1 Kings 20:7-22 in English

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou not, neither consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then 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.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out from Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they are come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew 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.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ And Jezabel his wife said to him, Dost thou now thus act the king over Israel? arise, and eat bread, and be thine own master, and I will give thee the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite.

⁸ And she wrote a letter in the name of Achaab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who dwelt with Nabuthai.

⁹ And it was written in the letters, saying, Keep a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place among the people.

¹⁰ And set two men, sons of transgressors, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, He blessed God and the king: and let them lead him forth, and stone him, and let him die.

¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders, and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezabel sent to them, and as it had been written in the letters which she sent to them.

¹² And they proclaimed a fast, and set Nabuthai in a chief place among the people.

¹³ And two men, sons of transgressors, came in, and sat opposite him, and bore witness against him, saying, Thou hast blessed God and the king. And they led him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ And they sent to Jezabel, saying, Nabuthai is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Jezabel heard it, that she said to Achaab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, who would not sell it to thee: for Nabuthai is not alive, for he is dead.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Achaab heard that Nabuthai the Jezraelite was dead, that he rent his garments, and put on sackcloth. And it came to pass afterward, that Achaab arose and went down to the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ And the Lord spoke to Eliu the Thesbite, saying,

¹⁸ Arise, and go down to meet Achaab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, for he is in the vineyard of Nabuthai, for he has gone down thither to take possession of it.

¹⁹ And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast slain and taken possession, therefore thus saith the Lord, In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Nabuthai, there shall the dogs lick thy blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in thy blood.

²⁰ And Achaab said to Eliu, Hast thou found me, mine enemy? and he said, I have found thee: because thou hast wickedly sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;

²¹ behold, I bring evil upon thee: and I will kindle a fire after thee, and I will utterly destroy every male of Achaab, and him that is shut up and him that is left in Israel.

²² And I will make thy house as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa son of Achia, because of the provocations wherewith thou hast provoked me, and caused Israel to sin.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And, behold, there came 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 shalt know that I am the LORD.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And, behold, there came 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 shalt know that I am the LORD.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ And Jezabel his wife said to him, Do you now thus act the king over Israel? arise, and eat bread, and be your own master, and I will give you the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite.

⁸ And she wrote a letter in the name of Achaab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who lived with Nabuthai.

⁹ And it was written in the letters, saying, Keep a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place among the people.

¹⁰ And set two men, sons of transgressors, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, He blessed God and the king: and let them lead him forth, and stone him, and let them die.

¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders, and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezabel sent to them, and as it had been written in the letters which she sent to them.

¹² And they proclaimed a fast, and set Nebuthai in a chief place among the people.

¹³ And two men, sons of transgressors, came in, and sat opposite him, and bore witness against him, saying, You have blessed God and the king. And they led him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ And they sent to Jezabel, saying, Nabuthai is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Jezabel heard it, that she said to Achaab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, who would not sell it to you: for Nebuthai is not alive, for he is dead.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Achaab heard that Nabuthai the Jezraelite was dead, that he tore his garments, and put on sackcloth. And it came to pass afterward, that Achaab arose and went down to the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ And the Lord spoke to Eliu the Thesbite, saying,

¹⁸ Arise, and go down to meet Achaab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, for he is in the vineyard of Nabuthai, for he has gone down there to take possession of it.

¹⁹ And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, Forasmuch as you have slain and taken possession, therefore thus says the Lord, In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Nabuthai, there shall the dogs lick your blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in your blood.

²⁰ And Achaab said to Eliu, Hast you found me, my enemy? and he said, I have found you: because you have wickedly sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;

²¹ behold, I bring evil upon you: and I will kindle a fire after you, and I will utterly destroy every male of Achaab, and him that is shut up and him that is left in Israel.

²² And I will make your house as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa son of Achia, because of the provocations wherewith you have provoked me, and caused Israel to sin.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou not, neither consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold; I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then 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.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out from Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ King Ahab summoned all the leaders of Israel, and said to them, “You can see/realize for yourselves that this man is trying to cause much trouble. He sent me a message insisting that I must give him my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I agreed to do that.”

⁸ The leaders and all the other people said to him, “Do not pay any attention to him! Do not do what he is requesting!”

⁹ So Ahab said to Ben-Hadad's messengers, “Tell the king that I agree to give him the things that he first requested, but I do not agree to allow his officials to take anything that they want from my palace and from the houses of my officials.” So the messengers reported that to King Ben-Hadad, and they returned with another message from Ben-Hadad.

¹⁰ In that message he said, “ We will destroy your city completely, with the result that there will not be enough dust and rubble left for each of my soldiers to have one handful! I hope/wish that the gods will strike me dead if we do not do that!”

¹¹ King Ahab replied to the messengers, “Tell King Ben-Hadad that a soldier who is putting on his armor preparing to fight a battle MTY should not boast at that time; he should wait until after he wins the battle.”

¹² Ben-Hadad heard that message while he and the other rulers were drinking wine in their temporary shelters. He told his men to prepare to attack MTY the city. So his men did that.

¹³ At that moment, a prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘ Do not be at all afraid RHQ of the large enemy army that you see! I will enable your army to defeat them today, and you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”

¹⁴ Ahab asked, “What group of our army will defeat them?” The prophet replied, “The young soldiers who are commanded by the district governors will do it.” The king asked, “Who should lead the attack?” The prophet replied, “You should!”

¹⁵ So Ahab gathered the young soldiers who were commanded by the district governors. There were 232 of those men. Then he also summoned all the Israeli army. There were only 7,000 soldiers.

¹⁶ They started to attack at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the other rulers were getting drunk in their temporary shelters.

¹⁷ The young soldiers advanced first. Some scouts who had been sent out by Ben-Hadad reported to him, “There are men coming out of Samaria city”!

¹⁸ He said, “It does not matter whether they are coming to fight against us or to ask for peace. Capture them, but do not kill them

¹⁹ The young Israeli soldiers went out of the city to attack the Syrian army, and the other soldiers in the Israeli army followed them.

²⁰ Each Israeli soldier killed a Syrian soldier. The rest of the Syrian army then ran away, and the Israeli soldiers pursued them. But King Ben-Hadad escaped riding his horse, along with some other men riding horses.

²¹ Then the king of Israel went out of the city, and he and his soldiers captured all the other Syrian horses and chariots, and also killed a large number of Syrian soldiers.

²² Then that same prophet went to King Ahab and said to him, “Go back and prepare your soldiers, and think carefully about what will be necessary for you to do, because the king of Syria with attack with his army again in the springtime of next year.”

⁷ And Jezabel his wife said to him, Do you now thus act the king over Israel? arise, and eat bread, and be your own master, and I will give you the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite.

⁸ And she wrote a letter in the name of Achaab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who lived with Nabuthai.

⁹ And it was written in the letters, saying, Keep a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place amongst the people.

¹⁰ And set two men, sons of transgressors, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, He blessed God and the king: and let them lead him forth, and stone him, and let them die.

¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders, and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezabel sent to them, and as it had been written in the letters which she sent to them.

¹² And they proclaimed a fast, and set Nebuthai in a chief place amongst the people.

¹³ And two men, sons of transgressors, came in, and sat opposite him, and bore witness against him, saying, You have blessed God and the king. And they led him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ And they sent to Jezabel, saying, Nabuthai is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Jezabel heard it, that she said to Achaab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, who would not sell it to you: for Nebuthai is not alive, for he is dead.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Achaab heard that Nabuthai the Jezraelite was dead, that he tore his garments, and put on sackcloth. And it came to pass afterward, that Achaab arose and went down to the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ And the Lord spoke to Eliu the Thesbite, saying,

¹⁸ Arise, and go down to meet Achaab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, for he is in the vineyard of Nabuthai, for he has gone down there to take possession of it.

¹⁹ And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, Forasmuch as you have slain and taken possession, therefore thus says the Lord, In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Nabuthai, there shall the dogs lick your blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in your blood.

²⁰ And Achaab said to Eliu, Hast you found me, my enemy? and he said, I have found you: because you have wickedly sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;

²¹ behold, I bring evil upon you: and I will kindle a fire after you, and I will utterly destroy every male of Achaab, and him that is shut up and him that is left in Israel.

²² And I will make your house as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa son of Achia, because of the provocations wherewith you have provoked me, and caused Israel to sin.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Yahweh says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Yahweh says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armour brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “The LORD says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “The LORD says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel sent for all the responsible men of the land, and said, Now will you take note and see the evil purpose of this man: he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I did not keep them back.

⁸ And all the responsible men and the people said to him, Do not give attention to him or do what he says.

⁹ So he said to the representatives of Ben-hadad, Say to my lord the king, All the orders you sent the first time I will do; but this thing I may not do. And the representatives went back with this answer.

¹⁰ Then Ben-hadad sent to him, saying, May the gods' punishment be on me if there is enough of the dust of Samaria for all the people at my feet to take some in their hands.

¹¹ And the king of Israel said in answer, Say to him, The time for loud talk is not when a man is putting on his arms, but when he is taking them off.

¹² Now when this answer was given to Ben-hadad, he was drinking with the kings in the tents, and he said to his men, Take up your positions. So they put themselves in position for attacking the town.

¹³ Then a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and said, The Lord says, Have you seen all this great army? See, I will give it into your hands today, and you will see that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, The Lord says, By the servants of the chiefs who are over the divisions of the land. Then he said, By whom is the fighting to be started? And he made answer, By you.

¹⁵ Then he got together the servants of all the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land, two hundred and thirty-two of them; and after them, he got together all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.

¹⁶ And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

¹⁷ And the servants of the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land went forward first; and when Ben-hadad sent out, they gave him the news, saying, Men have come out from Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, If they have come out for peace, take them living, and if they have come out for war, take them living.

¹⁹ So the servants of the chiefs of the divisions of the land went out of the town, with the army coming after them.

²⁰ And every one of them put his man to death, and the Aramaeans went in flight with Israel after them; and Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got away safely on a horse with his horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out and took the horses and the war-carriages, and made great destruction among the Aramaeans.

²² Then the prophet came up to the king of Israel, and said to him, Now make yourself strong, and take care what you do, or a year from now the king of Aram will come up against you again.

⁷ And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not, nor consent.

⁹ And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

¹⁰ And Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me!

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on boast himself as he that putteth off!

¹² And it came to pass when he heard this word, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the tents, that he said to his servants, Set yourselves. And they set themselves against the city.

¹³ And behold, a prophet drew near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah: Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah: By the servants of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he said, Thou.

¹⁵ And he numbered the servants of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon; and Ben-Hadad drank himself drunk in the tents, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the servants of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-Hadad sent out, and they told him saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ And these servants of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army that followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet drew near to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself, and understand, and see what thou shalt do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ And the king of Israel called all the ancients of the land, and said: Mark, and see that he layeth snares for us. For he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver and gold: and I said not nay.

⁸ And all the ancients, and all the people said to him: Hearken not to him, nor consent to him.

⁹ Wherefore he answered the messengers of Benadad: Tell my lord the king: All that thou didst send for to me thy servant at first, I will do: but this thing I cannot do.

¹⁰ And the messengers returning brought him word. And he sent again and said: Such and such things may the gods do to me, and more may they add, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answering, said: Tell him: Let not the girded boast himself as the ungirded.

¹² And it came to pass, when Benadad heard this word, that he and the kings were drinking in pavilions, and he said to his servants: Beset the city. And they beset it.

¹³ And behold a prophet coming to Achab king of Israel, said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Hast thou seen all this exceeding great multitude, behold I will deliver them into thy hand this day: that thou mayest know that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Achab said: By whom? And he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: By the servants of the princes of the provinces. And he said: Who shall begin to fight? And he said: Thou.

¹⁵ So he mustered the servants of the princes of the provinces, and he found the number of two hundred and thirty-two: and he mustered after them the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand:

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Benadad was drinking himself drunk in his pavilion, and the two and thirty kings with him, who were come to help him.

¹⁷ And the servants of the princes of the provinces went out first. And Benadad sent. And they told him, saying: There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said: Whether they come for peace, take them alive: or whether they come to fight, take them alive.

¹⁹ So the servants of the princes of the provinces went out, and the rest of the army followed:

²⁰ And every one slew the man that came against him: and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued after them. And Benadad king of Syria fled away on horseback with his horsemen.

²¹ But the king of Israel going out overthrew the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² (And a prophet coming to the king of Israel, said to him: Go, and strengthen thyself, and know, and see what thou dost: for the next year the king of Syria will come up against thee.)

⁷ The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and told them, “Look how this man is trying to cause trouble! When he demanded my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I didn't say no.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people present responded, “Don't listen to him. Don't agree to his demands.”

⁹ So the king told Ben-hadad's messengers, “Tell my lord the king: Everything you demanded at first your servant will do, but I cannot agree to this latest demand.” The messengers took the reply back to him.

¹⁰ Ben-hadad responded to him, “May the gods do as much to me and more if there remains enough dust in Samaria to give my subjects a handful each!”

¹¹ The king of Israel replied, “Tell him this: A man putting on his armor should not brag like one who is taking it off.”

¹² Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents. He immediately gave the order to his officers, “Get ready to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ At the same time a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and told him, “This is what the Lord says: You see this massive army? Just watch, because I will make you victorious today, and you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ “But who's going to do this?” Ahab asked. The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says: It will be the young officers under the district commanders.” “And who's going to start the battle?” he asked. The prophet replied, “You are!”

¹⁵ So Ahab called up the 232 young officers of the district commanders, and assembled the 7,000 soldiers that made up Israel's army.

¹⁶ They left at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings with him were busy getting drunk in their tents.

¹⁷ The young officers of the district commanders took the lead. The scouts Ben-hadad had sent out came and reported to him, “Enemy soldiers are advancing from Samaria.”

¹⁸ “If they're coming in peace, take them alive,” he ordered. “If they're coming to attack, take them alive.”

¹⁹ The young officers of the district commanders advanced from the city, followed by the army.

²⁰ Each man killed his opponent, and the Arameans ran away. The Israelites chased them, but Ben-hadad, king of Aram, escaped on horseback with his cavalry.

²¹ Then the king of Israel came out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.

²² Later on the prophet came to the king of Israel and told him, “Go and reinforce your defenses, and check what you need to do, because in the spring the king of Aram will come and attack you again.”

⁷ Then the King of Israel sent for all the Elders of the land, and sayd, Take heede, I pray you, and see how he seeketh mischiefe: for he sent vnto me for my wiues, and for my children, and for my siluer, and for my golde, and I denyed him not.

⁸ And all the Elders, and all the people sayd to him, Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore hee sayde vnto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lorde the King, All that thou didddest sende for to thy seruant at the first time, that I will doe, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him an answere.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent vnto him, and sayde, The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria be ynough to all the people that follow me, for euery man an handfull.

¹¹ And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth his harneis, boast himselfe, as he that putteth it off.

¹² And when he heard that tidings, as he was with the Kings drinking in the pauilions, he sayd vnto his seruants, Bring forth your engines, and they set them against the citie.

¹³ And beholde, there came a Prophet vnto Ahab King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou seene all this great multitude? beholde, I will deliuer it into thine hande this day, that thou mayest knowe, that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Ahab sayd, By whome? And he sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, By the seruants of the princes of the prouinces. He sayde againe, Who shall order the battel? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he nombred the seruantes of the princes of the prouinces, and they were two hundreth, two and thirtie: and after them he nombred the whole people of all the children of Israel, euen seuen thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noone: but Ben-hadad did drinke till he was drunken in the tentes, both he and the Kings: for two and thirtie Kings helped him.

¹⁷ So the seruants of the princes of the prouinces went out first: and Ben-hadad sent out, and they shewed him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he sayde, Whether they be come out for peace, take them aliue: or whether they bee come out to fight, take them yet aliue.

¹⁹ So they came out of the citie, to wit, the seruants of the princes of the prouinces, and the hoste which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew euery one his enemie: and the Aramites fled, and Israel pursued them: but Ben-hadad ye King of Aram escaped on an horse with his horsemen.

²¹ And the King of Israel went out, and smote the horses and charets, and with a great slaughter slew he the Aramites.

²² (For there had come a Prophet to the King of Israel, and had sayd vnto him, Goe, be of good courage, and consider, and take heede what thou doest: for when the yeere is gone about, the King of Aram wil come vp against thee)

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said: 'Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief; for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.'

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him: 'Hearken thou not, neither consent.'

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad: '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 back word.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said: 'The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.'

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said: 'Tell him: Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off.'

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the booths, that he said unto his servants: 'Set yourselves in array.' And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.'

¹⁴ And Ahab said: 'By whom?' And he said: 'Thus saith the LORD: By the young men of the princes of the provinces.' Then he said: 'Who shall begin the battle?' And he answered: 'Thou.'

¹⁵ Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying: 'There are men come out from Samaria.'

¹⁸ And he said: 'Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they are come out for war, take them alive.'

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man; and the Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Arameans with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him: 'Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against thee.'

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And behold, there came 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 shalt know that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ Then did the king of Israel call for all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see that this man seeketh mischief; for he hath sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I have not refused them to him.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Thou must not hearken, nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Say to my lord the king, all that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first will I do; but this thing I am not able to do. And the messengers went away, and brought him word again.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad then sent unto him, and said, May the gods do so unto me, and continue to do so, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that are in my train.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Speak, Let him that girdeth on the armor not boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when he heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Get ready for the attack. And they got ready for the attack against the city.

¹³ And, behold, there approached a certain prophet unto Achab the king of Israel, and said, Thus hath said the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Achab said, By whom? And he said, Thus hath said the Lord, By means of the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then said he, Who shall order the battle? And he said, Thou.

¹⁵ He then numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand strong.

¹⁶ And they went out at midday; while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out at first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, Some men are come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, If they be come out for peace, catch them alive; and if they be come out for war, alive must ye catch them.

¹⁹ So these, the young men of the princes of the provinces, came out of the city, with the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and inflicted on the Syrians a great defeat.

²² And the prophet approached unto the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou hast to do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ And Jezebel his wife said to him, Dost thou now thus act the king over Israel? arise, and eat bread, and be thine own master, and I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

⁸ And she wrote a letter in the name of Ahab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who dwelt with Naboth.

⁹ And it was written in the letters, saying, Keep a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place among the people.

¹⁰ And set two men, sons of transgressors, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, He blessed God and the king: and let them lead him forth, and stone him, and let him die.

¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders, and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel sent to them, and as it had been written in the letters which she sent to them.

¹² And they proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place among the people.

¹³ And two men, sons of transgressors, came in, and sat opposite him, and bore witness against him, saying, Thou hast blessed God and the king. And they led him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ And they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard it, that she said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who would not sell it to thee: for Naboth is not alive, for he is dead.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth the Jezreelite was dead, that he rent his garments, and put on sackcloth. And it came to pass afterward, that Ahab arose and went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ And the Lord spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

¹⁸ Arise, and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, for he is in the vineyard of Naboth, for he has gone down thither to take possession of it.

¹⁹ And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast slain and taken possession, therefore thus saith the Lord, In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, there shall the dogs lick thy blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in thy blood.

²⁰ And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, mine enemy? and he said, I have found thee: because thou hast wickedly sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;

²¹ behold, I bring evil upon thee: and I will kindle a fire after thee, and I will utterly destroy every male of Ahab, and him that is shut up and him that is left in Israel.

²² And I will make thy house as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because of the provocations wherewith thou hast provoked me, and caused Israel to sin.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land together and said, “Please take note and see how this man seeks trouble. He has sent word to me in order to take my wives, children, and silver and gold, and I have not refused him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to Ahab, “Do not listen to him or consent to his demands.”

⁹ So Ahab said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Tell my master the king, 'I agree to everything that you sent your servant to do the first time, but I cannot accept this second demand.'” So the messengers left and took this response to Ben Hadad.

¹⁰ Then Ben Hadad sent his reply to Ahab, and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if even the ashes of Samaria will be enough for all the people who follow me to have a handful each.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered and said, “Tell Ben Hadad, 'No one who is just putting on his armor, should boast as if he were taking it off.'”

¹² Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings under him who were in their tents. Ben Hadad commanded his men, “Line yourselves up in position for battle.” So they prepared themselves in position of battle to attack the city.

¹³ Then behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says, 'Have you seen this great army? Look, I will place it into your hand today, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'”

¹⁴ Ahab replied, “By whom?” Yahweh replied and said, “By the young officers who serve the governors of the districts.” Then Ahab said, “Who will begin the battle?” Yahweh answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then Ahab mustered the young officers who served the governors of the districts. They numbered 232. After them he mustered all the soldiers, all the army of Israel; seven thousand in number.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. Ben Hadad had been drinking himself drunk in his tent, he and the thirty-two lesser kings who were supporting him.

¹⁷ The young officers who served the governors of the districts went forward first. Then Ben Hadad was informed by scouts that he had sent out, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ Ben Hadad said, “Whether they have come out for peace or war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So the young officers who served the governors of the districts went out of the city and the army followed them.

²⁰ Each man killed his opponent. The Arameans fled and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse along with some horsemen.

²¹ Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

²² So the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and understand and plan what you are doing, because at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you again.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Yahweh says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armour brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “The LORD says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “The LORD says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I denied him not.

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not to him , nor consent.

⁹ Wherefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, 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.

¹⁰ And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him , Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

¹² And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said to his servants, Set yourselves in array . And they set themselves in array against the city.

¹³ And behold, there came a prophet to Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

¹⁵ Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they have come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they have come out for war, take them alive.

¹⁹ So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

²¹ And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “The LORD says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “The LORD says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.”

⁹ Therefore 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.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message.

¹⁰ Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armour brag like he who takes it off.’”

¹² When Ben Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, he said to his servants, “Prepare to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.

¹³ Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, “The LORD says, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “The LORD says, ‘By the young men of the princes of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷ The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰ They each killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹ The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”

⁷ Forsooth the king of Israel called all the elder men of the land, and said, Perceive ye, and see, that he setteth treason to us; for he sent to me for my wives, and sons, and for silver, and gold, and I forsook not.

⁸ And all the greater men in birth, and all the people said to him, Hear thou not, neither assent thou to him.

⁹ And he answered to the messengers of Benhadad, Say ye to my lord the king, I shall do all things, for which thou sentest in the beginning to me, thy servant; but I may not do this thing. And the messengers turned again, and told all things to him.

¹⁰ Which sent again, and said, Gods do these things to me, and add these things too, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice to the fistful s of all the people that pursueth or followeth me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered, and said, Say ye to him, A girded man, that is, he that goeth to battle, have not glory evenly as a man ungirded, that is, as he that hath the victory, and hath put off his armours.

¹² And it was done, when Benhadad had heard this word, he drank, and also the kings, in shadowing places; and he said to his servants, Encompass ye the city. And they encompassed it.

¹³ And lo! one prophet nighed to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, The Lord God saith these things, Certainly thou hast seen all this multitude full great; lo! I shall betake it into thine hand today, that thou know that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said to Ahab, The Lord saith these things, By the squires, or the footmen, of the princes of provinces. And Ahab said, Who shall begin to fight? And the prophet said, Thou.

¹⁵ Therefore he numbered the chil-dren or servants of the princes of the provinces, and he found the number of two hundred and two and thirty; and after them he numbered the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out in midday. Forsooth Benhadad drank, and was drunken in his shadowing place, and two and thirty kings with him, that came to the help of him.

¹⁷ And the children of the princes of provinces went out in the first front. Therefore Benhadad sent men, which told to him, and said, Men went out of Samaria.

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they come for peace, take ye them quick; whether to fight, take ye them quick. And he saith, Whether for peace they come, taketh them alive; whether that they fight, taketh them alive.

¹⁹ Therefore the children of the princes of provinces went out, and the residue host pursued or followed;

²⁰ and each smote the man that came against him. And men of Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; also Benhadad, the king of Syria, fled on an horse with his knights.

²¹ Also the king of Israel went out, and smote horses and chariots, and he smote Syria with a full great vengeance.

²² Forsooth a prophet nighed to the king of Israel, and said, Go thou, and be comforted, and know, and see, what thou shalt do; for the king of Syria shall ascend or go up against thee in the year pursuing or following.

⁷ Forsooth the king of Israel called all the elder men of the land, and said, Perceive ye, and see, that he setteth treason to us; for he sent to me for my wives, and sons, and for (my) silver, and gold, and I forsook not. (And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Perceive ye, and see, that this man hath set treason for us; for he sent to me for my wives, and my sons, and my silver, and my gold, and I agreed to it all.)

⁸ And all the greater men in birth (or And all the men of great age, that is, the elders), and all the people said to him, Hear thou not, neither assent thou to him.

⁹ And he answered to the messengers of Benhadad, Say ye to my lord the king, I shall do all things, for which thou sentest in the beginning to me, thy servant; but I may not do this thing. And the messengers turned again, and told all things to him. (And so he answered to the messengers of Benhadad, and said, Say ye to my lord the king, I, thy servant, shall do all the things for which thou sentest to me at the beginning; but I cannot do this thing. And the messengers returned, and told all these things to Benhadad.)

¹⁰ Which sent again, and said, Gods do these things to me, and add these things too, (or And Benhadad sent them back again to Ahab, to say to him, The gods do these things to me, and add these things too), if the dust of Samaria shall suffice to the fistful s of all the people that followeth me.

¹¹ And the king of Israel answered, and said, Say ye to him, A girded man, that is, he that goeth to battle, have not glory evenly as a man ungirded, that is, as he that hath the victory, and hath put off his armours. (And Ahab, the king of Israel, answered, and said, Say ye to him, A girded man, that is, he who goeth to battle, hath not equal glory to an ungirded man, that is, he who already hath the victory, and hath put off his armour.)

¹² And it was done, when Benhadad had heard this word, he drank, and also the kings, in shadowing places (or in a shady place in their tents); and he said to his servants, Compass ye the city. And they compassed it.

¹³ And lo! one prophet nighed to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, The Lord God saith these things, Certainly thou hast seen all this multitude full great (or Certainly thou hast seen all this very great multitude); lo! I shall betake it into thine hand today, that thou know that I am the Lord.

¹⁴ And Ahab said, By whom? And he said to Ahab, The Lord saith these things, By the squires, or the footmen, of the princes of (the) provinces. And Ahab said, Who shall begin to fight? And the prophet said, Thou.

¹⁵ Therefore he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and he found the number of two hundred and two and thirty; and after them he numbered the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand. (And so he called for the young men who served the leaders of the provinces, and he found them to number two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he called for the people, yea, all the Israelites or the whole Israelite army, seven thousand of them.)

¹⁶ And they went out in midday. Forsooth Benhadad drank, and was drunken in his shadowing place, and (the) two and thirty kings with him, that came to the help of him. (And they went out at midday. And in a shady place in their tents, Benhadad drank, and became drunk, as did the thirty-two kings who were with him, who came to help him.)

¹⁷ And the young men of the princes of (the) provinces went out in the first front. Therefore Benhadad sent men, which told to him, and said, Men went out of Samaria, (or And Benhadad sent out men, who reported back to him, and said, Some men have come out of Samaria).

¹⁸ And he said, Whether they come for peace, take ye them quick; whether to fight, take ye them quick. And he saith, Whether for peace they come, taketh them alive; whether that they fight, taketh them alive.

¹⁹ Therefore the young men of the princes of (the) provinces went out, and the residue host followed (them);

²⁰ and each smote the man that came against him. And (the) men of Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; also Benhadad, the king of Syria, fled on an horse with his knights.

²¹ Also the king of Israel went out, and smote (the) horses and chariots, and he smote Syria with a full great vengeance. (And the king of Israel went out, and struck down the horses and the chariots, and he struck down the Syrians with a very great slaughter.)

²² Forsooth a prophet nighed to the king of Israel, and said, Go thou, and be strengthened, and know, and see, what thou shalt do; for the king of Syria shall ascend against thee in the year following (or for the king of Syria shall also come against thee next year).

⁷ And the king of Israel calleth to all the elders of the land, and saith, 'Know, I pray you, and see that evil this one is seeking, for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I withheld not from him.'

⁸ And all the elders and all the people say unto him, 'Do not hearken, nor consent.'

⁹ And he saith to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, 'Say to my lord the king, All that thou didst send for unto thy servant at the first I do, and this thing I am not able to do;' and the messengers go and take him back word.

¹⁰ And Ben-Hadad sendeth unto him, and saith, 'Thus do the gods to me, and thus do they add, if the dust of Samaria suffice for handfuls for all the people who are at my feet.'

¹¹ And the king of Israel answereth and saith, 'Speak ye: let not him who is girding on boast himself as him who is loosing his armour.'

¹² And it cometh to pass at the hearing of this word — and he is drinking, he and the kings, in the booths — that he saith unto his servants, 'Set yourselves;' and they set themselves against the city.

¹³ And lo, a certain prophet hath come nigh unto Ahab king of Israel, and saith, 'Thus said Jehovah, 'Hast thou seen all this great multitude? lo, I am giving it into thy hand to-day, and thou hast known that I am Jehovah.'

¹⁴ And Ahab saith, 'By whom?' and he saith, 'Thus said Jehovah, By the young men of the heads of the provinces;' and he saith, 'Who doth direct the battle?' and he saith, 'Thou.'

¹⁵ And he inspecteth the young men of the heads of the provinces, and they are two hundred, two and thirty, and after them he hath inspecteth the whole of the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand,

¹⁶ and they go out at noon, and Ben-Hadad is drinking — drunk in the booths, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings, helping him.

¹⁷ And the young men of the heads of the provinces go out at the first, and Ben-Hadad sendeth, and they declare to him, saying, 'Men have come out of Samaria.'

¹⁸ And he saith, 'If for peace they have come out — catch them alive; and if for battle they have come out — alive catch them.'

¹⁹ And these have gone out of the city — the young men of the heads of the provinces — and the force that is after them,

²⁰ and smite each his man, and Aram fleeth, and Israel pursueth them, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram escapeth on a horse, and the horsemen;

²¹ and the king of Israel goeth out, and smiteth the horses, and the charioteers, and hath smitten among the Aramaeans a great smiting.

²² And the prophet cometh nigh unto the king of Israel, and saith to him, 'Go, strengthen thyself, and know and see that which thou dost, for at the turn of the year the king of Aram is coming up against thee.'