Reversique nuncii retulerunt ei. Qui remisit, et ait: Haec faciant mihi dii, et haec addant, si suffecerit pulvis Samariae pugillis omnis populi, qui sequitur me.
And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said: 'The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.'
11 Et respondens rex Israel, ait: Dicite ei: Ne glorietur accinctus aeque ut discinctus.
And the king of Israel answered and said: 'Tell him: Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off.'
12 Factum est autem, cum audisset Benadad verbum istud, bibebat ipse et reges in umbraculis, et ait servis suis: Circumdate civitatem. Et circumdederunt eam.
And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the booths, that he said unto his servants: 'Set yourselves in array.' And they set themselves in array against the city.
13 Et ecce propheta unus accedens ad Achab regem Israel, ait ei: Haec dicit Dominus: Certe vidisti omnem multitudinem hanc nimiam? ecce, ego tradam eam in manu tua hodie: ut scias, quia ego sum Dominus.
And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.'
14 Et ait Achab: Per quem? Dixitque ei: Haec dicit Dominus: Per pedissequos principum provinciarum. Et ait: Quis incipiet praeliari? Et ille dixit: Tu.
And Ahab said: 'By whom?' And he said: 'Thus saith the LORD: By the young men of the princes of the provinces.' Then he said: 'Who shall begin the battle?' And he answered: 'Thou.'
15 Recensuit ergo pueros principum provinciarum, et reperit numerum ducentorum triginta duorum: et recensuit post eos populum, omnes filios Israel, septem millia.
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
16 et egressi sunt meridie. Benadad autem bibebat temulentus in umbraculo suo, et reges triginta duo cum eo, qui ad auxilium eius venerant.
And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
17 Egressi sunt autem pueri principum provinciarum in prima fronte. Misit itaque Benadad. Qui nunciaverunt ei, dicentes: Viri egressi sunt de Samaria.
And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying: 'There are men come out from Samaria.'
18 Et ille ait: Sive pro pace veniunt, apprehendite eos vivos: sive ut praelientur, vivos eos capite.
And he said: 'Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they are come out for war, take them alive.'
19 Egressi sunt ergo pueri principum provinciarum, ac reliquus exercitus sequebatur:
So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.
20 et percussit unusquisque virum, qui contra se veniebat: fugeruntque Syri, et persecutus est eos Israel. Fugit quoque Benadad rex Syriae in equo cum equitibus suis.
And they slew every one his man; and the Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.
21 Necnon egressus rex Israel percussit equos et currus, et percussit Syriam plaga magna.
And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Arameans with a great slaughter.
22 (Accedens autem propheta ad regem Israel, dixit ei: Vade, et confortare, et scito, et vide quid facias: sequenti enim anno rex Syriae ascendet contra te.)
And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him: 'Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against thee.'
23 Servi vero regis Syriae dixerunt ei: Dii montium sunt dii eorum, ideo superaverunt nos: sed melius est ut pugnemus contra eos in campestribus, et obtinebimus eos.
And the servants of the king of Aram said unto him: 'Their God is a God of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
24 Tu ergo verbum hoc fac: Amove reges singulos ab exercitu tuo, et pone principes pro eis:
And do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put governors in their room:
25 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.
and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.' And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
26 Igitur postquam annus transierat, recensuit Benadad Syros, et ascendit in Aphec ut pugnaret contra Israel.
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27 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.
And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them; and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Arameans filled the country.
28 (Et accedens unus vir Dei, dixit ad regem Israel: Haec 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.)
And a man of God came near and spoke unto the king of Israel, and said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Because the Arameans have said: The LORD is a God of the hills, but he is not a God of the valleys; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.'
29 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.
And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Arameans a hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30 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.
But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31 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.
And his servants said unto him: 'Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings; let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; peradventure he will save thy life.'
32 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.
So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said: 'Thy servant Ben-hadad saith: I pray thee, let me live.' And he said: 'Is he yet alive? he is my brother.'
33 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.
Now the men took it for a sign, and hastened to catch it from him; and they said: 'Thy brother Ben-hadad.' Then he said: 'Go ye, bring him.' Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into his chariot.
34 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 foederatus recedam a te. Pepigit ergo foedus, et dimisit eum.
And Ben-hadad said unto him: 'The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.' 'And I, said Ahab, will let thee go with this covenant.' So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
35 Tunc vir quidam de filiis prophetarum dixit ad socium suum in sermone Domini: Percute me. At ille noluit percutere.
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of the LORD: 'Smite me, I pray thee.' And the man refused to smite him.
36 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.
Then said he unto him: 'Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.' And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him; and slew him.
37 Sed alterum inveniens virum, dixit ad eum: Percute me. Qui percussit eum, et vulneravit.
Then he found another man, and said: 'Smite me, I pray thee.' And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him.
38 Abiit ergo propheta, et occurrit regi in via, et mutavit aspersione pulveris os et oculos suos.
So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes.
39 Cumque rex transisset, clamavit ad regem, et ait: Servus tuus egressus est ad praeliandum 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.
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said: 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said: Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
40 Dum autem ego turbatus huc illucque me verterem, subito non comparuit. Et ait rex Israel ad eum: Hoc est iudicium tuum, quod ipse decrevisti.
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.' And the king of Israel said unto him: 'So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.'
41 At ille statim abstersit pulverem de facie sua, et cognovit eum rex Israel, quod esset de prophetis.
And he hastened, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 Qui ait ad eum: Haec dicit Dominus: Quia dimisisti virum dignum morte de manu tua, erit anima tua pro anima eius, et populus tuus pro populo eius.
And he said unto him: 'Thus saith the LORD: Because thou hast let go out of thy hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.'
43 Reversus est igitur rex Israel in domum suam, audire contemnens, et furibundus venit in Samariam.
And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.
