1Kings:20

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* And Ben –hadad the king of Syria assembled all his host together : and thirty and two kings were with him , and horses , and chariots ; and he went up and besieged Samaria , and made war against it . * And he sent messengers to Achab the king of Israel into the city ; * And he said unto him , Thus hath said Ben –hadad , Thy silver and thy gold are mine ; thy wives also and thy children , even the best , are mine . * And the king of Israel answered and said , According to thy word , my Lord , O king , thine am I , and all that I have . * And the messengers returned , and said , Thus hath said Ben –hadad , to say , I have indeed sent unto thee , saying , Thou shalt give unto me thy silver , and thy gold , and thy wives , and thy children ; * Nevertheless , about this time tomorrow will I send my servants unto thee , and they shall search through thy house , and the houses of thy servants ; and it shall be , that whatsoever is pleasant in thy eyes , they shall place it in their hand , and take it away . * Then did the king of Israel call for all the elders of the land , and said , Mark , I pray you , and see that this man seeketh mischief ; for he hath sent unto me for my wives , and for my children , and for my silver , and for my gold , and I have not refused them to him . * And all the elders and all the people said unto him , Thou must not hearken , nor consent . * Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben –hadad , Say to my lord the king , all that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first will I do ; but this thing I am not able to do . And the messengers went away , and brought him word again . * And Ben –hadad then sent unto him , and said , May the gods do so unto me , and continue to do so , if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that are in my train . * And the king of Israel answered and said , Speak , Let him that girdeth on the armor not boast himself as he that putteth it off . * And it came to pass , when he heard this message , as he was drinking , he and the kings in the pavilions , that he said unto his servants , Get ready for the attack . And they got ready for the attack against the city . * And , behold , there approached a certain prophet unto Achab the king of Israel , and said , Thus hath said 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 . * And Achab said , By whom ? And he said , Thus hath said the Lord , By means of the young men of the princes of the provinces . Then said he , Who shall order the battle ? And he said , Thou . * He then 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 , all the children of Israel , seven thousand strong . * And they went out at midday ; while Ben –hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions , he and the kings , the thirty and two kings that helped him . * And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out at first ; and Ben –hadad sent out , and they told him , saying , Some men are come out of Samaria . * And he said , If they be come out for peace , catch them alive ; and if they be come out for war , alive must ye catch them . * So these , the young men of the princes of the provinces , came out of the city , with the army which followed them . * And 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 the horsemen . * And the king of Israel went out , and smote the horses and chariots , and inflicted on the Syrians a great defeat . * And the prophet approached unto the king of Israel , and said unto him , Go , strengthen thyself , and mark , and see what thou hast to do ; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee . * And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him , Gods of the mountains are their gods ; therefore they prevailed over us ; but let us fight against them in the plain , whether we shall not prevail over them . * But do this thing , Remove the kings , every one from his place , and appoint governors in their rooms ; * And thou , number for thyself 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 , whether we shall prevail over them . And he hearkened unto their voice , and did so . * And it came to pass at the return of the year , that Ben –hadad numbered the Syrians , and went up to Aphek , to the war with Israel . * And the children of Israel were numbered , and provisioned , and went against them : and the children of Israel encamped opposite to them like two little flocks of goats ; but the Syrians filled the country . * And there approached the man of God , and spoke unto the king of Israel , and said , Thus hath said the Lord , Forasmuch as the Syrians have said , "A God of the hills is the Lord , but he is not God of the valleys ": will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord . * And they encamped one opposite the other for seven days . And it happened , that on the seventh day the battle took place : and the children of Israel smote the Syrians a hundred thousand men on foot in one day . * But those that were left fled to Aphek , into the city ; but the city –wall fell upon the twenty and seven thousand men that had been left . And Ben –hadad fled , and came into the city , into an innermost chamber . * And his servants said unto him , Behold now , we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kindly 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 may save thy life . * So they girded sackcloth on their loins , and ropes on their heads , and came to the king of Israel , and said , Thy servant Ben –hadad hath said , I pray thee , let me live . And he said , Is he yet alive ? he is my brother . * Now the men took it for a good sign , and hastened and caught at his word , whether it was his earnest ; and they said , Thy brother Ben –hadad ! But he said , Go ye , bring him . Then came Ben –hadad forth to him ; and he caused him to come up into the chariot . * And he said unto him , The cities , which my father took from thy father , will I restore ; and thou canst lay out for thyself streets in Damascus , as my father laid out in Samaria . "And I for my part will send thee away with this covenant ." So he made a covenant with him , and sent him away . * And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his companion , By the word of the Lord , smite me , I pray thee . But the man refused to smite him . * Then said he unto him , Forasmuch as thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord , behold , when thou goest away from me , a lion shall slay thee . And he went away from him , when a lion found him , and slew him . * Then he met with another man , and said , Smite me , I pray thee . And the man smote him , smiting and wounding . * And the prophet then went , and placed himself before the king on the way , and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes . * And as the king passed by , he cried unto the king , and said , Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle ; and , behold , a man turned aside , and brought unto me a man , and said , Guard this man ; if by any means he be missing , then shall thy life be for his life , or else thou shalt weigh me down a talent of silver . * But it happened as thy servant was Busy here and there , that he was gone . And the king of Israel said unto him , So is thy sentence : thou thyself hast decided it . * And he hastened , and removed the bandage from his eyes ; and the king of Israel recognized him that he was one of the prophets . * And he said unto him , Thus hath said the Lord , Because thou hast let go out of thy hand the man whom I had caught in my net , therefore shall thy life be the forfeit for his life , and thy people for his people . * And the king of Israel went to his house low –spirited and displeased , and he came to Samaria .

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