FIRST
KINGS
1 Kings Chapter 20
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¶ Benhadad the king of
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And he sent messengers to the city of
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Your silver and your gold is mine; your wives and your children, even
the best, are also mine.
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And the king of
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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;
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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.
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Then the king of
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And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen to him, or
consent.
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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.
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Then Benhadad sent to him, and said, May the gods do
so to me, and more, if there is enough dust in
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And the king of
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¶ 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.
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Then a prophet came to Ahab the king of
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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.
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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
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And they went out at
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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
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And he said, Whether they have come out in peace or for war, take them alive.
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So these young servants of the governors of the provinces, and the troops that
followed them, came out of the city.
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And they each struck down his man: and the Syrians fled; and
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And the king of
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¶ Then the prophet went to the king of
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And the servants of the king of
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Now do this, Take each of the kings away from his post, and put commanders in
their places:
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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.
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And in the spring of the year, Benhadad mustered the
Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against
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And the children of
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Then a man of God came, and said to the king of
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And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. And on the seventh day
they came together in battle: and the children of
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But the rest fled to the city of
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¶ And his servants said to him, Look, we have heard that the kings of the house
of
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So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists, and put ropes around
their necks, and went to the king of
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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.
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And Benhadad said to him, I will restore the
cities, which my father took from your father; and you may set up markets in
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And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor at the
command of the LORD, Hit me, I beg you. But the man refused to hit him.
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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.
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Then he found another man, and said, Hit me, I beg you. And the man hit him, so
that in striking he wounded him.
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So the prophet left, and waited for the king along the road, and disguised
himself with ashes on his face.
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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.
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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.
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And he quickly removed the ashes from his face; and the king of Israel
recognized him as one of the prophets.
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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.
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And the king of Israel returned to his home in Samaria resentful and angry.