| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria and besieged and attacked it. | 1Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it. |
| 2He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. | 2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says: |
| 3He said to him, "This is what Ben Hadad says, 'Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.'" | 3Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!'" |
| 4The king of Israel replied, "It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you." | 4Then the king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have." |
| 5The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben Hadad says, 'I sent this message to you, "You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons." | 5The messengers then returned and said, "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'I have sent messengers to you, saying: You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children. |
| 6But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants' houses. They will carry away all your valuables." | 6But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants' houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.'" |
| 7The king of Israel summoned all the leaders of the land and said, "Notice how this man is looking for trouble. Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him." | 7Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, "Think it over and you will see that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn't turn him down." |
| 8All the leaders and people said to him, "Do not give in or agree to his demands." | 8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Don't listen or agree." |
| 9So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, "Say this to my master, the king, 'I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.'" So the messengers went back and gave their report. | 9So he said to Ben-hadad's messengers, "Say to my lord the king, 'Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.'" So the messengers left and took word back to him. |
| 10Ben Hadad sent another message to him, "May the gods judge me severely if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands." | 10Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, "May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria's dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me." |
| 11The king of Israel replied, "Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off." | 11The king of Israel answered, "Say this: 'Don't let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.'" |
| 12When Ben Hadad received this reply, he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters. He ordered his servants, "Get ready to attack!" So they got ready to attack the city. | 12When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in the tents, he said to his servants, "Take your positions." So they took their positions against the city. |
| 13Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says, 'Do you see this huge army? Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" | 13A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this entire great army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am Yahweh.'" |
| 14Ahab asked, "By whom will this be accomplished?" He answered, "This is what the LORD says, 'By the servants of the district governors.'" Ahab asked, "Who will launch the attack?" He answered, "You will." | 14Ahab asked, "By whom?" And the prophet said, "This is what the LORD says: 'By the young men of the provincial leaders.'" Then he asked, "Who is to start the battle?" He said, "You." |
| 15So Ahab assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. | 15So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he counted all the Israelite troops: 7,000. |
| 16They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily in their quarters. | 16They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents. |
| 17The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, "Men are marching out of Samaria." | 17The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, "Men are marching out of Samaria." |
| 18He ordered, "Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive." | 18So he said, "If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive." |
| 19They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. | 19The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city, |
| 20Each one struck down an enemy soldier; the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. | 20and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry. |
| 21Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated Syria. | 21Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a great slaughter on Aram. |
| 22The prophet visited the king of Israel and instructed him, "Go, fortify your defenses. Determine what you must do, for in the spring the king of Syria will attack you." | 22The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, "Go and strengthen yourself, then consider what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will march against you." |
| 23Now the advisers of the king of Syria said to him: "Their God is a god of the mountains. That's why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. | 23Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they will be. |
| 24So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. | 24Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place. |
| 25Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them." He approved their plan and did as they advised. | 25Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost--horse for horse, chariot for chariot--and let's fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they will be." The king listened to them and did so. |
| 26In the spring Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. | 26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel. |
| 27When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. | 27The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape. |
| 28The prophet visited the king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Syrians said, "The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys," I will hand over to you this entire huge army. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" | 28Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans have said: Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over all this great army to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" |
| 29The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. | 29They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans--100,000 foot soldiers in one day. |
| 30The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. | 30The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those 27,000 remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city. |
| 31His advisers said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives." | 31His servants said to him, "Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let's put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let's go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life." |
| 32So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, "Your servant Ben Hadad says, 'Please let me live!'" Ahab replied, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." | 32So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please spare my life.'" So he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." |
| 33The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, "Ben Hadad is your brother." Ahab then said, "Go, get him." So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. | 33Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this and responded, "Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot. |
| 34Ben Hadad said, "I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria." Ahab then said, "I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you." So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him. | 34Then Ben-hadad said to him, "I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria." Ahab responded, "On the basis of this treaty, I release you." So he made a treaty with him and released him. |
| 35One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, "Wound me!" But the man refused to wound him. | 35One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him. |
| 36So the prophet said to him, "Because you have disobeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. | 36He told him, "Because you did not listen to the voice of the LORD, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you." When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. |
| 37He found another man and said, "Wound me!" So the man wounded him severely. | 37The prophet found another man and said to him, "Strike me!" So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. |
| 38The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. | 38Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. |
| 39When the king passed by, he called out to the king, "Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me, 'Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.' | 39As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, 'Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out 75 pounds of silver.' |
| 40Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony." | 40But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it." |
| 41The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. | 41He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. |
| 42The prophet then said to him, "This is what the LORD says, 'Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.'" | 42The prophet said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.'" |
| 43The king of Israel went home to Samaria bitter and angry. | 43The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria. |
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