20
Ahab Defeats the Syrians
1Now ⚓Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged ⚓Samaria, and made war against it.
2Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad:
3‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ”
4And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”
5Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, 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 will put it in their hands and take it.’ ”
7So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”
8And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”
9Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ”
And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.
10Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, ⚓“The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor⚓boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”
12And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were⚓drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.
13Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ⚓I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
14So Ahab said, “By whom?”
And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ ”
Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?”
And he answered, “You.”
15Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.
16So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were ⚓getting drunk at the command post.
17The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!”
18So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them.
20And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.
21Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, ⚓for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”
The Syrians Again Defeated
23Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.
24So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places;
25and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.”
And he listened to their voice and did so.
26So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to ⚓Aphek to fight against Israel.
27And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the ⚓countryside.
28Then a ⚓man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lordis God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore ⚓I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
29And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day.
30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.
And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.
Ahab’s Treaty with Ben-Hadad
31Then his 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 around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.”
32So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ”
And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.”
So he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.
34So Ben-Hadad said to him, ⚓“The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
Ahab Condemned
35Now a certain man of ⚓the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor ⚓by the word of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him.
36Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, ⚓a lion found him and killed him.
37And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.
38Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39Now ⚓as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, ⚓your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’
40While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”
Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”
41And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
42Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ⚓‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”
43So the king of Israel ⚓went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.
20
與亞蘭人爭戰
1亞蘭王便‧哈達召集他的全軍，率領三十二個王，帶着馬和戰車，上來圍困撒瑪利亞，要攻打它。
2他派使者進城到以色列王亞哈那裏，對他說：「便‧哈達如此說：
3『你的金銀都要歸我，你妻妾兒女中最美的也要歸我。』」
4以色列王回答說：「我主我王啊，就照着你的話，我和我所有的都歸你。」
5使者又來說：「便‧哈達如此說：『我已派人到你那裏，要你把你的金銀、妻妾、兒女都歸我。』
6但明日約在這時候，我還要派臣僕到你那裏，搜查你的家和你僕人的家，你眼中一切所喜愛的都由他們的手拿走。」
7以色列王召了國內所有的長老來，說：「你們要知道，看，這人是來找麻煩的！他派人到我這裏來，要我的妻妾、兒女和金銀，我並沒有拒絕他。」
8所有的長老和眾百姓對王說：「不要聽從他，也不要答應他。」
9以色列王對便‧哈達的使者說：「你們告訴我主我王說：『王頭一次派人向僕人所要的一切，僕人都依從，但這事我不能依從。』」使者就去回覆便‧哈達。
10便‧哈達又派人到亞哈那裏，說：「撒瑪利亞的塵土若足夠跟從我的軍兵每人手拿一把，願神明重重懲罰我！」
11以色列王回答說：「你們告訴他說，『剛束上腰帶的，不要像已卸下的那樣誇口。』」
12便‧哈達和諸王正在帳幕裏喝酒，聽見這話，就對他臣僕說：「擺陣吧！」他們就擺陣攻城。
13看哪，一個先知靠近以色列王亞哈，說：「耶和華如此說：『這一大羣人你看見了嗎？看哪，今日我必把他們交在你手裏，你就知道我是耶和華。』」
14亞哈說：「藉着誰呢？」他說：「耶和華如此說：『藉着跟從省長的年輕人。』」亞哈說：「誰要開戰呢？」他說：「你！」
15於是亞哈數點跟從省長的年輕人，共二百三十二名，然後又數點以色列的眾軍兵，共七千名。
16中午，他們出了城；便‧哈達和幫助他的三十二個王正在帳幕裏暢飲。
17跟從省長的年輕人先出城。便‧哈達派人去，他們回報說：「有人從撒瑪利亞出來了。」
18他說：「他們若為求和出來，要活捉他們，若為打仗出來，也要活捉他們。」
19跟從省長的年輕人，和跟隨他們的軍兵，都出了城，
20各人遇見敵人就擊殺。亞蘭人逃跑，以色列人追趕他們；亞蘭王便‧哈達騎着馬和騎兵一同逃跑。
21以色列王出城攻擊⚓馬和戰車，大大擊殺亞蘭人。
22那先知靠近以色列王，對他說：「去吧，你當自強，看清楚，也要知道你所要做的事，因為再過一年，亞蘭王會上來攻擊你。」
亞蘭人第二次來犯
23亞蘭王的臣僕對他說：「他們的神是山神，所以他們勝過我們。但在平原與他們打仗，我們一定勝過他們。
24王當做這樣的事，把諸王革去，派軍官代替他們，
25又照着王喪失軍兵的數目，再招募一支軍隊，馬補馬，車補車。然後在平原與他們打仗，我們一定勝過他們。」王就聽臣僕的話，照樣去做。
26過了一年，便‧哈達果然召集亞蘭人上亞弗去，要與以色列人打仗。
27以色列人也召集軍兵，預備食物，去迎戰亞蘭人。 以色列人對着他們安營，好像兩小羣的山羊；亞蘭人卻佈滿了地面。
28有神人靠近，對以色列王說：「耶和華如此說：『亞蘭人既說我－耶和華是山神，不是平原之神，我必將這一大羣人全都交在你手中，你們就知道我是耶和華。』」
29以色列人與亞蘭人相對安營七日，到第七日兩軍開戰。那一日以色列人殺了亞蘭的十萬步兵，
30其餘的都逃向亞弗，到了城裏，城牆倒塌，壓死了剩下的二萬七千人。
便‧哈達也逃入城內，藏在嚴密的內室裏。
31他的臣僕對他說：「看哪，我們聽說以色列家的王都是仁慈的王；讓我們腰束麻布，頭套繩索，出去到以色列王那裏，也許他會存留王的性命。」
32於是他們腰束麻布，頭套繩索，來到以色列王那裏，說：「王的僕人便‧哈達說：『求王饒我一命。』」亞哈說：「他還活着嗎？他是我的兄弟。」
33這些人正在探測吉凶，就立即抓住他的話說：「便‧哈達是王的兄弟！」王說：「你們去請他來。」便‧哈達出來到王那裏，王就請他上車。
34便‧哈達對王說：「我父從你父那裏所奪的城鎮，我必歸還給你。你可以在大馬士革為你自己設立街市，像我父在撒瑪利亞所設立的一樣。」亞哈說：「我照此立約，放你回去。」王就與他立約，放了他。
先知責亞哈縱敵
35有一個人是先知的門徒，遵照耶和華的話對他同伴說：「你打我吧！」那人不肯打他。
36他就對那人說：「你既不聽從耶和華的話，看哪，你一離開我，必有獅子咬死你。」那人一離開他，果然遇見獅子，把他咬死了。
37先知的門徒又遇見一個人，對他說：「你打我吧！」那人就打他，把他打傷。
38那先知就去了，用頭巾蒙眼，改了裝，在路旁等候王。
39王從那裏經過，他向王呼叫說：「僕人出戰的時候，看哪，有人轉過來，帶了一個人到我這裏來，說：『你要看守這人，若他真的失蹤了，你的性命必代替他的性命，否則，你就要交出一他連得銀子來。』
40僕人正在到處忙碌的時候，那人就不見了。」以色列王對他說：「你自己決定了，就必照樣判你。」
41他急忙除掉蒙眼的頭巾，以色列王就認出他是一個先知。
42他對王說：「耶和華如此說：『因你把我決定要消滅的人從你手中放走，所以你的命必代替他的命，你的百姓必代替他的百姓。』」
43於是以色列王生氣，憂悶地回撒瑪利亞，到自己的宮去了。