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Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his whole army. Thirty-two kings accompanied him with horses and chariots. He marched up and besieged Samaria, and attacked it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, who said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine’.”
4 The king of Israel answered:
“My lord, O king, as you say, I am yours, and all that I have.”
5 Then the messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
‘I have sent messengers to you to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. 6 But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and the houses of your servants. Everything that is valuable to you they will seize and carry away’.”
7 Then the king of Israel summoned al the elders of the land and said, “See for yourselves how this man is looking for trouble! For when he demanded my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen to him or agree to his demands.”
9 So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Everything that you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this demand I cannot meet’.” So the messengers left and reported this to him.
10 Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab:
“May the gods punish me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to provide even a handful to each of the people who follow me.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘Let not one who puts on his armour boast like the one who takes it off’.”
12 When Ben-hadad heard this message in reply, he was drinking with the kings in the tents, and he commanded his men, “Take up your positions.” So they took up their positions to attack the city.
13 Then a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this vast army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you will know that I am the Lord’.”
14 Ahab asked, “By whom?”
The prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the young men of the provincal commanders’.”
Then Ahab asked, “And who will start the battle?”
“You will,” he answered.
15 So Ahab summoned the young men of the provincial commanders, and there were two hundred and thirty-two. After them he assembled all the Israelite troops, and there were seven thousand. 16 They marched out at noon, while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings allied to him were in the tents getting drunk. 17 The young men of the provincial commanders went out first.
Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are marching out from Samaria.”
18 So he said, “If they have come out to surrender, take them alive, and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 The young men of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them, 20 and each one struck down his opponent. With that, the Arameans fled with Israel in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with some of his horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and he inflicted a great slaughter on the Arameans.
22 Then the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and strengthen your military position. Think carefully what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”
23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are the gods of the hill country. That is why they were stronger than us. But if we fight them on the plains, we will surely be stronger than they. 24 Also do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and appoint captains in their place. 25 Then raise another army like the one you lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot, and we will fight Israel on the plains. Then we will surely be stronger than they.” The king listened to their advice and acted accordingly.
26 The next spring Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, and they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
28 A man of God approached the king of Israel and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because the Arameans have said: “The Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys”, I will deliver all this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am Lord’.”
29 They camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites struck down a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30 The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, and a wall there collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.
31 His servants said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. So let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out in surrender to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, and they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live’.”
He replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 Now the men were looking for any sign of mercy, and they were quick to seize on his words. They said, “Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother.”
Then Ahab said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him come up into his chariot.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities that my father took from you, and you may set up your own market places in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
Ahab said, “On the basis of this treaty, I will let you go.” So he made a treaty with him and let him go.
35 Now a certain man, who was one of the sons of the prophets, said to another by the word of the Lord, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.
36 So he told him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And when he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me!” So the man struck him and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went out into the thick of the battle. One of the troops brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If for any reason he is missing, then it will be your life for his life, or you will have to pay a talent of silver’. 40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”
The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your sentence. You have decided it yourself.”
41 Then he quickly removed the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you have released from your hand a man whom I had devoted to destruction, your life will be forfeited for his life, and your people for his people’.” 43 Sullen and resentful, the king of Israel left to return to his palace in Samaria.