1And Ben-hadad 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 fought against it . 2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel , into the city , and said unto him , Thus saith Ben-hadad, 3Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children , even the goodliest , are mine. 4And 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 . 5And 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 ; 6but I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow 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 . 7Then 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 . 8And all the elders and all the people said unto him , Hearken thou not , neither consent. 9Wherefore 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 . 10And 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 . 11And the king of Israel answered and said , Tell him , Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off . 12And 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 .
The Prophetic Assurance
13And , behold , a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel , and said, Thus saith Jehovah , Hast thou seen all this great multitude ? behold , I will deliver it into thy hand this day ; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah . 14And Ahab said, By whom ? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah , By the young men of the princes of the provinces . Then he said, Who shall begin the battle ? And he answered, Thou. 15Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces , and they were two hundred and thirty-two : and after them he mustered all the people , even all the children of Israel , being seven thousand. 16And they went out at noon . But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions , he and the kings , the thirty and two kings that helped him . 17And 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 . 18And he said , Whether they are come out for peace , take them alive ; or whether they are come out for war , take them alive . 19So these went out of the city , the young men of the princes of the provinces , and the army which followed them . 20And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled , and Israel pursued them : and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen . 21And the king of Israel went out , and smote the horses and chariots , and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter . 22And 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 Syria will come up against thee .
The Battle and Its Aftermath
23And the servants of the king of Syria 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 . 24And do this thing : take the kings away , every man out of his place , and put captains in their room ; 25and 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 . 26And it came to pass at the return of the year , that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel . 27And 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 Syrians filled the country. 28And a man of God came near and spake unto the king of Israel , and said, Thus saith Jehovah , Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah 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 Jehovah . 29And 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 Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day . 30But 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 . 31And 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 . 32So 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. 33Now the men observed diligently, and hasted to catch whether it were his mind; 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 . 34And 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 .
Ahab's Disobedience and Consequences
35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah , Smite me , I pray thee . And the man refused to smite him . 36Then said he unto him , Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah , 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 . 37Then he found another man, and said, Smite me , I pray thee . And the man smote him , smiting and wounding him . 38So the prophet departed , and waited for the king by the way , and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes . 39And 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 . 40And 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 . 41And he hasted , and took the headband away from his eyes ; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets . 42And he said unto him , Thus saith Jehovah , 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 . 43And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased , and came to Samaria .