1 Kings 20
20
Syria Attacks Israel
1King Benhadad of Syria#20.1 King Benhadad of Syria: This is probably not the same Benhadad mentioned in 15.18-21. called his army together. He was joined by 32 other kings with their horses and chariots, and together they marched to Samaria and attacked. 2Benhadad sent a messenger to tell King Ahab of Israel, 3“Ahab, give me your silver and gold, your wives,#20.3 wives: Having more than one wife was allowed in those times. and your strongest sons!”
4“Your Majesty,” Ahab replied, “everything I have is yours, including me.”
5Later, Benhadad sent another messenger to say to Ahab, “I already told you to give me your silver and gold, your wives, and your children. 6But tomorrow at this time, I will send my officials into your city to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will take everything else that you#20.6 you: Hebrew; three ancient translations “they.” own.”
7Ahab called a meeting with the leaders of Israel and said, “Benhadad is causing real trouble. He told me to give him my wives and children, as well as my silver and gold. And I agreed.”
8“Don't listen to him!” they answered. “You don't have to do what he says.”
9So Ahab sent someone to tell Benhadad, “Your Majesty, I'll give you my silver and gold, and even my wives and children. But I won't let you have anything else.”
When Benhadad got his answer, 10he replied, “I'll completely destroy Samaria! There won't even be enough of it left for my soldiers to carry back in their hands. If I don't do it, I pray that the gods will punish me terribly.”
11Ahab then answered, “Benhadad, don't brag before the fighting even begins. Wait and see if you live through it.”
12Meanwhile, Benhadad and the other kings had been drinking in their tents. But when Ahab's reply came, he ordered his soldiers to prepare to attack Samaria, and they all got ready.
13At that very moment, a prophet ran up to Ahab and said, “You can see that Benhadad's army is very strong. But the Lord has promised to help you defeat them today. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”
14“Who will fight the battle?” Ahab asked.
The prophet answered, “The young bodyguards who serve the district officials.”
“But who will lead them into battle?” Ahab asked.
“You will!” the prophet replied.
15So Ahab called together the 232 young soldiers and the 7,000 troops in Israel's army, and he got them ready to fight the Syrians.
Israel Defeats the Syrians
16-17At noon, King Ahab and his Israelite army marched out of Samaria, with the young soldiers in front.
King Benhadad of Syria and the 32 kings with him were drunk when the scouts he had sent out ran up to his tent, shouting, “We just now saw soldiers marching out of Samaria!”
18“Take them alive!” Benhadad ordered. “I don't care if they have come out to fight or to surrender.”
19The young soldiers led Israel's troops into battle, 20and each of them attacked and killed an enemy soldier. The rest of the Syrian army turned and ran, and the Israelites went after them. Benhadad and some others escaped on horses, 21but Ahab and his soldiers followed them and captured#20.21 captured: One ancient translation; Hebrew “attacked.” their horses and chariots.
Ahab and Israel's army crushed the Syrians.
22Later, the prophet#20.22 the prophet: See verse 13. went back and warned Ahab, “Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans.”
Syria Attacks Israel Again
23Meanwhile, Benhadad's officials went to him and explained:
Israel's gods are mountain gods. We fought Israel's army in the hills, and that's why they defeated us. But if we fight them on flat land, there's no way we can lose.
24Here's what you should do. First, get rid of those 32 kings and put army commanders in their places. 25Then get more soldiers, horses, and chariots, so your army will be as strong as it was before. We'll fight Israel's army on flat land and wipe them out.
Benhadad agreed and did what they suggested.
26In the spring, Benhadad got his army together, and they marched to the town of Aphek to attack Israel. 27The Israelites also prepared to fight. They marched out to meet the Syrians, and the two armies camped across from each other. The Syrians covered the whole area, but the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats.
28The prophet went to Ahab and said, “The Syrians think the Lord is a god of the hills and not of the valleys. So he has promised to help you defeat their powerful army. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”
29For seven days the two armies stayed in their camps, facing each other. Then on the seventh day the fighting broke out, and before sunset the Israelites had killed 100,000 Syrian troops. 30The rest of the Syrian army ran back to Aphek, but the town wall fell and crushed 27,000 of them.
Benhadad also escaped to Aphek and hid in the back room of a house. 31His officials said, “Your Majesty, we've heard that Israel's kings keep their agreements. We will wrap sackcloth around our waists, put ropes around our heads, and ask Ahab to let you live.”
32They dressed in sackcloth and put ropes on their heads, then they went to Ahab and said, “Your servant Benhadad asks you to let him live.”
“Is he still alive?” Ahab asked. “Benhadad is like a brother to me.”
33Benhadad's officials were trying to figure out what Ahab was thinking, and when he said “brother,” they quickly replied, “You're right! You and Benhadad are like brothers.”
“Go get him,” Ahab said.
When Benhadad came out, Ahab had him climb up into his chariot.
34Benhadad said, “I'll give back the towns my father took from your father. And you can have shops in Damascus, just as my father had in Samaria.”
Ahab replied, “If you do these things, I'll let you go free.” Then they signed a peace treaty, and Ahab let Benhadad go.
A Prophet Condemns Ahab
35About this time the Lord commanded a prophet to say to a friend, “Hit me!” But the friend refused, 36#1 K 13.24. and the prophet told him, “You disobeyed the Lord, and as soon as you walk away, a lion will kill you.” The friend left, and suddenly a lion killed him.
37The prophet found someone else and said, “Hit me!” So this man beat him up.
38The prophet left and put a bandage over his face to disguise himself. Then he went and stood beside the road, waiting for Ahab to pass by.
39When Ahab went by, the prophet shouted, “Your Majesty, right in the heat of battle, someone brought a prisoner to me and told me to guard him. He said if the prisoner got away, I would either be killed or forced to pay 3,000 pieces of silver. 40But I got busy doing other things, and the prisoner escaped.”
Ahab answered, “You will be punished just as you have said.”
41The man quickly tore the bandage off his face, and Ahab saw that he was one of the prophets. 42The prophet said, “The Lord told you to kill Benhadad, but you let him go. Now you will die in his place, and your people will die in place of his people.”
43Ahab went back to Samaria, angry and depressed.
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1 Kings 20: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 20
20
Victory over Ben-hadad
1Now Ben-hadad # 1Kg 15:18,20 king of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, # 1Kg 22:31 along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, # 1Kg 16:24,29 and fought against it. 2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king 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! ’ ” # 2Kg 24:14-16; Dn 1:3-4
4Then the king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”
5The 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. 6But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.’ ”
7Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Think it over and you will see that this one is only looking for trouble, # 2Kg 5:7 for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”
8All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”
9So 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.
10Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely # 1Kg 19:2; 2Kg 6:31 if Samaria’s dust # 2Sm 22:43 amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11The king of Israel answered, “Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast # Pr 27:1 like the one who takes it off.’ ”
12When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking # 1Kg 16:9 in the tents, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.
13A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am Yahweh.’ ” # 1Kg 20:28
14Ahab 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? ” # Jdg 1:1; 20:18
He said, “You.”
15So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he counted all the Israelite troops: 7,000. # Jdg 7:2 16They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings # 1Kg 20:1 who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents. 17The 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.” # 1Kg 16:24
18So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, # 2Kg 14:8 take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”
19The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city, 20and each one struck down his opponent. # 2Sm 2:15-16 So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, # 1Sm 14:13-14,22 but Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a great slaughter on Aram.
22The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and strengthen yourself, then consider what you should do, for in the spring # 2Sm 11:1 the king of Aram will march against you.”
23Now the king of Aram’s servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. # 1Kg 14:23; Ps 139:7-12 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 will be. 24Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place. 25Raise 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 will be.” The king listened to them and did so.
26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek # 2Kg 13:17 to battle Israel. 27The 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. # Jdg 6:5; 1Sm 13:5
28Then the man of God # 1Kg 17:18 approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans have said: Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, # 1Kg 20:23 I will hand over all this great army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” # 1Kg 20:13
29They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, # Jos 6:15 the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans — 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those 27,000 remaining men.
Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room # 1Kg 22:25 in the city. 31His 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 # Gn 37:34 and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32So 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.”
33Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this # Some Hb mss, alt Hb tradition, LXX; other Hb mss read they hastened and caught hold; “Is this it?” 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. 34Then Ben-hadad said to him, “I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, # 1Kg 15:20 and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria.” # 2Sm 8:6
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
35One of the sons of the prophets # 2Kg 2:3,5,7 said to his fellow prophet by the word of the Lord, “Strike me! ” But the man refused to strike him.
36He told him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” # 1Kg 13:24 When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.
37The prophet found another man and said to him, “Strike me! ” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised # 1Kg 14:2 himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39As 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, # Jos 2:14; 2Kg 10:24 or you will weigh out 75 pounds # Lit a talent of silver.’ 40But 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.” # 2Sm 12:5
41He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, # 1Kg 19:16 it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’ ” 43The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, # 1Kg 21:4 and he entered Samaria.
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