nkjv 1Kings:20:22-42 SEEK
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And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him , "
Go ,
strengthen yourself ;
take note ,
and see what you should do ,
for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you ."
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Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him , "
Their gods are gods of the hills .
Therefore they were stronger than we ;
but if we fight against them in the plain ,
surely we will be stronger than they .
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So do this thing :
Dismiss the kings ,
each from his position ,
and put captains in their places ;
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and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost ,
horse for horse and chariot for chariot .
Then we will fight against them in the plain ;
surely we will be stronger than they ."
And he listened to their voice and did so .
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So it was ,
in the spring of the year ,
that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel .
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And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions ,
and they went against them .
Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats ,
while the Syrians filled the countryside .
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Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel ,
and said , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Because the Syrians have said , "
The LORD is God of the hills ,
but He is not God of the valleys ,"
therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand ,
and you shall know that I am the LORD ."'
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And they encamped opposite each other for seven days .
So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined ;
and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day .
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But the rest fled to Aphek ,
into the city ;
then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left .
And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city ,
into an inner chamber .
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Then his servants said to him , "
Look now ,
we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings .
Please ,
let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads ,
and go out to the king of Israel ;
perhaps he will spare your life ."
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So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads ,
and came to the king of Israel and said , "
Your servant Ben-Hadad says , "
Please let me live ."'
And he said , "
Is he still alive ?
He is my brother ."
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Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him ;
and they quickly grasped at this word and said , "
Your brother Ben-Hadad ."
So he said , "
Go ,
bring him ."
Then Ben-Hadad came out to him ;
and he had him come up into the chariot .
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So Ben-Hadad said to him , "
The cities which my father took from your father I will restore ;
and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus ,
as my father did in Samaria ."
Then Ahab said , "
I will send you away with this treaty ."
So he made a treaty with him and sent him away .
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Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the LORD , "
Strike me ,
please ."
And the man refused to strike him .
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Then he said to him , "
Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD ,
surely ,
as soon as you depart from me ,
a lion shall kill you ."
And as soon as he left him ,
a lion found him and killed him .
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And he found another man ,
and said , "
Strike me ,
please ."
So the man struck him ,
inflicting a wound .
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Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road ,
and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes .
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Now as the king passed by ,
he cried out to the king and said , "
Your servant went out into the midst of the battle ;
and there ,
a man came over and brought a man to me ,
and said , "
Guard this man ;
if by any means he is missing ,
your life shall be for his life ,
or else you shall pay a talent of silver .'
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While your servant was busy here and there ,
he was gone ."
Then the king of Israel said to him , "
So shall your judgment be ;
you yourself have decided it ."
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And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes ;
and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets .
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Then he said to him , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction ,
therefore your life shall go for his life ,
and your people for his people ."'