Study Desk

Now, Ben-hadad, king of Syria, had gathered together all his forces, and, thirty-two kings, were with him, and horses and chariots, - then came he up, and laid siege to Samaria, and made war against it.

And he sent messengers unto Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, - Thus, saith Ben-hadad,

Thy silver and thy gold, are, mine, and, thy wives and thy sons, the goodliest, are, mine.

Then responded the king of Israel, and said, According to thy word, my lord O king! thine, am I, and all that I have.

And the messengers came back again, and said, Thus, speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, - Because I sent unto thee, saying, Thy silver and thy gold and thy wives and thy sons, to me, shalt thou give,

Therefore, about this time to-morrow, will I send my servants unto thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants, - and it shall be, that, all the delight of thine eyes, shall they put in their hand, and take away.

Then called the king of Israel, for all the elders of the land, and said - Mark, I pray you, and see, how this man is seeking, mischief, - for he had sent unto me, for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I refused him not.

And all the elders and all the people said unto him, - Do not thou hearken, neither do thou consent.

So he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad - Say ye to my lord the king, - All that thou didst send for, to thy servant at the first, will I do, but, this thing, I cannot do. And the messengers departed, and took him back word.

Then Ben-hadad sent unto him and said, - So, let the gods do to me, and, so, let them add, - if the dust of Samaria suffice by handfuls, for all the people who are at my feet.

And the king of Israel responded and said: Tell him, - Let not, him that girdeth, boast himself like him, that looseneth.

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 - Make ready! So they made ready, against the city.

And lo! a certain prophet, drew near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, - Thus, saith Yahweh, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold me! delivering it into thy hand, to-day, so shalt thou know that, I, am, Yahweh.

And Ahab said - By whom? And he said - Thus, saith Yahweh, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then said he - Who shall begin the war? And he said - Thou!

Then numbered he the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were found to be, two hundred and thirty-two, - and, after them, he numbered all the people all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.

And they went forth at noon. Now, Ben-hadad, was drinking himself drunk, in the pavilions, he and the thirty-two kings helping him.

Then went forth the young men of the princes of the provinces, first, - and, when Ben-hadad sent, they told him, saying - Men, have come forth, out of Samaria.

And he said - If, peaceably, they have come, take them alive, - or, if, fighting, they have come, alive, take ye them.

Now, when, these, had come forth out of the city, even the young men of the princes of the provinces, - with the force which was following them,

then smote they every one his man, and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, - but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on horse, with horsemen.

And the king of Israel went forth, and took the horses and the chariots, - and he went on smiting the Syrians, with a great smiting.

Then drew near the prophet, unto the king of Israel, and said unto him - Go strengthen thyself, and mark and see, what thou wilt do, - for, at the return of the year, is, the king of Syria, coming up against thee.

And, the servants of the king of Syria, said unto him, - Gods of the mountains, are their gods, for this cause, prevailed they against us, - but, only let us fight with them in the plain, and verily we shall prevail against them.

But, this thing, do, - set aside the kings, every man out of his place, and put governors in their stead;

and, thou, must number thee a force, like the force which thou hast lost, both horse for horse and chariot for chariot, and, if we fight with them in the plain, verily we shall prevail against them. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

And so it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, - and came up to Aphek, to fight with Israel;

and, the sons of Israel, were numbered, and provisioned, and went to meet them, - and the sons of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, whereas, the Syrians, filled the land.

Then approached the man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said - Thus, saith Yahweh - Because the Syrians have said - A god of the mountains, is Yahweh, but, not a god of the vales, is he, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude, into thy hand, so shalt thou know, that, I, am Yahweh.

So they encamped, these, over against, those, seven days, - and it came to pass, on the seventh day, that the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel smote the Syrians, a hundred thousand footmen, in one day.

And they who were left fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left, - and, Ben-hadad, fled, and came into the city, into a chamber within a chamber.

And his servants said unto him, Lo! we pray thee, we have heard, of the kings of the house of Israel, that, kings known for lovingkindness, they are. Let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes about our head, and let us go forth unto the king of Israel, peradventure he will save alive thy soul.

So they girded sackcloth upon their loins, and put ropes about their heads, and came in unto the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant, Ben-hadad, saith, - Let my soul live, I pray thee. And he said, - Is he yet alive? My brother, he is.

Now, the men, could divine, so they hastened to let him confirm the word of his own accord, and they said, - Thy brother, is Ben-hadad! He said therefore, - Go fetch him. So Ben-hadad came forth unto him, and he made him come up unto him on his chariot.

And he said unto him - The cities which my father took from thy father, will I restore, and, bazaars, shalt thou make thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. So then, I, with this covenant, will let thee go. So he solemnised with him a covenant, and let him go.

And, a certain man of the sons of the prophets, said unto his neighbour, by the word of Yahweh - Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him.

So he said to him - Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, lo! when thou art departing from me, there shall smite thee a lion. And when he departed from beside him, a lion found him, and smote him.

Then found he another man, and said, - Smite me, I pray thee. So the man smote him - kept on smiting and wounding.

Then the prophet departed, and waited for the king, by the way, - and disguised himself with his turban over his eyes.

And so it was, when, the king, was passing, he, cried out unto the king, - and said - Thy servant, went out in the midst of the battle, and lo! a man, turned aside and brought unto me a man, and said - Keep this man, if he be, missing, then shall, thy life, go for, his life, or, a talent of silver, shalt thou weigh out.

And so it was, as thy servant was busy here and there, that, he, was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him - Such, is thy judgment, thou thyself, hast decided it.

Then hastened he, and removed the turban from over his eyes, - and the king of Israel knew him, that, of the prophets, was, he.

And he said unto him - Thus, saith Yahweh, Because thou hast let go the man whom I had devoted, out of thy hand, therefore shall, thy life, be instead of, his life, and, thy people, instead of, his people.

And the king of Israel departed unto his house, sullen and disturbed, - and entered Samaria.