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.”

³ ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”

⁴ The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”

⁵ The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. ⁶ But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’”

²⁰ But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,^(A) he was deposed from his royal throne^(B) and stripped^(C) of his glory.^{(D) 21} He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign^(E) over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.^(F)

²² “But you, Belshazzar, his son,^[a] have not humbled^(G) yourself, though you knew all this. ²³ Instead, you have set yourself up against^(H) the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives^(I) and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.^(J) But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life^(K) and all your ways.^(L)

¹² When the Lord has finished all his work^(A) against Mount Zion^(B) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria^(C) for the willful pride^(D) of his heart and the haughty look^(E) in his eyes.

⁴² He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You^(A) have set free a man I had determined should die.^[a](B) Therefore it is your life for his life,^(C) your people for his people.’”