[[1 Kings 19|<< 1 Kings 19]] | [[1 Kings|1 Kings]] | [[1 Kings 21|1 Kings 21 >>]] ### 1 Kings 20 1 AND Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and _there_ _were_ thirty-two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. ^1 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, ^2 3 Thy silver and thy gold _is_ mine; thy wives also and thy children, _even_ the goodliest, _are_ mine. ^3 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. ^4 5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; ^5 6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow 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. ^6 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this _man_ seeks 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. ^7 8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not _unto_ _him_, nor consent. ^8 9 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 word again. ^9 10 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. ^10 11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell _him_, Let not him that girds on _his_ _harness_ boast himself as he that puts it off. ^11 12 And it came to pass, when _Ben_-_hadad_ 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. ^12 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. ^13 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. ^14 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. ^15 16 And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad _was_ drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him. ^16 17 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 of Samaria. ^17 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. ^18 19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them. ^19 20 And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. ^20 21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. ^21 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. ^22 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. ^23 24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms: ^24 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. ^25 26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. ^26 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. ^27 28 ¶ And there came a man of God, and spoke 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. ^28 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 a hundred thousand footmen in one day. ^29 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and _there_ a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men _that_ _were_ left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. ^30 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. ^31 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 Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, _Is_ he yet alive? he _is_ my brother. ^32 33 Now the men did diligently observe whether _any_ _thing_ _would_ _come_ from him, and did hastily catch _it:_ 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 the chariot. ^33 34 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. Then _said_ _Ahab_, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away. ^34 35 ¶ And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. ^35 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. ^36 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_. ^37 38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. ^38 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. ^39 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_. ^40 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. ^41 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. ^42 43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria. ^43