1Benhadad king of Syria gathered his whole army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. He went up and surrounded Samaria, and made war against it.
2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "This is what Benhadad says:"
3"'Your silver and your gold are mine. Your wives also and your children, the finest of them, are mine.'"
4The king of Israel answered, "My lord, O king, it is as you say. I am yours, and all that I have."
5The messengers came again and said, "This is what Benhadad says: 'I sent word to you, saying, You must give me your silver, your gold, your wives and your children."
6"But tomorrow about this time I will send my servants to you. They will search your house and the houses of your servants. Whatever is pleasing in your eyes they will take in their hands and carry away.'"
7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, "Take note, please, and see how this man is looking for trouble. He sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him."
8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen to him, and do not agree."
9So he said to Benhadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king: 'All that you first sent for from your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.'" And the messengers left and brought him back word.
10Then Benhadad sent to him and said, "May the gods do so to me, and more also, if there is enough dust in Samaria to give a handful to each of the people who follow me."
11The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: 'The man who is putting on his armour should not boast like the man who is taking it off.'"
12When Benhadad heard this message, he was drinking with the kings in the tents. He said to his servants, "Take your positions." And they took their positions against the city.
13Look, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: Have you seen all this great crowd? Look, I will give it into your hand today, and you will know that I am the LORD."
14Ahab said, "By whom?" And he said, "This is what the LORD says: By the young men who serve the rulers of the provinces." Then he said, "Who will begin the battle?" And he answered, "You."
15Then he counted the young men who served the rulers of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two. After them he counted all the people, all the children of Israel, and there were seven thousand.
16They went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
17The young men who served the rulers of the provinces went out first. Benhadad sent out scouts, and they told him, "Men have come out of Samaria."
18He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive. If they have come out for war, take them alive."
19So these young men who served the rulers of the provinces came out of the city, with the army that followed them.
20Each one killed his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel chased them. Benhadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.
21The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22The prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, make yourself strong, and take note, and see what you must do. For at the turn of the year the king of Syria will come up against you."
23The servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. But let us fight against them on the plain, and we will surely be stronger than they are."
24And do this: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their places.
25"Then count out an army for yourself like the army you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them on the plain, and we will surely be stronger than they are." He listened to what they said, and did so.
26At the turn of the year Benhadad counted the Syrians, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27The children of Israel were counted, and all were there, and they went to meet them. The children of Israel camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country.
28A man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel. He said, "This is what the LORD says: Because the Syrians have said, 'The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys,' I will give all this great crowd into your hand, and you will know that I am the LORD."
29They camped facing each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the children of Israel killed a hundred thousand Syrian foot soldiers in one day.
30The rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and there a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner room.
31His servants said to him, "Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth round our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."
32So they tied sackcloth round their waists and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Benhadad says, 'Please let me live.'" And he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."
33Now the men watched carefully to see whether anything would come from him, and they were quick to take it up. They said, "Your brother Benhadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." Then Benhadad came out to him, and he had him come up into the chariot.
34Benhadad said to him, "I will give back the cities that my father took from your father. You may set up market streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Then Ahab said, "I will let you go with this covenant." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
35A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the LORD, "Strike me, please." But the man refused to strike him.
36Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, look, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37Then he found another man and said, "Strike me, please." And the man struck him, and in striking him wounded him.
38So the prophet went and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with ashes on his face.
39As the king passed by, he called out to the king. He said, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and look, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man. If he goes missing in any way, then your life will be for his life, or else you must pay a talent of silver.'"
40"And while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." The king of Israel said to him, "That is your sentence. You have decided it yourself."
41Then he quickly took the ashes away from his face, and the king of Israel recognised that he was one of the prophets.
42He said to him, "This is what the LORD says: Because you have let go out of your hand a man whom I had set apart for complete destruction, your life will go for his life, and your people for his people."
43The king of Israel went to his house heavy-hearted and angry, and came to Samaria.