1 Kings 20
World English Bible
20 Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, with horses and chariots. He went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, “Ben Hadad says, 3 ‘Your silver and your gold is mine. Your wives also and your children, even the best, are mine.’”
4 The king of Israel answered, “It is according to your saying, my lord, O king. I am yours, and all that I have.”
5 The messengers came again, and said, “Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent indeed to you, saying, “You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house, and the houses of your servants; whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hand, and take it away.”’”
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”
9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’”
The messengers departed, and brought him back the message. 10 Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”
12 When Ben Hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.
13 Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”
14 Ahab said, “By whom?”
He said, “Yahweh says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’”
Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?”
He answered, “You.”
15 Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16 They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”
18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out, and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22 The prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and mark, and see what you do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”
23 The servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let’s fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place. 25 Muster an army, like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are.”
He listened to their voice, and did so. 26 At the return of the year, Ben Hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 27 The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats; but the Syrians filled the country. 28 A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys;” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’”
29 They encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner room. 31 His servants said to him, “See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our bodies, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will save your life.”
32 So they put sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’”
He said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 Now the men observed diligently, and hurried to take this phrase; and they said, “Your brother Ben Hadad.”
Then he said, “Go, bring him.”
Then Ben Hadad came out to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 Ben Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.”
“I”, said Ahab, “will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
35 A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by Yahweh’s word, “Please strike me!”
The man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed Yahweh’s voice, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 Then he found another man, and said, “Please strike me.”
The man struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and behold, a man came over, and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man! If by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent[a] of silver.’ 40 As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”
The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be. You yourself have decided it.”
41 He hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 He said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will take the place of his life, and your people take the place of his people.’”
43 The king of Israel went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Samaria.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 20:39 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds
1 Kings 20
International Standard Version
Ahab Attacks the Arameans
20 A little while later, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered an army of cavalry and chariots in a military confederacy with 32 kings, invaded Samaria, and set up siege encampments there. 2 Then he sent envoys to visit King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and gold belong to me. So do the most beautiful of your wives and children.’”
4 “Whatever you want, your majesty,” the king of Israel answered. “I belong to you, as does everything I own.”
5 After delivering Ahab’s answer,[a] the envoys returned with this message: “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I’ve sent my envoys to you to tell you that your silver, gold, wives, and children are to be given to me. 6 About this time tomorrow, I’ll send my servants to you, and they’ll search through your palace and your servants’ houses. Whatever is important to you will be seized[b] and taken away.’”
7 Then the king of Israel called together all of the elders of the land and told them, “Please note that this man is here looking for trouble. He sent a message to me, demanding my wives, my children, and my silver and gold, and I haven’t refused him.”
8 “Don’t listen to him,” all the elders and the people replied. “And don’t agree to his terms.”[c]
9 So he told Ben-hadad’s envoys, “Tell his majesty the king, ‘Everything that you asked for the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the envoys left to deliver Ahab’s response. They[d] returned a little while later.
10 Beh-hadad sent this message back: “May the gods do so to me, and more than that also, if the dust that remains of Samaria is enough to fill up a few handfuls for all of the armies at my disposal.”
11 But the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘The one who is starting to strap on his battle armor should never brag like the one who is taking it off.’”
12 Ben-hadad received Ahab’s response[e] while he was celebrating with his kings in the battle pavilions. “Sound ‘Battle Stations!’” he ordered, and the army began to prepare their attack.
God’s Prophets Rebuke Ahab
13 Right about then, a prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You see all of this great big army, do you? Well now, I’m going to deliver them all right into your hand, and you will learn that I am the Lord!’”
14 “By whom?” Ahab asked.
“This is what the Lord says,” the prophet replied. “‘By the young men who serve as officials within the provinces.’”
“Who is to begin the battle?” Ahab asked.
“You,” the prophet answered.
15 So Ahab[f] gathered together 232 young men who served as officials within the provinces and then mustered 7,000 soldiers from among the Israelis. 16 They attacked at noon, just as Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the battle pavilions, along with the 32 kings who had joined him. 17 The young men who served as officials within the provinces led the charge, and somebody informed Ben-hadad, “Some men have come out from Samaria.”
18 “Take them alive, whether they’ve come in peace or not,” he ordered.
19 Meanwhile, as the young men who served as officials within the provinces left the city, their army followed after them. 20 Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans ran away with Israel in pursuit. King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on horseback with the help of[g] his cavalry. 21 The king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and chariots and killed the Arameans in a massive victory.[h]
22 The prophet approached the king of Israel and told him, “Go replenish your forces and prepare for the future, because early this next year the king of Aram will attack you again.”
The Arameans are Defeated
23 Sure enough, the advisors to the king of Aram told him, “Their gods are mountain gods. That’s why they were stronger than we were. But when we fight them on the plains, we’re certain to be the stronger army! 24 So do this: remove the kings from command[i] and replace them with captains. 25 Then replace the army that you lost, horse-for-horse and chariot-for-chariot. We’ll fight them on the plains, and we’re certain to be the stronger army.” Ben-hadad[j] listened to what they had to say and carried out their advice.
26 Early the next year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and invaded Aphek in a battle against Israel. 27 The Israelis were mustered, equipped with provisions, and sent out to fight. The Israeli encampment looked like two little flocks of goats compared to how the Aramean encampments[k] filled the countryside!
28 Right about then, a man of God approached and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans keep saying “The Lord is a mountain god, but isn’t a valley god,” I’m going to deliver this entire vast army right into your control, so you’ll learn that I really am the Lord.’” 29 So they remained in opposing camps for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle commenced, and the Israelis killed 100,000 Aramean infantry troops in a single day. 30 The rest of the Aramean army retreated into Aphek, but the city wall collapsed on 27,000 soldiers who had taken shelter there. Ben-hadad himself ran away and hid inside a closet[l] somewhere in the city.
31 “Look, now,” his advisors suggested, “we’ve heard that the Israeli kings are merciful. So let’s clothe ourselves with sackcloth, tie our hair back with ropes, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he’ll spare your life.” 32 So they put on some sackcloth, tied their hair back with ropes, and approached the king of Israel. “Your servant Ben-hadad says this,” they said. “Please let me live.”
“Is he still alive?” Ahab asked. “He’s my brother.”
33 Ben-hadad’s advisors,[m] quickly analyzing the signs in what Ahab was saying, responded, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”
“Go get him,” Ahab responded. So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab took him up into his personal chariot.
34 Ben-hadad made this promise to Ahab: “I will restore the cities that my ancestors took from your ancestors. You’ll be able to build streets named after yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
“With this promise I will release you,” Ahab[n] replied. So Ahab[o] made a treaty with Ben-hadad[p] and let him go.
Ahab is Condemned
35 Right about then, one of the members of the guild[q] of prophets told another through a message from the Lord: “Please strike me!” But the man refused to do so, 36 so he told him, “Because you haven’t obeyed the Lord’s voice, as soon as you leave here, a lion will kill you.” As soon as the man left, a lion found him and killed him.
37 Later, he found another man and told him, “Please strike me!” So the man struck him and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet left and waited for the king to pass by, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and told him, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and a soldier turned aside, brought a prisoner to me, and told me, ‘Guard this man. If he turns up missing for any reason at all, you’ll pay for it with your life or be fined one talent[r] of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, the prisoner escaped.”
The king told him, “By your actions you’ve earned the proper judgment!”
41 Then the prophet quickly tore off his bandage, and the king of Israel recognized him as being one of the prophets. 42 He told the king,[s] “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you let the man whom I had dedicated to destruction go free, therefore your life is to be forfeited for his life, and your people for his people.’”
43 After hearing this, the king of Israel rode back to his palace in Samaria, frustrated and in a foul mood.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 20:5 The Heb. lacks After delivering Ahab’s answer
- 1 Kings 20:6 Lit. seized in their hand
- 1 Kings 20:8 The Heb. lacks to his terms
- 1 Kings 20:9 Lit. deliver and
- 1 Kings 20:12 Lit. message
- 1 Kings 20:15 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 20:20 The Heb. lacks the help of
- 1 Kings 20:21 ;21 Or slaughter
- 1 Kings 20:24 The Heb. lacks from command
- 1 Kings 20:25 Lit. He
- 1 Kings 20:27 The Heb. lacks encampments
- 1 Kings 20:30 Lit. inside an inner room
- 1 Kings 20:33 Lit. The men
- 1 Kings 20:34 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 20:34 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 20:34 Lit. him
- 1 Kings 20:35 Lit. sons
- 1 Kings 20:39 I.e. about 75 pounds
- 1 Kings 20:42 Lit. told him
by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
