¶ And Benhadad¹ the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two² kings with him, and horses³, and chariots: and he went up and besieged⁴ Samaria, and warred against it.

⁵And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,

⁶Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine,⁷ and all that I have.

And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search⁸ thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant⁹ in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

Then the king of Israel called all the elders¹⁰ of the land, and said, Mark¹¹, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief¹²: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not¹³.

And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

¶ And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods¹⁴ do so unto me, and more also, if the dust¹⁵ of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me¹⁶.

And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him¹⁷ that girdeth on his harness¹⁸ boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¶ And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message¹⁹, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions²⁰, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array.²¹ And they set themselves in array against the city.

And, behold, there came²² a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt²³ know that I am the LORD.

And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men²⁴ of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order²⁵ the battle? And he answered, Thou.

Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred²⁶ and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand²⁷.

And they went out at noon. But Benhadad²⁸ was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty²⁹ and two kings that helped him.

³⁰And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

³¹And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

¶ And they slew³² every one his man: and the Syrians³³ fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped³⁴ on an horse with the horsemen.

And the king of Israel went out³⁵, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

¶ And the prophet³⁶ came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen³⁷ thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return³⁸ of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods³⁹ are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

And do this thing, Take the⁴⁰ kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:

And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost⁴¹, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek⁴², to fight against Israel⁴⁴.

And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present⁴⁵, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two⁴⁶ little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

And there came⁴⁷ a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because⁴⁸ the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will⁴⁹ I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know⁵⁰ that I am the LORD.

And they pitched one over against the other seven days⁵¹. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand⁵² footmen in one day.

¶ But the rest⁵³ fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall⁵⁴ fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled⁵⁵, and came into the city, into an inner chamber⁵⁶.

¶ And his servants⁵⁷ said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings⁵⁸: let us, I pray thee,⁵⁹ put sackcloth⁶⁰ on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure⁶¹ he will save thy life.

So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant⁶² Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother⁶³.

Now the men⁶⁴ did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused⁶⁵ him to come up into the chariot.

And Benhadad said unto him, The cities⁶⁶, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant⁶⁷ with him, and sent him away.

And a certain man of the sons⁶⁸ of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word⁶⁹ of the LORD, Smite me,⁷⁰ I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

⁷¹Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me,⁷² I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that⁷³ in smiting he wounded him.

So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised⁷⁴ himself with ashes upon his face.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant⁷⁵ went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life⁷⁶ be for his life, or else⁷⁷ thou shalt pay⁷⁸ a talent of silver.

¶ And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone⁷⁹. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

And he hasted, and took the ashes away⁸⁰ from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.

And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because⁸¹ thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go⁸² for his life, and thy people for his people.

And the king of Israel went⁸³ to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.