1 Kings 20
Lexham English Bible
Syrian-Israeli Conflicts: Ben-Hadad vs. Ahab of Israel
20 Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all of his army, and thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. He went up and laid siege against Samaria and fought with it. 2 He sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel. 3 He said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your women and your best sons are mine.’” 4 Then the king of Israel answered and said, “As your word, my master the king; I am yours, and all that is mine is yours.” 5 The messengers returned and said, “Thus says Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘I sent to you saying, “Your silver and gold are mine, and your women and your best sons you must give to me.” 6 So at this time tomorrow, I will send my servants to you that they might search your house and the houses of your servants. All the desire of your eyes they will lay hands on[a] and take it away.’”
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please know and realize that this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my women, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not withhold anything from him.” 8 All of the elders and all of the people said to him, “Do not listen and do not consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded from your servant at the first, I will do, but this thing I am not able to do.’” Then the messengers went and made a report to him.[b] 10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “Thus may the gods do to me and thus may they add if the dust of Samaria is sufficient for the hollow of a hand for all of the people who are at my feet.” 11 The king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast as one who takes off his armor.’” 12 It happened at the moment he heard this word, he and the kings were drinking in the tents.[c] He said to his servants, “Get ready to attack.” So they got ready to attack the city.
13 Suddenly a certain prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Have you seen all this great crowd? Behold, I am giving it into your hand today, that you may know that I am Yahweh.’” 14 Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘By the servants of the commanders of the provinces.’” He asked, “Who will begin the battle?” And he said, “You.” 15 So he mustered the servants of the commanders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two. After them he mustered all of the army, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.
16 They went out at noon while Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the thirty-two kings helping him. 17 Then the servants of the commanders of the provinces went out first, and Ben-Hadad sent, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18 Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come out for war, seize them alive.” 19 But these had come out from the city, the servants of the commanders of the provinces, and the army that was after them. 20 Each man killed his man, and the Arameans fled, so Israel pursued them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with cavalry. 21 The king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and the chariots and defeated Aram with a great blow.
22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and he said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; consider well[d] what you should do, for the king of Aram is coming against you at the turn of the year.”
23 The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we.[e] Let us fight with them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this thing: remove the kings each from his post, and put a governor in their place. 25 You must muster an army for yourself as the army you have lost,[f] and horses and chariots as the horses and chariots you lost, then we will fight them in the plain. Surely we will be stronger than they.” So he listened to their voice and did so.
26 It happened at the turning of the year that Ben-Hadad mustered Aram and went up to Aphek for the war with Israel. 27 The Israelites[g] had been mustered and provisioned, and they went to engage them. The Israelites[h] encamped opposite them as two flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the land. 28 Then the man of God approached, and he spoke to the king of Israel, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because Aram has said, “Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,”’ I will give all this great crowd into your hand that you may know that I am Yahweh.” 29 These encamped opposite for seven days, and it happened on the seventh day that the battle began,[i] and the Israelites[j] killed the Arameans, one hundred thousand infantry in one day. 30 Then those who remained fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who had remained, so Ben-Hadad fled and went to the innermost rooms of the city.
31 Then his servants said to him, “Please now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of mercy. Let us now put sackcloth on around our waists and ropes on our heads. Then let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will let you live.”[k] 32 So they tied sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads. Then they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is my brother still alive?” 33 The men took this as a good omen and they quickly accepted it as true from him, and they said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad lives.” So he said, “Go, get him.” Ben-Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up on the chariot. 34 Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I shall return. You may set up streets with stalls for yourself in Damascus just as my father set up in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “On these terms[l] I will let you go,” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
35 A certain man from the sons of the prophets said to his fellow countryman, “By the word of Yahweh, please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.
36 He said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, look, as you now are going from me, a lion will kill you.” When he went from beside him, the lion found him and killed him. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please,” so the man struck him sharply and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet went and waited[m] for the king along the road and disguised himself with a[n] headband over his eyes. 39 As the king was passing by, he called to the king and said, “Your servant went out in the thick of the battle, and suddenly a man turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If by any means he should be missed, it will be your life in his place, or you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 It happened that your servant was busy here and there,[o] and he disappeared.”[p] Then the king said to him, “Your own judgment has been determined.” 41 He quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was from the prophets. 42 He said to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because you have let the man I devoted for destruction go from your hand, your life shall be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’” 43 Then the king of Israel went to his house, sullen and angry, and he came to Samaria.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 20:6 Literally “they will put in their hands”
- 1 Kings 20:9 Literally “returned him a word”
- 1 Kings 20:12 Literally “booths”
- 1 Kings 20:22 Literally “know and see”
- 1 Kings 20:23 Hebrew “he”
- 1 Kings 20:25 Literally “as the army which fell from with you”
- 1 Kings 20:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 20:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 20:29 Literally “the battle drew near”
- 1 Kings 20:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 20:31 Literally “he may let your life live”
- 1 Kings 20:34 Literally “In covenant”
- 1 Kings 20:38 Literally “stood”
- 1 Kings 20:38 Hebrew “the”
- 1 Kings 20:40 Literally “was doing here and here”
- 1 Kings 20:40 Literally “and he was not”
1 Kings 20
Christian Standard Bible
Victory over Ben-hadad
20 Now King Ben-hadad(A) of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings,(B) along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria,(C) and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!’” (D)
4 Then the king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”
5 The messengers then returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent messengers to you, saying, “You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.” 6 But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you,[a](E) and they will search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.’”
7 Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Recognize[b] that this one is only looking for trouble,(F) for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”
9 So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the messengers left and took word back to him.
10 Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely(G) if Samaria’s dust(H) amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast(I) like the one who takes it off.’”
12 When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking(J) in their quarters,[c] he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.
13 A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the Lord.’”(K)
14 Ahab asked, “By whom?”
And the prophet said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘By the young men of the provincial leaders.’”
Then he asked, “Who is to start the battle?” (L)
He said, “You.”
15 So Ahab mobilized the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he mobilized all the Israelite troops: 7,000.(M) 16 They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings(N) who were helping him were getting drunk in their quarters. 17 The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”(O)
18 So he said, “If they have marched out in peace,(P) take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”
19 The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city, 20 and each one struck down his opponent.(Q) So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them,(R) but King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21 Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a severe slaughter on Aram.
22 The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and strengthen yourself, then consider carefully[d] what you should do, for in the spring(S) the king of Aram will attack you.”
23 Now the king of Aram’s servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country.(T) That’s why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are. 24 Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place. 25 Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost—horse for horse, chariot for chariot—and let’s fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they are.” The king listened to them and did it.
26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek(U) to battle Israel. 27 The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape.(V)
28 Then the man of God(W) approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,”(X) I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”(Y)
29 They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day,(Z) the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day. 30 The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thousand remaining men.
Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room(AA) in the city. 31 His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists(AB) and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”
So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this[e] and responded, “Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad.”
Then he said, “Go and bring him.”
So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot. 34 Then Ben-hadad said to him, “I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father,(AC) and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria.”(AD)
Ahab responded, “On the basis of this treaty, I release you.” So he made a treaty with him and released him.
Ahab Rebuked by the Lord
35 One of the sons of the prophets(AE) said to his fellow prophet by the word of the Lord, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.
36 He told him, “Because you did not listen to the Lord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.”(AF) When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said to him, “Strike me!” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38 Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised(AG) himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life,(AH) or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds[f] of silver.’ 40 But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.”
The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it.”(AI)
41 He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction,(AJ) it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’” 43 The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry,(AK) and he entered Samaria.
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