1 Kings 20

Chapter 20.

20 ¹Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered his whole army—thirty-two kings with him, plus horses and chariots. He marched up, laid siege to Samaria, and attacked it. ²He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "Ben-Hadad says this: ³'Your silver and your gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.'"

⁴Israel's king answered, "As you say, my lord the king: I am yours, and all I have."

⁵The messengers returned and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 'I sent word to you demanding your silver and gold, your wives and your children. ⁶But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants, and they will seize and carry off everything you treasure.'"

⁷The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, "See clearly that this man wants trouble. He sent for my wives, my children, my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him."

⁸All the elders and all the people told him, "Don't listen to him or give in."

⁹So he told Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'All you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this demand I cannot meet.'" The messengers left and carried back his reply.

¹⁰Then Ben-Hadad sent word: "May the gods punish me severely if enough dust remains of Samaria to give each of my followers a handful."

¹¹The king of Israel replied, "Tell him: 'Let no one who straps on his armor boast like one who takes it off.'"

¹²While Ben-Hadad and the kings were drinking in their tents, he heard this and ordered his men, "Take your positions," and they positioned themselves against the city.

The Father Hands Ahab the Victory

¹³A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "This is what our Father says: Do you see this vast army? Today I will give it into your hand, and you will know that I am your Father."

¹⁴"By whom?" Ahab asked. "This is what our Father says: By the young officers of the provincial commanders," the prophet replied. "Who will start the battle?" "You will," he said.

¹⁵So Ahab called up the young officers of the provincial commanders—232 of them. Then he called up the rest, all the Israelites—7,000 in all. ¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two allied kings drank themselves drunk in their tents. ¹⁷The provincial commanders' young officers went out first. Ben-Hadad had sent scouts, who reported to him, "Men are coming out of Samaria."

¹⁸He said, "If they've come out for peace, take them alive; if they've come out for war, take them alive."

¹⁹The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them. ²⁰Each man killed his opponent. The Arameans fled, Israel chasing them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some cavalry. ²¹The king of Israel advanced and overwhelmed the horses and chariots, inflicting heavy losses on the Arameans. ²²Later the prophet came to Israel's king: "Strengthen your position and think hard about what you must do, because next spring Aram's king will attack you again."

²³Meanwhile the officials of Aram's king told him: "Their gods are mountain gods; that's why they beat us. Fight them on level ground, and we'll surely overpower them. ²⁴Do this: remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. ²⁵Muster an army like the one you lost—horse for horse, chariot for chariot—and fight Israel on the plain. Then we'll surely be stronger." He listened to them and did so.

²⁶The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷When Israel's sons were mustered and supplied, they marched out to meet them. Israel camped facing them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the land.

²⁸The man of God came to the king of Israel and said, "This is what our Father says: Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of hills, not valleys, I will give this whole vast army into your hand, and you will know I am your Father."

²⁹For seven days they camped facing each other; on the seventh the battle began. In one day Israel's sons struck down 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers. ³⁰The rest fled into Aphek, where the wall fell on 27,000 of them. Ben-Hadad fled into the city and hid in an inner room.

³¹His servants said, "We've heard the kings of Israel's royal house are merciful. Let's go to Israel's king with mourning clothes around our waists and ropes on our heads; perhaps he'll spare your life."

³²So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, they came to Israel's king and pleaded, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says, 'Please let me live.'" He answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

³³The men took it as a good sign and quickly seized his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go, bring him," said the king. So Ben-Hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

³⁴"I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad said, "and you may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Ahab said, "On these terms I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him and let him go.

A Prophet Confronts the King

³⁵By our Father's word one of the sons of the prophets told his companion, "Strike me, please." But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶The prophet said, "Because you did not obey our Father's voice, the moment you leave me a lion will kill you." When the man left, a lion found and killed him.

³⁷The prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him and wounded him.

³⁸Then the prophet stood by the road waiting for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹As the king passed, the prophet called out, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and a man turned aside, brought me a captive, and said, 'Guard this man. If he goes missing, your life for his, or you pay seventy-five pounds of silver.' ⁴⁰While your servant was busy here and there, the man slipped away." The king of Israel said, "That's your sentence; you decided it yourself."

⁴¹The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

⁴²He said to the king, "This is what our Father says: Because you freed the man I had devoted to destruction, it will be your life for his life, your people for his people."

⁴³Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home and returned to Samaria.