First Kings 20:28-40

²⁸Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Yahweh says: 'Because the Arameans have said that Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, I will place this great army into your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'”

²⁹So the armies camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle started. The people of Israel killed 100,000 Aramean footmen in one day.

³⁰The rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner room.

³¹Ben Hadad's servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So they put sackcloth on their waists and ropes around their heads and then went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'” Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were listening for any sign from Ahab, so they quickly answered him, “Yes, your brother Ben Hadad is alive.” Then Ahab said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben Hadad came to him, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴Ben Hadad said to Ahab, “I will restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may make markets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab replied, “I will let you go with this covenant.” So Ahab made a covenant with him and then let him go.

³⁵A certain man, one of the sons of the prophets, said to one of his fellow prophets by the word of Yahweh, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him.

³⁶Then the prophet said to his fellow prophet, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as that man had left him, a lion came upon him and killed him.

³⁷Then the prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me.” So the man hit him and wounded him.

³⁸Then the prophet left and waited for the king by the road; he had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king passed by, the prophet cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and a soldier stopped and brought a man to me and said, 'Watch this man. If by any means he goes missing, your life will be given for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.'

⁴⁰But because your servant was busy going here and there, the man escaped.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “This is what your punishment will be—you yourself have decided it.”