“1 And Benhadad the king of Syria 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 warred against it. 2 And he
sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him,
Thus saith Benhadad, 3 Thy silver and thy gold [is] mine; thy wives also
and thy children, [even] the goodliest, [are] mine. 4 And the king of
Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I
[am] thine, and all that I have. 5 And the messengers came again, and
said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee,
saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives,
and thy children; 6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow
about this time, and they shall search thine 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 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 And all the elders and all the people said unto him,
Hearken not [unto him], nor consent. 9 Wherefore he said unto the
messengers of Benhadad, 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 word again. 10 And Benhadad
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 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell [him], Let
not him that girdeth on [his harness] boast himself as he that putteth
it off.”
“12 And it came to pass, when [Benhadad] heard this message, as he
[was] drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his
servants, Set [yourselves in array]. And they set [themselves in array]
against the city. 13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of
Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great
multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou
shalt know that I [am] the LORD. 14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said,
Thus saith the LORD, [Even] by the young men of the princes of the
provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered,
Thou. 15 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 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad [was] drinking himself drunk
in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped
him. 17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out
first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men
come out of Samaria. 18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace,
take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the
city, and the army which followed them. 20 And they slew every one his
man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the
king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. 21 And the king of
Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians
with a great slaughter.”
“22 And the prophet came 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 Syria will come up against thee. 23 And the
servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods [are] gods 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
And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and
put captains in their rooms: 25 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 And it came
to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians,
and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of
Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and
the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of
kids; but the Syrians filled the country. 28 And there came a man of
God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD,
Because the Syrians have said, The LORD [is] God of the hills, but he
[is] not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great
multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD. 29
And they pitched 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 Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30
But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and [there] a wall fell upon
twenty and seven thousand of the men [that were] left. And Benhadad
fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.”
“31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the
kings of the house of Israel [are] merciful kings: let us, I 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 So they girded
sackcloth on their loins, and [put] ropes on their heads, and came to
the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee,
let me live. And he said, [Is] he yet alive? he [is] my brother. 33 Now
the men did diligently observe whether [any thing would come] from him,
and did hastily catch [it]: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he
said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused
him to come up into the chariot. 34 And [Benhadad] 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.
Then [said Ahab], I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a
covenant with him, and sent him away. 35 And a certain man of the sons
of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite
me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36 Then said he unto
him, Because thou hast not obeyed 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 Then he found
another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so
that in smiting he wounded [him]. 38 So the prophet departed, and waited
for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39 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 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 And he hasted, and took the
ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he
[was] of the prophets. 42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD,
Because thou hast let go out of [thy] hand a man whom I appointed to
utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy
people for his people. 43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy
and displeased, and came to Samaria.” (1 Kings 20:1-43 AV)
© 2011-2018 Kathy L. McFarland. All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy