1 ¶ Benhadad the king of Syria gathered his entire army together: and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

2 And he sent messengers to the city of Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, This is the word of Benhadad,

3 Your silver and your gold is mine; your wives and your children, even the best, are also mine.

4 And the king of Israel replied saying, My lord, O king, as you have said, I am yours, with everything that I have.

5 But the messengers came back, and said, This is what Benhadad said, Although I have sent to you, saying, You shall deliver me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children;

6 Yet I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house, and the houses of your servants; and they will lay their hands on anything that is precious to you, and take it away.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Look at how this man is trying to make trouble: for he sent for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I did not refuse him.

8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen to him, or consent.

9 So he said to the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, I have been ready to do all that you demanded of your servant the first time: but I cannot do this. And the messengers left, and took back his answer.

10 Then Benhadad sent to him, and said, May the gods do so to me, and more, if there is enough dust in Samaria to fill the hands of the troops that follow me.

11 And the king of Israel replied saying, Tell him, Do not let the one who is putting on his armor boast as one who is taking it off.

12 ¶ When Benhadad heard this message, he was drinking with the kings in their quarters, and he said to his servants, Get ready. And they got ready to attack the city.

13 Then a prophet came to Ahab the king of Israel, saying, This is what the LORD says, Have you seen this great multitude? behold, today I will deliver it into your hand; and you will know that I am the LORD.

14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, This is what the LORD says, Even by the servants of the governors of the provinces. Then he said, Who will begin the battle? And he answered, You.

15 Then he numbered the young servants of the governors of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, at seven thousand.

16 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in his quarters, along with the thirty-two kings who helped him.

17 And the young servants of the governors of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out men, and they told him, Some men have come out of Samaria.

18 And he said, Whether they have come out in peace or for war, take them alive.

19 So these young servants of the governors of the provinces, and the troops that followed them, came out of the city.

20 And they each struck down his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: but Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

21 And the king of Israel went out, and struck down the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians in a great slaughter.

22 ¶ Then the prophet went to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen yourself, and plan, and watch what you do: for when spring comes the king of Syria will come up against you.

23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their gods are gods of the hills; that is why they were stronger than us; so let us fight against them on the plains, and we will surely be stronger than they.

24 Now do this, Take each of the kings away from his post, and put commanders in their places:

25 And raise another army, as large as the army that you lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and we will surely be stronger than they. And he listened to what they said, and did so.

26 And in the spring of the year, Benhadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

27 And the children of Israel were called up, and provisioned, and went out against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of baby goats; but the Syrians filled the country.

28 Then a man of God came, and said to the king of Israel, This is what the LORD says, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is the God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, I will deliver this great multitude into your hand, and you will know that I am the LORD.

29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. And on the seventh day they came together in battle: and the children of Israel struck down one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

30 But the rest fled to the city of Aphek; and there a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Benhadad fled, and went into the city, into an inner room.

31 ¶ And his servants said to him, Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: so let us put sackcloth on our bodies, and ropes around our necks, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save your life.

32 So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists, and put ropes around their necks, and went to the king of Israel, and said, Your servant Benhadad says, Please let me live. And he said, Is he still alive? he is my brother.

33 Now the men who were watching carefully to see what he would do, caught on quickly: and said, Yes your brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go bring him. Then Benhadad went out to him; and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

34 And Benhadad said to him, I will restore the cities, which my father took from your father; and you may set up markets in Damascus, as my father set up in Samaria. Then Ahab said, I will send you away on these terms. So he made an agreement with him, and sent him away.

35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor at the command the LORD, Hit me, I beg you. But the man refused to hit him.

36 Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, Hit me, I beg you. And the man hit him, so that in striking he wounded him.

38 So the prophet left, and waited for the king along the road, and disguised himself with ashes on his face.

39 And as the king passed by, he shouted to the king: and said, Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall required be for his life, or else you will pay a talent of silver.

40 But while your servant was busy here and there, he got away. And the king of Israel said to him, That is what your verdict will be; you yourself have decided it.

41 And he quickly removed the ashes from his face; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42 And he said to him, This is what the LORD says, Because you have let a man go whom I had appointed for utter destruction, your life will go for his life, and your people for his people.

43 And the king of Israel returned to his home in Samaria resentful and angry.