1 Kings 20
1* NOW when Son Ader** had assembled all his army, he went up and sat down before Samaria. He had with him thirty-two kings and all his cavalry and chariots. And when they had gone up and laid siege to Samaria and fought against it,
2he sent to Achab king of Israel into the city, and said to him, Thus saith Son Ader;
3Thy silver and thy gold are mine. And thy wives and thy children are mine.
4In reply to which the king of Israel said, As thou my Lord, O king, hast spoken, I am thine and all that I have.
5Then the messengers returned and said, Thus saith Son Ader, I have sent to thee saying, Thy silver and thy gold and thy wives and thy children thou shalt give to me.
6Therefore about this time to-morrow I will send my servants to thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants, and take all that are desirable in their eyes, upon which they can lay their hands.
7Upon this the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Mark, I pray you and see how this man seeketh mischief. For he hath sent to me for my wives and for my children, even for my daughters. My gold and my silver I did not withhold from him.
8Then the elders and all the people said to him, Thou must not hearken nor consent.
9Thereupon he said to the messengers of Son Ader, Tell my lord, All that thou didst send to thy servant at first I will do; but this I cannot do. So the men went away; and when they carried him back this answer,
10Son Ader sent to him saying, God do so to me and more also, if I do not make Samaria a jakes for all the people of my infantry.
11In reply to which the king of Israel said, Enough! let not him who is crooked boast like him who is straight.
12When this answer was delivered him, it happened that he and all the kings with him were drinking in tents, thereupon he said to his servants, Build up a mount.
And when they had erected a mount against the city,
13behold a certain prophet came to Achab king of Israel and said, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen this great multitude? Behold I deliver them up this day into thy hands, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
14And Achab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord: By the younger sons of the chiefs of the communities. Then Achab said, Who shall begin the battle? And he said, Thou.
15Upon this Achab reviewed the younger sons of the chiefs of the communities and they were two hundred and thirty. And after that he reviewed all the people of the army, seven thousand, and marched out at noonday.
16Now Son Ader was revelling at Sokkoth, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings his auxiliaries.
17And when the younger sons of the chiefs of the communities first marched out, messengers were sent who told the king of Syria and said, There are men coming out of Samaria.
18Whereupon he said to them, If they come out for peace, take them alive; or if they come out for battle take them alive and let them not get away out of the city.
19The younger sons of the chiefs of the communities and the army that followed them had now smitten everyone his man.
20And when they repeated this, everyone slaying his second man, Syria fled and Israel pursued them, And Son Ader king of Syria escaped on the horse of a cavalier.
21And the king of Israel went out and took all the horses and the chariots.
22And when he had smitten Syria with great slaughter the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, Strengthen thyself and consider and see what thou art to do. For at the return of the year Son Ader king of Syria will come up against thee.
23As for the servants of the king of Syria they said, The God of Israel is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys; for this cause He prevailed over us. But if we fight them in the plain we shall surely be stronger than they.
24Therefore do this: Send away the kings everyone to his home and substitute commanders in their stead.
25And let us raise for thee another army equal to that which is fallen, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. And we will fight them in the plain and prevail over them. So he hearkened to their voice and did accordingly.
26And at the return of the year Son Ader reviewed the Syrians and came up to Aphek to fight Israel.
27And the Israelites were mustered and went out to meet them. And when Israel had encamped over against them like two little flocks of kids, while Syria filled the country,
28the man of God came and said to the king of Israel, Thus saith the Lord: Because Syria hath said, The Lord God of Israel is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys, therefore I will deliver this great army into thy hand, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
29So having encamped against each other seven days, they came to an engagement on the seventh day; and Israel smote of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day,
30and the residue fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Son Ader fled, and when he got to the house of his abode into the inner chamber,
31he said to his servants, I know that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us, I pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare our lives.
32So when they had girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, they said to the king of Israel, Thus saith thy servant Son Ader: Let my life, I pray thee, be spared. To which he replied, Is he still alive? He is my brother.
33Whereupon the men catched up the omen, and using it as a libation, they repeated the word which dropped from his mouth, and said, Thy brother, Son Ader. Then he said, Go in and bring him. So he came out. And when they had helped him up to Achab into the chariot,
34he said to him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore to thee. And thou shalt make streets for thyself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. On these terms, said Achab, I agree to let thee go.
35And when he had entered into covenant with him and let him go; a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee; but the man would not smite him.
36Whereupon he said to him, Because thou hast not hearkened to the word of the Lord, behold when thou departest from me a lion will smite thee. Accordingly when he went from him, a lion met him and slew him.
37Then he met another man and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting, wounded him.
38Then the prophet went and waited for the king of Israel by the wayside, with a bandage over his eyes.
39And as the king was passing by, he cried with a loud voice to the king, and said, Thy servant went out to the field of battle, and behold a man brought me a man, and said to me, Keep this man. If by any means he escape, thy life shall answer for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
40Now it happened that, while thy servant was looking about this way and that, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, Behold this is treachery. In my opinion thou art liable to death.
41Thereupon he hastened and took the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel perceived that he was one of the prophets.
42Then he said to him, Thus saith the Lord: Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a destructive man, therefore thy life shall answer for his life; and thy people for his people.
43And the king of Israel went away confounded and sorrowful, and came to Samaria, and remained quiet.