KJ3 Literal Translation
1 Kings 20
Ben-hadad besieges Samaria. a prophet tells how to defeat them. Forewarned Ahab, the Syrians are smitten again. The Syrians submitting themselves, Ahab sends Ben-hadad away with a covenant.
1And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
2And he sent messengers to Ahab the king of Israel, to the city, and said to him, So says Ben-hadad,
3Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your sons, the best, are to me.
4And the king of Israel answered and said, According to your word, my lord, O king, I am to you, and all that is to me.
5And the messengers came again and said, So says Ben-hadad, saying, Sending I sent to you, saying, Your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons you shall give to me;
6I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and your servants' houses; and it shall be that whatever is pleasing in your eyes, they will put it in their hand and take it away.
7And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Please note, and see the evil this one is seeking, for he sent to me for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I did not withhold from him.
8And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen nor consent.
9And he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Say to my lord the king, All that you sent for to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I am not able to do; and the messengers went and took word back to him.
10And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, So shall the gods do to me and more also if the dust of Samaria shall be enough for handfuls for all the people that are at my feet.
11And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Do not let him girding on armor boast himself like one loosening it.
12And it happened when this word was heard, and he was drinking, he and the kings, in the booths, that he said to his servants, Set in order; and they set in order against the city.
13And behold, one prophet came near to Ahab the king of Israel, and said, So says Jehovah, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold I am giving it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am Jehovah.
14And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, So says Jehovah, by the young men of the rulers of the provinces. And he said, Who shall join the battle? And he answered, You.
15Then he called up the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he called up all the people, even all the sons of Israel, being seven thousand.
16And they went out at noon, and Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings helping him.
17And the young men of the rulers of the provinces went out at first; and Ben-hadad sent, and they told him, saying, Men have come out of Samaria.
18And he said, If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come to battle, seize them alive.
19And these went out of the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which was after them.
20And each man struck his man, and Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse, also the horsemen.
21And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses, and the chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, Go, make yourself strong, and know and see what you do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.
23And the king of Syria's servants said to him, Their God is a god of the hills; on account of this they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely, we shall be stronger than they?
24And do this thing: take away the kings, each man out of his place, and set commanders in their place.
25And number to yourself an army like the army that fell from you, even horse for horse and chariot for chariot; and we shall fight with them in the plain; Are we not stronger than they? And he listened to their voice and did so.
26And it happened at the turn of the year, Ben-hadad called up the Syrians, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27And the sons of Israel were called up, and were supplied, and they went to meet them. And the sons of Israel camped before them, like two flocks of goats. And the Syrians filled the land.
28And a man of God came near to the king of Israel and said, So says Jehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is God of the hills and not God of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Jehovah.
29And they pitched, these over against those, seven days. And it happened in the seventh day, the battle came up. And the sons of Israel struck Syria, a hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30And those remaining fled to Aphek, to the city. And the wall fell on them, on twenty-seven thousand of those left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner room.
31And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel that they are kings of mercy. Please let us put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and we shall go to the king of Israel. It may be he will keep alive your life.
32And they girded sackcloth on their loins, and ropes on their heads. And they came in to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-hadad has said, Please let my life live. And he said, Is he yet alive? He is my brother.
33And the men observed, and quickly caught it from him, and said, Your brother, Ben-hadad. And he said, Go, bring him. And Ben-hadad came out to him. And he took him up on the chariot.
34And he said to him, The cities that my father took from your father, I give back. And you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. And I will let you go with a covenant. And he cut a covenant with him and sent him away.
35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor, By the Word of Jehovah, please strike me. And the man refused to strike him.
36And he said to him, Because you have not listened to the voice of Jehovah, behold, you shall go from me, and a lion shall strike you. And he went from him, and the lion found him and struck him.
37And he found another man and said, Please strike me. And the man struck him, striking and wounding.
38And the prophet went and stood for the king on the highway, and disguised himself with ashes on his eyes.
39And as the king passed by, it happened that he cried to the king, and said, Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me, and said, Guard this man. If he is at all missing, even your life shall be for his life; or you shall weigh out a talent of silver.
40And it happened, your servant was working here and there, and he was not there. And the king of Israel said to him, Your judgment is right. You have decided it.
41And he hurried and took the ashes from his eyes. And the king of Israel saw him, that he was of the prophets.
42And he said to him, So says Jehovah, Because you have sent away the man I had devoted from your hand, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.
43And the king of Israel went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Samaria.
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