1Kings 20

20At about this same time Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his troops. He recruited in addition thirty-two local sheiks, all outfitted with horses and chariots. He set out in force and surrounded Samaria, ready to make war.H1130H4428H758H6908H2428H6908H7970H8147H4428H5483H7393H5927H6696H8111H38982He sent an envoy into the city to set his terms before Ahab king of Israel:H7971H4397H256H4428H3478H5892H559H559H11303"Ben-Hadad lays claim to your silver and gold, and to the pick of your wives and sons."H3701H2091H802H1121H28964The king of Israel accepted the terms: "As you say, distinguished lord; I and everything I have is yours."H4428H3478H6030H559H113H4428H16975But then the envoy returned a second time, saying, "On second thought, I want it all—your silver and gold and all your wives and sons. Hand them over—the whole works.H4397H7725H559H559H1130H559H7971H559H5414H3701H2091H802H11216I'll give you twenty-four hours; then my servants will arrive to search your palace and the houses of your officials and loot them; anything that strikes their fancy, they'll take."H7971H5650H4279H6256H2664H1004H1004H5650H1961H4261H5869H7760H3027H39477The king of Israel called a meeting of all his tribal elders. He said, "Look at this—outrageous! He's just looking for trouble. He means to clean me out, demanding all my women and children. And after I already agreed to pay him off handsomely!"H4428H3478H7121H2205H776H559H3045H7200H1245H7451H7971H802H1121H3701H2091H45138The elders, backed by the people, said, "Don't cave in to him. Don't give an inch."H2205H5971H559H8085H149So he sent an envoy to Ben-Hadad, "Tell my distinguished lord, 'I agreed to the terms you delivered the first time, but this I can't do—this I won't do!'" The envoy went back and delivered the answer.H559H4397H1130H559H113H4428H7971H5650H7223H6213H1697H3201H6213H4397H3212H7725H1697H772510Ben-Hadad shot back his response: "May the gods do their worst to me, and then worse again, if there'll be anything left of Samaria but rubble."H1130H7971H559H430H6213H3254H6083H8111H5606H8168H5971H727211The king of Israel countered, "Think about it—it's easier to start a fight than end one."H4428H3478H6030H559H1696H2296H1984H660512It happened that when Ben-Hadad heard this retort he was into some heavy drinking, boozing it up with the sheiks in their field shelters. Drunkenly, he ordered his henchmen, "Go after them!" And they attacked the city.H8085H1697H8354H4428H5521H559H5650H7760H7760H589213Just then a lone prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "GOD's word: Have you taken a good look at this mob? Well, look again—I'm turning it over to you this very day. And you'll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am GOD."H5066H259H5030H256H4428H3478H559H559H3068H7200H1419H1995H5414H3027H3117H3045H306814Ahab said, "Really? And who is going to make this happen?" GOD said, "The young commandos of the regional chiefs." "And who," said Ahab, "will strike the first blow?" GOD said, "You."H256H559H559H559H3068H5288H8269H4082H559H631H4421H55915Ahab looked over the commandos of the regional chiefs; he counted 232. Then he assessed the available troops—7,000.H6485H5288H8269H4082H8147H3967H7970H8147H310H6485H5971H1121H3478H7651H50516At noon they set out after Ben-Hadad who, with his allies, the thirty-two sheiks, was busy at serious drinking in the field shelters.H3318H6672H1130H8354H7910H5521H4428H7970H8147H4428H582617The commandos of the regional chiefs made up the vanguard. A report was brought to Ben-Hadad: "Men are on their way from Samaria."H5288H8269H4082H3318H7223H1130H7971H5046H559H582H3318H811118He said, "If they've come in peace, take them alive as hostages; if they've come to fight, the same—take them alive as hostages."H559H3318H7965H8610H2416H3318H4421H8610H241619The commandos poured out of the city with the full army behind them.H5288H8269H4082H3318H5892H2428H31020They hit hard in hand-to-hand combat. The Arameans scattered from the field, with Israel hard on their heels. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram got away on horseback, along with his cavalry.H5221H376H376H758H5127H3478H7291H1130H4428H758H4422H5483H657121The king of Israel cut down both horses and chariots—an enormous defeat for Aram.H4428H3478H3318H5221H5483H7393H5221H758H1419H434722Sometime later the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "On the alert now—build up your army, assess your capabilities, and see what has to be done. Before the year is out, the king of Aram will be back in force."H5030H5066H4428H3478H559H3212H2388H3045H7200H6213H8666H8141H4428H758H592723Meanwhile the advisors to the king of Aram said, "Their god is a god of the mountains—we don't stand a chance against them there. So let's engage them on the plain where we'll have the advantage.H5650H4428H758H559H430H430H2022H2388H199H3898H4334H3808H238824Here's the strategy: Remove each sheik from his place of leadership and replace him with a seasoned officer.H6213H1697H5493H4428H376H4725H7760H634625Then recruit a fighting force equivalent in size to the army that deserted earlier—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. And we'll fight them on the plain—we're sure to prove stronger than they are." It sounded good to the king; he did what they advised.H4487H2428H2428H5307H5483H5483H7393H7393H3898H854H4334H2388H8085H6963H621326As the new year approached, Ben-Hadad rallied Aram and they went up to Aphek to make war on Israel.H8666H8141H1130H6485H758H5927H663H4421H347827The Israelite army prepared to fight and took the field to meet Aram. They moved into battle formation before Aram in two camps, like two flocks of goats. The plain was seething with Arameans.H1121H3478H6485H3557H3212H7125H1121H3478H2583H8147H2835H5795H758H4390H77628Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, "This is GOD's word: Because Aram said, 'GOD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,' I'll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you'll know that I am GOD."H5066H376H430H559H4428H3478H559H559H3068H758H559H3068H430H2022H430H6010H5414H1419H1995H3027H3045H306829The two armies were poised in a standoff for seven days. On the seventh day fighting broke out. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day.H2583H428H5227H428H7651H3117H7637H3117H4421H7126H1121H3478H5221H758H3967H505H7273H259H311730The rest of the army ran for their lives back to the city, Aphek, only to have the city wall fall on 27,000 of the survivors. Ben-Hadad escaped into the city and hid in a closet.H3498H5127H663H5892H2346H5307H6242H7651H505H376H3498H1130H5127H935H5892H2315H231531Then his advisors told him, "Look, we've heard that the kings of Israel play by the rules; let's dress in old gunnysacks, carry a white flag of truce, and present ourselves to the king of Israel on the chance that he'll let you live."H5650H559H8085H4428H1004H3478H2617H4428H7760H8242H4975H2256H7218H3318H4428H3478H2421H531532So that's what they did. They dressed in old gunnysacks and carried a white flag, and came to the king of Israel saying, "Your servant Ben-Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'" Ahab said, "You mean to tell me that he's still alive? If he's alive, he's my brother."H2296H8242H4975H2256H7218H935H4428H3478H559H5650H1130H559H2421H5315H559H2416H25133The men took this as a good sign and concluded that everything was going to be all right: "Ben-Hadad is most certainly your brother!" The king said, "Go and get him." They went and brought him back by chariot.H582H5172H4116H2480H559H251H1130H559H935H3947H1130H3318H5927H481834Ahab said, "I am prepared to return the cities that my father took from your father. And you can set up your headquarters in Damascus just as my father did in Samaria; I'll send you home under safe conduct." Then he made a covenant with him and sent him off.H559H5892H1H3947H1H7725H7760H2351H1834H1H7760H8111H7971H1285H3772H1285H797135A man who was one of the prophets said to a bystander, "Hit me; wound me. Do it for GOD's sake—it's his command. Hit me; wound me." But the man wouldn't do it.H259H376H1121H5030H559H7453H1697H3068H5221H376H3985H522136So he told him, "Because you wouldn't obey GOD's orders, as soon as you leave me a lion will attack you." No sooner had the man left his side than a lion met him and attacked.H559H8085H6963H3068H1980H738H5221H3212H681H738H4672H522137He then found another man and said, "Hit me; wound me." That man did it—hit him hard in the face, drawing blood.H4672H312H376H559H5221H376H5221H5221H648138Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king.H5030H3212H5975H4428H1870H2664H666H586939It wasn't long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, "Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, 'Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you'll pay dearly.'H4428H5674H6817H4428H559H5650H3318H7130H4421H376H5493H935H376H559H8104H376H6485H6485H5315H5315H8254H3603H370140But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone." The king of Israel said, "You've just pronounced your own verdict."H5650H6213H369H4428H3478H559H4941H278241At that, the man ripped the bandage off his eyes and the king recognized who he was—one of the prophets!H4116H666H5493H5869H4428H3478H5234H503042The man said to the king, "GOD's word: Because you let a man go who was under sentence by GOD, it's now your life for his, your people for his."H559H559H3068H7971H3027H376H2764H5315H5315H5971H597143The king of Israel went home in a sulk. He arrived in Samaria in a very bad mood.H4428H3478H3212H1004H5620H2198H935H8111