| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A little while later, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered an army of cavalry and chariots in a military confederacy with 32 kings, invaded Samaria, and set up siege encampments there. | 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. |
| 2Then he sent envoys to visit King Ahab of Israel and told him, "This is what Ben-hadad says: | 2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says: |
| 3Your silver and gold belong to me. So do the most beautiful of your wives and children.'" | 3Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!'" |
| 4"Whatever you want, your majesty," the king of Israel answered. "I belong to you, as does everything I own." | 4Then the king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have." |
| 5After delivering Ahab's answer, the envoys returned with this message: "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'I've sent my envoys to you to tell you that your silver, gold, wives, and children are to be given to me. | 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. |
| 6About this time tomorrow, I'll send my servants to you, and they'll search through your palace and your servants' houses. Whatever is important to you will be seized and taken away.'" | 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.'" |
| 7Then the king of Israel called together all of the elders of the land and told them, "Please note that this man is here looking for trouble. He sent a message to me, demanding my wives, my children, and my silver and gold, and I haven't refused 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." |
| 8"Don't listen to him," all the elders and the people replied. "And don't agree to his terms." | 8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Don't listen or agree." |
| 9So he told Ben-hadad's envoys, "Tell his majesty the king, 'Everything that you asked for the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.'" So the envoys left to deliver Ahab's response. They returned a little while later. | 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. |
| 10Beh-hadad sent this message back: "May the gods do so to me, and more than that also, if the dust that remains of Samaria is enough to fill up a few handfuls for all of the armies at my disposal." | 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." |
| 11But the king of Israel replied, "Tell him, 'The one who is starting to strap on his battle armor should never brag like the 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.'" |
| 12Ben-hadad received Ahab's response while he was celebrating with his kings in the battle pavilions. "Sound 'Battle Stations!'" he ordered, and the army began to prepare their attack. | 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. |
| 13Right about then, a prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and told him, "This is what the LORD says: 'You see all of this great big army, do you? Well now, I'm going to deliver them all right into your hand, and you will learn 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.'" |
| 14"By whom?" Ahab asked. "This is what the LORD says," the prophet replied. "'By the young men who serve as officials within the provinces.'" "Who is to begin the battle?" Ahab asked. "You," the prophet answered. | 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 gathered together 232 young men who served as officials within the provinces and then mustered 7,000 soldiers from among the Israelis. | 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 attacked at noon, just as Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the battle pavilions, along with the 32 kings who had joined him. | 16They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents. |
| 17The young men who served as officials within the provinces led the charge, and somebody informed Ben-hadad, "Some men have come out from 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." |
| 18"Take them alive, whether they've come in peace or not," he ordered. | 18So he said, "If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive." |
| 19Meanwhile, as the young men who served as officials within the provinces left the city, their army followed after them. | 19The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city, |
| 20Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans ran away with Israel in pursuit. King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on horseback with the help of his cavalry. | 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. |
| 21The king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and chariots and killed the Arameans in a massive victory. | 21Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a great slaughter on Aram. |
| 22The prophet approached the king of Israel and told him, "Go replenish your forces and prepare for the future, because early this next year the king of Aram will attack you again." | 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." |
| 23Sure enough, the advisors to the king of Aram told him, "Their gods are mountain gods. That's why they were stronger than we were. But when we fight them on the plains, we're certain to be the stronger army! | 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: remove the kings from command and replace them with captains. | 24Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place. |
| 25Then replace the army that you lost, horse-for-horse and chariot-for-chariot. We'll fight them on the plains, and we're certain to be the stronger army." Ben-hadad listened to what they had to say and carried out their advice. | 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. |
| 26Early the next year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and invaded Aphek in a battle against Israel. | 26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel. |
| 27The Israelis were mustered, equipped with provisions, and sent out to fight. The Israeli encampment looked like two little flocks of goats compared to how the Aramean encampments filled the countryside! | 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. |
| 28Right about then, a man of God approached and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans keep saying "The LORD is a mountain god, but isn't a valley god," I'm going to deliver this entire vast army right into your control, so you'll learn that I really 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.'" |
| 29So they remained in opposing camps for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle commenced, and the Israelis killed 100,000 Aramean infantry troops in a single 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 rest of the Aramean army retreated into Aphek, but the city wall collapsed on 27,000 soldiers who had taken shelter there. Ben-hadad himself ran away and hid inside a closet somewhere in the city. | 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. |
| 31"Look, now," his advisors suggested, "we've heard that the Israeli kings are merciful. So let's clothe ourselves with sackcloth, tie our hair back with ropes, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he'll spare your life." | 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 on some sackcloth, tied their hair back with ropes, and approached the king of Israel. "Your servant Ben-hadad says this," they said. "Please let me live." "Is he still alive?" Ahab asked. "He's 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." |
| 33Ben-hadad's advisors, quickly analyzing the signs in what Ahab was saying, responded, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." "Go get him," Ahab responded. So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab took him up into his personal 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 made this promise to Ahab: "I will restore the cities that my ancestors took from your ancestors. You'll be able to build streets named after yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." "With this promise I will release you," Ahab replied. So Ahab made a treaty with Ben-hadad and let him go. | 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. |
| 35Right about then, one of the members of the guild of prophets told another through a message from the LORD: "Please strike me!" But the man refused to do so, | 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 he told him, "Because you haven't obeyed the LORD's voice, as soon as you leave here, a lion will kill you." As soon as the man left, a lion found him 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. |
| 37Later, he found another man and told him, "Please strike me!" So the man struck him and wounded him. | 37The prophet found another man and said to him, "Strike me!" So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. |
| 38Then the prophet left and waited for the king to pass by, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. | 38Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. |
| 39As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and told him, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and a soldier turned aside, brought a prisoner to me, and told me, 'Guard this man. If he turns up missing for any reason at all, you'll pay for it with your life or be fined one 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.' |
| 40While your servant was busy here and there, the prisoner escaped." The king told him, "By your actions you've earned the proper judgment!" | 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." |
| 41Then the prophet quickly tore off his bandage, and the king of Israel recognized him as being one of the prophets. | 41He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. |
| 42He told the king, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because you let the man whom I had dedicated to destruction go free, therefore your life is to be forfeited for his life, and your people for 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.'" |
| 43After hearing this, the king of Israel rode back to his palace in Samaria, frustrated and in a foul mood. | 43The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria. |
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