1
And Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his host together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses, and chariots. And he went up and besieged Shomron and fought against it.
2
And he sent messengers to Achav king of Yisra’el, into the city,
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and said to him: “Thus says Ben-Hadad: ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; and your wives and your sons, the good ones, are mine.’”
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And the king of Yisra’el answered and said: “According to your word, my master the king: I am yours, and all that I have.”
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And the messengers returned and said: “Thus says Ben-Hadad: ‘Sending, I sent to you, saying: “Your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your sons, you shall give to me.”
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But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be that whatever is desirable in your eyes, they shall place in their hand and take away.’”
7
And the king of Yisra’el called all the elders of the land and said: “Please know and see that this one seeks evil. For he sent to me for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I did not withhold them from him.”
8
And all the elders and all the people said to him: “Do not listen, and do not consent.”
9
And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad: “Say to my master the king: ‘All that you sent to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I am not able to do.’” And the messengers went and returned word to him.
10
And Ben-Hadad sent to him and said: “Thus may the elohim do to me, and thus may they add, if the dust of Shomron shall be enough for handfuls for all the people who are at my feet.”
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And the king of Yisra’el answered and said: “Speak: ‘Let not the one girding on boast as the one taking off.’”
12
And it came to pass, when he heard this word—and he was drinking, he and the kings, in the booths—that he said to his servants: “Set yourselves.” And they set themselves against the city.
13
And see, one prophet drew near to Achav king of Yisra’el and said: “Thus says Yahuah: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? See, I am giving it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am Yahuah.’”
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And Achav said: “By whom?” And he said: “Thus says Yahuah: ‘By the young men of the commanders of the provinces.’” And he said: “Who shall bind the battle?” And he said: “You.”
15
And he numbered the young men of the commanders of the provinces, and they were two hundred thirty-two. And after them he numbered all the people, all the sons of Yisra’el: seven thousand.
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And they went out at midday. And Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the kings—the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
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And the young men of the commanders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out, and they declared to him, saying: “Men have come out from Shomron.”
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And he said: “If they have come out for shalom, seize them alive; and if they have come out for battle, seize them alive.”
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And these came out from the city: the young men of the commanders of the provinces, and the host that followed them.
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And each ish struck his ish. And Aram fled, and Yisra’el pursued them. And Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped upon a horse with horsemen.
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And the king of Yisra’el went out and struck the horses and the chariots, and struck Aram with a great slaughter.
22
And the prophet drew near to the king of Yisra’el and said to him: “Go; strengthen yourself, and know and see what you shall do, for at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
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And the servants of the king of Aram said to him: “Their Elohim is Elohim of the mountains; therefore they were stronger than we. But surely, if we fight against them in the plain, we shall be stronger than they.
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And do this thing: Remove the kings, each ish from his place, and set governors in their place.
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And number for yourself a host like the host that fell from you, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. And we shall fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
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And it came to pass at the return of the year that Ben-Hadad numbered Aram and went up to Afeq for battle against Yisra’el.
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And the sons of Yisra’el were numbered and provisioned, and went to meet them. And the sons of Yisra’el encamped before their face like two little flocks of goats, while Aram filled the land.
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And the ish of Elohim drew near and spoke to the king of Yisra’el and said: “Thus says Yahuah: ‘Because Aram has said, “Yahuah is Elohim of the mountains, but He is not Elohim of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahuah.’”
29
And they encamped opposite one another seven days. And it came to pass on the seventh day that the battle drew near. And the sons of Yisra’el struck from Aram one hundred thousand ish on foot in one day.
30
And those who remained fled to Afeq, into the city. And the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand ish who remained. And Ben-Hadad fled and came into the city, into an inner room.
31
And his servants said to him: “See now, we have heard that the kings of the House of Yisra’el are kings of covenant-faithfulness. Please let us put sackcloth upon our loins and ropes upon our heads and go out to the king of Yisra’el. Perhaps he will keep your being alive.”
32
And they girded sackcloth upon their loins and put ropes upon their heads, and came to the king of Yisra’el and said: “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let my being live.’” And he said: “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
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And the men took it as a sign and hurried to catch whether it was from him, and they said: “Your brother Ben-Hadad.” And he said: “Go, bring him.” And Ben-Hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34
And he said to him: “The cities that my father took from your father, I will return. And you may set streets for yourself in Dammeseq, as my father set in Shomron.” And Achav said: “I will send you away with this Covenant.” And he cut a Covenant with him and sent him away.
35
And a certain ish from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the Word of Yahuah: “Please strike me.” But the ish refused to strike him.
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And he said to him: “Because you did not listen to the Voice of Yahuah, see, when you go from me, a lion shall strike you.” And when he went from beside him, a lion found him and struck him.
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And he found another ish and said: “Please strike me.” And the ish struck him, striking and wounding him.
38
And the prophet went and stood before the king by the way, and disguised himself with a covering over his eyes.
39
And it came to pass, as the king passed by, that he called to the king and said: “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and see, an ish turned aside and brought an ish to me and said: ‘Guard this ish. If missing, he should surely be missing, then your being shall be in place of his being, or you shall weigh a talent of silver.’
40
And it came to pass, while your servant was doing here and there, that he was gone.” And the king of Yisra’el said to him: “Thus is your Judgment; you yourself have decided it.”
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And he hurried and removed the covering from upon his eyes. And the king of Yisra’el recognized him, that he was from the prophets.
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And he said to him: “Thus says Yahuah: ‘Because you sent away from your hand the ish whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your being shall be in place of his being, and your people in place of his people.’”
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And the king of Yisra’el went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Shomron.