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¹Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

²He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad,

³Your silver and your gold is mine; your wives also and your children, even the best, are mine.

⁴The king of Israel answered, It is according to your saying, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.

⁵The messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed to you, saying, You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children;

⁶but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

⁷Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Please notice how this man seeks mischief: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn`t deny him.

⁸All the elders and all the people said to him, Don`t you listen, neither consent.

⁹Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do. The messengers departed, and brought him word again.

¹⁰Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.

¹¹The king of Israel answered, Tell him, Don`t let him who girds on [his armor] boast himself as he who puts it off.

¹²It happened, when [Ben-hadad] heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said to his servants, Set [yourselves in array]. They set [themselves in array] against the city.

¹³Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus says Yahweh, Have you seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

¹⁴Ahab said, By whom? He said, Thus says Yahweh, By the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? He answered, You.

¹⁵Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

¹⁶They went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out from Samaria.

¹⁸He said, Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive, or whether they are come out for war, taken them alive.

¹⁹So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰They killed everyone his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.