Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad

¹³ Meanwhile a prophet^(A) came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know^(B) that I am the Lord.’”

¹⁴ “But who will do this?” asked Ahab.

The prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The junior officers under the provincial commanders will do it.’”

“And who will start^(C) the battle?” he asked.

The prophet answered, “You will.”

¹⁵ So Ahab summoned the 232 junior officers under the provincial commanders. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all. ¹⁶ They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.^{(D) 17} The junior officers under the provincial commanders went out first.

Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them ²⁰ and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

²² Afterward, the prophet^(E) came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring^(F) the king of Aram will attack you again.”

²³ Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods^(G) of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. ²⁵ You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

²⁶ The next spring^(H) Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek^(I) to fight against Israel. ²⁷ When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.^(J)

²⁸ The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god^(K) of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know^(L) that I am the Lord.’”

²⁹ For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek,^(M) where the wall collapsed^(N) on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid^(O) in an inner room.

³¹ His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful.^(P) Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth^(Q) around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³² Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’”

The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³ The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said.

“Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴ “I will return the cities^(R) my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad^(S) offered. “You may set up your own market areas^(T) in Damascus,^(U) as my father did in Samaria.”

Ahab said, “On the basis of a treaty^(V) I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

³⁵ By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets^(W) said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.^(X)

³⁶ So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion^(Y) will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷ The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life,^(Z) or you must pay a talent^[a] of silver.’ ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”

“That is your sentence,”^(AA) the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”

⁴¹ Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. ⁴² He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You^(AB) have set free a man I had determined should die.^[b](AC) Therefore it is your life for his life,^(AD) your people for his people.’” ⁴³ Sullen and angry,^(AE) the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

1 In my former book,^(A) Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach^{(B) 2} until the day he was taken up to heaven,^(C) after giving instructions^(D) through the Holy Spirit to the apostles^(E) he had chosen.^{(F) 3} After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them^(G) over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.^{(H) 4} On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait^(I) for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.^{(J) 5} For John baptized with^[a] water,^(K) but in a few days you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.”^(L)

⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore^(M) the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.^{(N) 8} But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;^(O) and you will be my witnesses^(P) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,^(Q) and to the ends of the earth.”^(R)

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up^(S) before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white^(T) stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,”^(U) they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back^(V) in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”