And Benhadad the king of Syriagathered all his hosttogether: and therewerethirty and two kingswith him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besiegedSamaria, and warredagainst it.
And the messengerscameagain, and said, ThusspeakethBenhadad, saying, Although I havesentuntothee, saying, Thoushaltdeliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
Yet I willsend my servantsuntothee to morrowaboutthistime, and theyshallsearchthinehouse, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, thatwhatsoever is pleasant in thineeyes, theyshall put it in theirhand, and take it away.
Then the king of Israelcalled all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seekethmischief: for he sentunto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
Wherefore he saidunto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All thatthoudidstsend for to thy servant at the first I will do: but thisthing I may not do. And the messengersdeparted, and brought him wordagain.
And Benhadadsentunto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and morealso, if the dust of Samariashallsuffice for handfuls for all the peoplethatfollow me.
And it came to pass, whenBenhadadheardthismessage, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he saidunto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in arrayagainst the city.
And, behold, therecame a prophetuntoAhabking of Israel, saying, Thussaith the LORD, Hastthouseen all thisgreatmultitude? behold, I willdeliver it intothinehandthis day; and thoushaltknowthat I am the LORD.
And Ahabsaid, By whom? And he said, Thussaith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shallorder the battle? And he answered, Thou.
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and theywere two hundred and thirty two: and afterthem he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, beingseventhousand.
And the prophetcame to the king of Israel, and saidunto him, Go, strengthenthyself, and mark, and see whatthoudoest: for at the return of the year the king of Syriawillcome up againstthee.
And the servants of the king of Syriasaidunto him, Theirgods are gods of the hills; thereforetheywerestrongerthan we; but let us fightagainstthem in the plain, and surely we shall be strongerthanthey.
And numberthee an army, like the armythatthouhastlost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we willfightagainstthem in the plain, and surely we shall be strongerthanthey. And he hearkeneduntotheirvoice, and did so.
And the children of Israelwerenumbered, and were all present, and wentagainstthem: and the children of Israelpitchedbeforethemlike two littleflocks of kids; but the Syriansfilled the country.
And therecame a man of God, and spakeunto the king of Israel, and said, Thussaith the LORD, Because the Syrianshavesaid, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, thereforewill I deliver all thisgreatmultitudeintothinehand, and ye shallknowthat I am the LORD.
And theypitched one overagainst the othersevendays. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israelslew of the Syrians an hundredthousandfootmen in one day.
But the restfled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wallfellupontwenty and seventhousand of the men thatwereleft. And Benhadadfled, and cameinto the city, into an innerchamber.
And his servantssaidunto him, Behold now, we haveheardthat the kings of the house of Israel are mercifulkings: let us, I praythee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropesupon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he willsave thy life.
So theygirdedsackcloth on theirloins, and put ropes on theirheads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servantBenhadadsaith, I praythee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
Now the men did diligentlyobservewhether any thingwouldcomefrom him, and did hastilycatch it: and theysaid, Thy brotherBenhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. ThenBenhadadcameforth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
And Benhadadsaidunto him, The cities, which my fathertookfrom thy father, I willrestore; and thoushaltmakestreets for thee in Damascus, as my fathermade in Samaria. ThensaidAhab, I willsendtheeawaywiththiscovenant. So he made a covenantwith him, and sent him away.
Thensaid he unto him, Becausethouhast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departedfrom me, a lionshallslaythee. And as soon as he was departedfrom him, a lionfound him, and slew him.
And as the kingpassed by, he criedunto the king: and he said, Thy servantwent out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turnedaside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keepthis man: if by any means he be missing, thenshall thy life be for his life, or elsethoushalt pay a talent of silver.
And he saidunto him, Thussaith the LORD, Becausethouhast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utterdestruction, therefore thy lifeshall go for his life, and thy people for his people.