Chronological

20 And Ben-Hadad Melech Aram gathered all his army together; and there were thirty and two melech with him, and sus, and chariots; and he went up and laid siege against Shomron, and warred against her.

² And he sent malachim to Ach’av Melech Yisroel into the Ir, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-Hadad,

³ Thy kesef and thy zahav is mine; thy nashim also and thy banim, even the tovim (best) are mine.

⁴ And the Melech Yisroel answered and said, Adoni, O melech, according to thy word, I am thine, and all that I have.

⁵ And the malachim came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-Hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy kesef, thy zahav, thy nashim, thy banim;

⁶ Yet I will send my avadim unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thine Bais (Palace), and the batim (houses) of thy avadim; and it shall be, that whatsoever is makhmad (precious) in thine eyes, they shall put it in their yad, and take it away.

⁷ Then the Melech Yisroel summoned kol Ziknei HaAretz, and said, Mark, now, and see how this man seeketh ra’ah; for he sent unto me for my nashim, for my banim, for my kesef, for my zahav; and I denied him not.

⁸ All the zekenim and kol HaAm said unto him, Pay not heed unto him, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the malachim of Ben-Hadad, Tell adoni HaMelech, All that thou didst send for to thy eved at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do. And the malachim departed, and took him back davar.

¹⁰ And Ben-Hadad sent unto him, and said, The elohim (g-ds) do so unto me, and more also, if the aphar Shomron shall provide even a handful for kol haAm (each of the people) who are at my raglayim.

¹¹ And the Melech Yisroel answered and said, Tell him, Let not khoger (one girding on [his battle armor]) boast himself as he that taketh off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-Hadad heard this davar, as he was drinking, he and the melachim in the sukkot, that he said unto his avadim, Get ready to attack. And they set themselves in array against the Ir.

¹³ And, hinei, there came one navi unto Ach’av Melech Yisroel, saying, Thus saith Hashem, Hast thou seen all this hamon hagadol (vast multitude)? Hineni, I will deliver it into thine yad this day; and thou shalt know that I am Hashem.

¹⁴ Ach’av said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Hashem, Even by the na’arei sarei hamedinot (the servants of the provincial commanders). Then he said, Who shall lead out in the milchamah? He answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he numbered the na’arei sarei hamedinot, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered kol HaAm, even all the Bnei Yisroel, being shivat alafim.

¹⁶ And they set forth at tzohorayim. But Ben-Hadad was drinking himself shikkor in the sukkot, he and the melachim, the thirty and two melachim ozer (allied with) him.

¹⁷ And the na’arei sarei hamedinot went out first; and Ben-Hadad sent out, and they reported to him, saying, There are anashim come out from Shomron.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for shalom, take them chayyim (alive); or whether they be come out for milchamah, take them chayyim (alive).

¹⁹ So these na’arei sarei hamedinot came out of the Ir, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they struck down every ish his ish; and Aram (the Syrians) fled; and Yisroel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad Melech Aram escaped al-sus (on horse) and the parashim (cavalry).

²¹ And the Melech Yisroel went out, and struck down sus and chariot, and slaughtered Aram with a makkah gedolah (great slaughter).

²² And the navi came to the Melech Yisroel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the teshuvat hashanah (the turn of the year, springtime) Melech Aram will come up against thee.

²³ The avadim of Melech Aram said unto him, Their elohim are elohei harim (g-ds of the hills); therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them on the plain; then surely we shall be stronger than they.

²⁴ And do this thing: Remove the melachim, every ish from his makom (place, post), and put officers in their places;

²⁵ And muster thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, sus for sus, and merkavah for merkavah; and we will fight against them on the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he paid heed unto their voice, and did so.

²⁶ And it came to pass at the teshuvat hashanah, that Ben-Hadad mustered Aram, and went up to Aphek, to war against Yisroel.

²⁷ And the Bnei Yisroel were mustered, and were all outfitted as battle-ready, and marched out to meet them; and the Bnei Yisroel encamped opposite them like two little flocks of izzim (goats); but Aram (the Syrians) filled ha’aretz.

²⁸ And there came an Ish HaElohim, and spoke unto Melech Yisroel, and said, Thus saith Hashem, Because Aram have said, Hashem is Elohei Harim, but not Elohei Amakim (G-d of Valleys) therefore will I deliver all this hamon hagadol (vast multitude) into thine yad, and ye shall know that I am Hashem.

²⁹ And they encamped these opposite those shivat yamim. And so it was, that in the yom hashevi’i the milchamah was joined; and the Bnei Yisroel slaughtered of Aram a hundred thousand foot soldiers in yom echad.

³⁰ But the rest fled to Aphek, into the Ir; and there a chomah (wall) fell upon twenty and seven elef ish that were left. And Ben-Hadad fled, and went into the Ir, into cheder b’cheder (a room within a room, an inner room).

³¹ And his avadim said unto him, Hinei now, we have heard that the melachim of Bais Yisroel are malkhei chesed; let us, now, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the Melech Yisroel; perhaps he will save thy nefesh.

³² So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the Melech Yisroel, and said, Thy eved Ben-Hadad saith, Let now my nefesh live. And he said, Is he yet alive? He is achi (my brother).

³³ Now the anashim did interpret this as a sign of mercy from him, and did hastily seize on it; and they said, Thy brother Ben-Hadad! Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-Hadad came forth to him; and he brought him up onto the merkavah.

³⁴ And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which Avi took from Avicha, I will return; and thou shalt set up chutzot (market areas) for thee in Damascus, just as Avi set up in Shomron. Then said Ach’av, I will send thee [to let thee go] away with this brit (covenant). So he made a brit (covenant) with him, and sent him [to let him go] away.

³⁵ And a certain man of the Bnei HaNevi’im said unto his re’a (neighbor) in the Devar Hashem, Strike me, now. The ish refused to strike him.

³⁶ Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the kol Hashem, behold, thou, as soon as thou art departed from me, an aryeh shall kill thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, an aryeh found him, and killed him.

³⁷ Then he found another ish, and said, strike me, now. And the ish struck him, so that in striking he wounded him.

³⁸ So the navi departed, and stood waiting for HaMelech by the derech, and disguised himself with bandage over his eyes.

³⁹ And as HaMelech passed by, he cried out unto HaMelech; and he said, Thy eved went out into the thick of the milchamah; and, hinei, an ish turned aside, and brought an ish unto me, and said, Be shomer over (guard) this ish: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy nefesh be for his nefesh, or else thou must pay a talent of kesef.

⁴⁰ And while thy eved was busy here and there, he was gone. And the Melech Yisroel said unto him, So shall thy mishpat be; thyself hast decided it.

⁴¹ And he hasted, and removed the bandage from over his eyes; and Melech Yisroel recognized him that he was of the Nevi’im.

⁴² And he said unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Because thou hast let go out of thy yad an ish whom I appointed to cherem (utter destruction), therefore thy nefesh shall be for his nefesh, and thy people instead of his people.

⁴³ And Melech Yisroel came to his bais sar veza’ef (sullen and dejected), and came to Shomron.

21 And it came to pass after these things, that Navot the Yizre’eli had a kerem (vineyard), which was in Yizre’el (Jezreel), beside the heikhal (palace) Ach’av Melech Shomron.

² And Ach’av spoke unto Navot, saying, Give me thy kerem (vineyard), that I may have it for an herb gan (garden), because it is karov (near) unto my Bais; and I will give thee in exchange for it a tov kerem (better vineyard) than it; or, if it seem tov in thine eyes, I will give thee the worth of it in kesef.

³ And Navot said to Ach’av, Chalilah li me’Hashem (far be it from me before Hashem), that I should give the nachalat Avoti unto thee.

⁴ And Ach’av came into his Bais sar veza’ef (sullen and dejected) because of the davar which Navot the Yizre’eli had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the nachalat avoti. And he lay down upon his mittah, and turned away his face, and would eat no lechem.

⁵ But Izevel his isha came to him, and said unto him, Mah zeh (What [is] this?) Thy ruach is sarah (sullen), that thou eatest no lechem?

⁶ And he said unto her, Because I spoke unto Navot the Yizre’eli and said unto him, Give me thy kerem (vineyard) for kesef; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another kerem (vineyard) in its place; but he answered, I will not give thee my kerem (vineyard).

⁷ And Izevel his isha said unto him, What a grand sovereign over Yisroel you are! Arise, and eat lechem, and let thine lev be cheerful; I will give thee the kerem (vineyard) of Navot the Yizre’eli.

⁸ So she wrote sefarim (letters) b’shem Ach’av, and sealed them with his chotam (seal), and sent the sefarim unto the zekenim and to the chorim (nobles, rulers) that were in his city, dwelling with Navot.

⁹ And she wrote in the sefarim, saying, Proclaim a tzom, and set Navot on high among the people;

¹⁰ And seat two men, bnei beliyaal, opposite him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst upon Elohim and Melech make a [blasphemous] brocha! And then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.

¹¹ And the anashim of his city, even the zekenim and the chorim (nobles) who were the inhabitants in his city, did just as Izevel had sent unto them, and just as it was written in the sefarim which she had sent unto them.

¹² They proclaimed a tzom, and seated Navot on high among the people.

¹³ And there came in two anashim, bnei beliyaal, and sat opposite him; and the anashim of beliyaal witnessed against him, even against Navot, in the presence of the people, saying, Navot blasphemed Elohim vaMelech! Then they took him forth outside of the Ir, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

¹⁴ Then they sent to Izevel, saying, Navot is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Izevel heard that Navot was stoned, and was dead, that Izevel said to Ach’av, Arise, take possession of the kerem of Navot the Yizre’eli, which he refused to give thee for kesef; for Navot is not chai (alive), but met (dead).

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Ach’av heard that Navot was dead, that Ach’av rose up to go down to the kerem of Navot the Yizre’eli, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ And the Devar Hashem came to Eliyahu the Tishbi, saying,

¹⁸ Arise, go down to meet Ach’av Melech Yisroel, which is in Shomron; hinei, he is in the kerem of Navot, where he has gone down to take [inheritance] possession of it.

¹⁹ And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Hashem, Hast thou committed murder, then also hast thou inherited? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Hashem, In the makom (place) where kelavim licked the dahm Navot shall kelavim lick thy dahm also, even thine.

²⁰ And Ach’av said to Eliyahu, Hast thou found me, O mine oyev? And he answered, I have found thee; because thou hast sold thyself to work rah in front of the eyes of Hashem.

²¹ Hineni, I will bring ra’ah upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ach’av mashtin b’kir (him that urinates against a wall, i. e., all males), atzur (bond) and azuv (free) in Yisroel,

²² And will make thine Bais like the Bais Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, and like the Bais Ba’asha Ben Achiyah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me to anger, and caused Yisroel to sin.

²³ And of Izevel also spoke Hashem, saying, The kelavim shall devour Izevel by the wall of Yizre’el.

²⁴ Him of Ach’av that dieth in the Ir the kelavim shall devour; and him that dieth in the sadeh shall the oph haShomayim devour.

²⁵ But there was none like unto Ach’av, which did sell himself to work rah before the eyes of Hashem, whom Izevel his isha urged on.

²⁶ And he acted monstrously in going after gillulim (idols), according to all things as did HaEmori, whom Hashem drove out before the Bnei Yisroel.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when Ach’av heard those words, that he tore his begadim, put sackcloth upon his basar, did a tzom, lay in sackcloth, and walked about subdued.

²⁸ And the Devar Hashem came to Eliyahu the Tishbi, saying,

²⁹ Seest thou how Ach’av humbleth himself before Me? because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring hara’ah in his days: but in the yamim bno will I bring ra’ah (disaster) upon his Bais [See 2Kgs 9:23-26].