Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 17 / Ordinary 22
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

1 Kings 20:2

and sends messengers to Ahab king of Israel, to the city,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambassadors;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ahab;   Ambassadors;   Benhadad;   Nation, the;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Samaria, Ancient;   Sieges;   Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Samaria;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ben-hadad;   Samaria, samaritans;   Syria;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Samaria;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Ben-Hadad;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Benhadad ;   Samaria ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'hab;   Ambassador,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Joel (2);   Samaria, City of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Benhadad;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
Hebrew Names Version
He sent messengers to Ach'av king of Yisra'el, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-Hadad,
King James Version
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
English Standard Version
And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad:
New Century Version
The king sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel. This was his message: "Ben-Hadad says,
New English Translation
He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city.
Amplified Bible
Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel; and he said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad:
New American Standard Bible
Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says:
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he sent messengers to Ahab King of Israel, into the citie,
Legacy Standard Bible
Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad,
Contemporary English Version
Benhadad sent a messenger to tell King Ahab of Israel,
Complete Jewish Bible
He sent messengers inside the city to Ach'av king of Isra'el
Darby Translation
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-Hadad:
Easy-to-Read Version
The king sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel who was inside the city.
George Lamsa Translation
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, Thus says Bar-hadad,
Good News Translation
He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel to say, "King Benhadad demands that
Lexham English Bible
He sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel.
Literal Translation
And he sent messengers to Ahab the king of Israel, to the city, and said to him, So says Ben-hadad,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sent messaungers vnto Achab ye kynge of Israel in to ye cite, & caused to saye vnto him: Thus sayeth Benadab:
American Standard Version
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,
Bible in Basic English
And he sent representatives into the town to Ahab, king of Israel;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the citie, and sayde vnto him, thus saith Benhadad.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city,
King James Version (1611)
And hee sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and saide vnto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Achaab spoke to Nabuthai, saying, Give me thy vineyard, and I will have it for a garden of herbs, for it is near my house: and I will give thee another vineyard better than it; or if it please thee, I will give thee money, the price of this thy vineyard, and I will have it for a garden of herbs.
English Revised Version
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben–hadad,
Berean Standard Bible
Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he sente messangeris to Achab, kyng of Israel, in to the citee,
Young's Literal Translation
and sendeth messengers unto Ahab king of Israel, to the city,
Update Bible Version
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad,
Webster's Bible Translation
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said to him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,
World English Bible
He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad,
New King James Version
Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "Thus says Ben-Hadad:
New Living Translation
Ben-hadad sent messengers into the city to relay this message to King Ahab of Israel: "This is what Ben-hadad says:
New Life Bible
Then he sent men with news to the city of Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-hadad says.
New Revised Standard
Then he sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel, and said to him: "Thus says Ben-hadad:
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he sent messengers unto Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, - Thus, saith Ben-hadad,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And sending messengers to Achab, king of Israel, into the city,
Revised Standard Version
And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "Thus says Ben-ha'dad:
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad,

Contextual Overview

1And Ben-Hadad king of Aram has gathered all his force, and thirty-two kings [are] with him, and horse and chariot, and he goes up and lays siege against Samaria, and fights with it, 2and sends messengers to Ahab king of Israel, to the city,3and says to him, "Thus said Ben-Hadad: Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your sons—the best—are mine." 4And the king of Israel answers and says, "According to your word, my lord, O king: I [am] yours, and all that I have." 5And the messengers turn back and say, "Thus spoke Ben-Hadad, saying, Surely I sent to you, saying, Your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your sons, you give to me; 6for if, at this time tomorrow, I send my servants to you, then they have searched your house, and the houses of your servants, and it has been [that] every desirable thing of your eyes they place in their hand, and have taken [them] away." 7And the king of Israel calls to all [the] elderly of the land and says, "Please know and see that this [one] is seeking 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 from him." 8And all the elderly and all the people say to him, "Do not listen, nor consent." 9And he says to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, "Say to my lord the king, All that you sent to your servant for at the first I do, and this thing I am not able to do"; and the messengers go and take him back word. 10And Ben-Hadad sends to him and says, "Thus the gods do to me, and thus do they add, if the dust of Samaria suffice for handfuls for all the people who [are] at my feet."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Kings 19:9, Isaiah 36:2-22, Isaiah 37:9, Isaiah 37:10

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
and princes of Pharaoh see her, and praise her to Pharaoh, and the woman is taken [to] Pharaoh's house;
Genesis 20:11
And Abraham says, "Because I said, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;
Genesis 20:12
and also, she is truly my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becomes my wife;
Genesis 20:13
and it comes to pass, when God has caused me to wander from my father's house, that I say to her, This [is] your kindness which you do with me: at every place to where we come, say of me, He [is] my brother."
Genesis 26:1
And there is a famine in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham, and Isaac goes to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
and men of the place ask him of his wife, and he says, "She [is] my sister": for he has been afraid to say, "My wife—lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, for she [is] of good appearance."
Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech says to Isaac, "Go from us; for you have become much mightier than we";
2 Chronicles 19:2
and Jehu son of Hanani the seer goes out to his presence and says to King Jehoshaphat, "Do you love to give help to the wicked and to those hating YHWH? And for this, wrath [is] against you from before YHWH,
2 Chronicles 20:37
and Eliezer son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesies against Jehoshaphat, saying, "For your joining yourself with Ahaziah, YHWH has broken up your works"; and the ships are broken, and have not retained [power] to go to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
and so with the ambassadors of the heads of Babylon, those sending to him to inquire of the wonder that has been in the land, God has left him to try him, to know all in his heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city,.... Who there remained, and attempted not to go forth and meet him, and stop his progress, though he must have passed great part of his dominions to come to Samaria:

and said unto him, thus saith Benhadad; by them, his messengers, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It may be supposed that a considerable time had passed in the siege, that the city had been reduced to an extremity, and that ambassadors had been sent by Ahab to ask terms of peace short of absolute surrender, before Ben-hadad would make such a demand. He would expect and intend his demand to be rejected, and this would have left him free to plunder the town, which was evidently what he desired and purposed.


 
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