1And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad, 3Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives also and your children, even the finest, are mine. 4And the king of Israel answered and said, It is according to your saying, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have. 5And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, I indeed sent to you, saying, You shall deliver to me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children; 6but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and it shall be, that whatever is pleasing in your eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away. 7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Take note, please, and see how this man is seeking trouble: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I did not refuse him. 8And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen, nor consent. 9Therefore 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. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again. 10And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, May the gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me. 11And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him who puts on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off. 12And it happened, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the tents, that he said to his servants, Take your positions. And they took their positions against the city. 13And, behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus says Yehovah, Have you seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am Yehovah. 14And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus says Yehovah, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, You. 15Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. 16And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, Men have come out from Samaria. 18And he said, Whether they have come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they have come out for war, take them alive. 19So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20And they killed every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21And the king of Israel went out, and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen yourself, and take note, and see what you do; for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you. 23And 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 us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24And do this thing: remove the kings, every man from his place, and put commanders in their place; 25and muster an army, like the army that you have lost, 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 listened to their voice, and did so. 26And it happened in the spring, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 27And the children of Israel were mustered, and were provisioned, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats; but the Syrians filled the country. 28And a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, Thus says Yehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Yehovah 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 Yehovah. 29And they encamped opposite one another seven days. And so it was, that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed of the Syrians a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner room. 31And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, please, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save your life. 32So they put sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says, Please, let me live. And he said, Is he still alive? he is my brother. 33Now the men were watching for a sign, and quickly caught up whether it was his mind; and they said, Your brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came out to him; and he made him come up into the chariot. 34And Ben-hadad said to him, The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And I, said Ahab, will let you go with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and let him go. 35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the word of Yehovah, Strike me, please. And the man refused to strike him. 36Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yehovah, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion shall kill you. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him. 37Then he found another man, and said, Strike me, please. And the man struck him, striking and wounding him. 38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39And as the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, 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 of silver. 40And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it. 41And he hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42And he said to him, Thus says Yehovah, Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people. 43And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.