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30 The other soldiers ran back to Aphek. When they went into the city, the city wall fell on 27,000 of them. King Ben-Hadad also ran into the city. He hid in a room at the back of a house.

31 Some of Ben-Hadad's officers said to him, ‘We have heard that the family of kings who rule Israel are kind men. We should show that we are sorry. We will tie sackcloth around our bodies. We will put ropes around our heads. Then maybe King Ahab will let you live.’ 32 So they tied sackcloth around themselves. They put ropes around their heads.[a] They went to the king of Israel and they said, ‘Your servant Ben-Hadad says, “Please let me live.” ’ King Ahab asked, ‘Is Ben-Hadad still alive? He is like my own brother.’[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 20:32 They wore these clothes to show that they were sorry. Maybe they put the ropes around their necks.
  2. 20:32 ‘like my brother’ means that both of them were equal as kings.