1 Kings 20:1-21

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

20 Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, warring against it.

² He sent messengers into Samaria to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad:

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

⁴ And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to what you say, I am yours, and all that I have.

⁵ The messengers came again and said, Thus says Ben-hadad: Although I have sent to you, saying, You shall deliver to 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 shall search your house and the houses of your servants; and all the desire of your eyes they shall lay hands upon and take it away.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Notice now and see how this man is seeking our destruction. He sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.

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

⁹ So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, Tell my lord the king, All you first sent for to your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers left; then they brought him word again.

¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent to him and said, May the gods do so to me, and more also, if the rubbish of Samaria shall be enough for each one of all the people who are at my feet and follow me to get a handful.

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, Tell him: Let not him who girds on his harness boast as he who puts it off.

¹² When Ben-hadad heard this message as he and the kings were drinking in the booths, he said to his servants, Set the army in array. And they set themselves in array against [Samaria].

¹³ Then a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, Thus says the Lord: Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know and realize that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus says the Lord: By the young men [the attendants or bodyguards] of the governors of the districts. Then Ahab said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, You.

¹⁵ Ahab numbered the attendants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. After them he numbered all the people of [the army of] Israel, 7,000.^(A)

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The servants of the governors of the districts went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

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

¹⁹ So these [strong young guards] of the governors of the districts went out of [Samaria], and the army followed them.

²⁰ And each one killed his man; the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and smote [the riders of] the horses and chariots and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.