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
与亚兰人争战
1亚兰王便．哈达召集他的全军，率领三十二个王，带着马和战车，上来围困撒玛利亚，要攻打它。
2他派使者进城到以色列王亚哈那里，对他说：“便．哈达如此说：
3‘你的金银都要归我，你妻妾儿女中最美的也要归我。’”
4以色列王回答说：“我主我王啊，就照着你的话，我和我所有的都归你。”
5使者又来说：“便．哈达如此说：‘我已派人到你那里，要你把你的金银、妻妾、儿女都归我。’
6但明日约在这时候，我还要派臣仆到你那里，搜查你的家和你仆人的家，你眼中一切所喜爱的都由他们的手拿走。”
7以色列王召了国内所有的长老来，说：“你们要知道，看，这人是来找麻烦的！他派人到我这里来，要我的妻妾、儿女和金银，我并没有拒绝他。”
8所有的长老和众百姓对王说：“不要听从他，也不要答应他。”
9以色列王对便．哈达的使者说：“你们告诉我主我王说：‘王头一次派人向仆人所要的一切，仆人都依从，但这事我不能依从。’”使者就去回覆便．哈达。
10便．哈达又派人到亚哈那里，说：“撒玛利亚的尘土若足够跟从我的军兵每人手拿一把，愿神明重重惩罚我！”
11以色列王回答说：“你们告诉他说，‘刚束上腰带的，不要像已卸下的那样夸口。’”
12便．哈达和诸王正在帐幕里喝酒，听见这话，就对他臣仆说：“摆阵吧！”他们就摆阵攻城。
13看哪，一个先知靠近以色列王亚哈，说：“耶和华如此说：‘这一大群人你看见了吗？看哪，今日我必把他们交在你手里，你就知道我是耶和华。’”
14亚哈说：“藉着谁呢？”他说：“耶和华如此说：‘藉着跟从省长的年轻人。’”亚哈说：“谁要开战呢？”他说：“你！”
15于是亚哈数点跟从省长的年轻人，共二百三十二名，然后又数点以色列的众军兵，共七千名。
16中午，他们出了城；便．哈达和帮助他的三十二个王正在帐幕里畅饮。
17跟从省长的年轻人先出城。便．哈达派人去，他们回报说：“有人从撒玛利亚出来了。”
18他说：“他们若为求和出来，要活捉他们，若为打仗出来，也要活捉他们。”
19跟从省长的年轻人，和跟随他们的军兵，都出了城，
20各人遇见敌人就击杀。亚兰人逃跑，以色列人追赶他们；亚兰王便．哈达骑着马和骑兵一同逃跑。
21以色列王出城攻击⚓马和战车，大大击杀亚兰人。
22那先知靠近以色列王，对他说：“去吧，你当自强，看清楚，也要知道你所要做的事，因为再过一年，亚兰王会上来攻击你。”
亚兰人第二次来犯
23亚兰王的臣仆对他说：“他们的神是山神，所以他们胜过我们。但在平原与他们打仗，我们一定胜过他们。
24王当做这样的事，把诸王革去，派军官代替他们，
25又照着王丧失军兵的数目，再招募一支军队，马补马，车补车。然后在平原与他们打仗，我们一定胜过他们。”王就听臣仆的话，照样去做。
26过了一年，便．哈达果然召集亚兰人上亚弗去，要与以色列人打仗。
27以色列人也召集军兵，预备食物，去迎战亚兰人。 以色列人对着他们安营，好像两小群的山羊；亚兰人却布满了地面。
28有神人靠近，对以色列王说：“耶和华如此说：‘亚兰人既说我－耶和华是山神，不是平原之神，我必将这一大群人全都交在你手中，你们就知道我是耶和华。’”
29以色列人与亚兰人相对安营七日，到第七日两军开战。那一日以色列人杀了亚兰的十万步兵，
30其余的都逃向亚弗，到了城里，城墙倒塌，压死了剩下的二万七千人。
便．哈达也逃入城内，藏在严密的内室里。
31他的臣仆对他说：“看哪，我们听说以色列家的王都是仁慈的王；让我们腰束麻布，头套绳索，出去到以色列王那里，也许他会存留王的性命。”
32于是他们腰束麻布，头套绳索，来到以色列王那里，说：“王的仆人便．哈达说：‘求王饶我一命。’”亚哈说：“他还活着吗？他是我的兄弟。”
33这些人正在探测吉凶，就立即抓住他的话说：“便．哈达是王的兄弟！”王说：“你们去请他来。”便．哈达出来到王那里，王就请他上车。
34便．哈达对王说：“我父从你父那里所夺的城镇，我必归还给你。你可以在大马士革为你自己设立街市，像我父在撒玛利亚所设立的一样。”亚哈说：“我照此立约，放你回去。”王就与他立约，放了他。
先知责亚哈纵敌
35有一个人是先知的门徒，遵照耶和华的话对他同伴说：“你打我吧！”那人不肯打他。
36他就对那人说：“你既不听从耶和华的话，看哪，你一离开我，必有狮子咬死你。”那人一离开他，果然遇见狮子，把他咬死了。
37先知的门徒又遇见一个人，对他说：“你打我吧！”那人就打他，把他打伤。
38那先知就去了，用头巾蒙眼，改了装，在路旁等候王。
39王从那里经过，他向王呼叫说：“仆人出战的时候，看哪，有人转过来，带了一个人到我这里来，说：‘你要看守这人，若他真的失踪了，你的性命必代替他的性命，否则，你就要交出一他连得银子来。’
40仆人正在到处忙碌的时候，那人就不见了。”以色列王对他说：“你自己决定了，就必照样判你。”
41他急忙除掉蒙眼的头巾，以色列王就认出他是一个先知。
42他对王说：“耶和华如此说：‘因你把我决定要消灭的人从你手中放走，所以你的命必代替他的命，你的百姓必代替他的百姓。’”
43于是以色列王生气，忧闷地回撒玛利亚，到自己的宫去了。