1	And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered# all his host together# : and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up# and besieged# Samaria, and warred# against it.
			2	And he sent# messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said# unto him, Thus saith# Benhadad,
			3	Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
			4	And the king of Israel answered# and said# , My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
			5	And the messengers came again# , and said# , Thus speaketh# Benhadad, saying# , Although I have sent# unto thee, saying# , Thou shalt deliver# me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
			6	Yet I will send# my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search# thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be# , that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put# it in their hand, and take it away# . [pleasant: Heb. desirable]
			7	Then 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 sent# unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied# him not. [I denied...: Heb. I kept not back from him]
			8	And all the elders and all the people said# unto him, Hearken# not unto him , nor consent# .
			9	Wherefore he said# unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell# my lord the king, All that thou didst send# for to thy servant at the first I will do# : but this thing I may# not do# . And the messengers departed# , and brought# him word again# .
			10	And Benhadad sent# unto him, and said# , The gods do so# unto me, and more also# , if the dust of Samaria shall suffice# for handfuls for all the people that follow me. [follow...: Heb. are at my feet]
			11	And the king of Israel answered# and said# , Tell# him , Let not him that girdeth# on his harness boast# himself as he that putteth it off# .
			12	And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard# this message, as he was drinking# , he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said# unto his servants, Set# yourselves in array . And they set# themselves in array against the city. [message: Heb. word] [pavilions: or, tents] [Set yourselves...: or, Place the engines. And they placed the engines]
			13	And, behold, there came# a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying# , Thus saith# the LORD, Hast thou seen# all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver# it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know# that I am the LORD. [came: Heb. approached]
			14	And Ahab said# , By whom? And he said# , Thus saith# the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said# , Who shall order# the battle? And he answered# , Thou. [young...: or, servants] [order: Heb. bind, or, tie]
			15	Then he numbered# the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered# all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
			16	And they went out# at noon. But Benhadad was drinking# himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped# him.
			17	And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out# first; and Benhadad sent out# , and they told# him, saying# , There are men come out# of Samaria.
			18	And he said# , Whether they be come out# for peace, take# them alive; or whether they be come out# for war, take# them alive.
			19	So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out# of the city, and the army which followed them.
			20	And they slew# every one his man: and the Syrians fled# ; and Israel pursued# them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped# on an horse with the horsemen.
			21	And the king of Israel went out# , and smote# the horses and chariots, and slew# the Syrians with a great slaughter.
			22	And the prophet came# to the king of Israel, and said# unto him, Go# , strengthen# thyself, and mark# , and see# what thou doest# : for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up# against thee.
			23	And the servants of the king of Syria said# unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger# than we; but let us fight# against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger# than they.
			24	And do# this thing, Take# the kings away, every man out of his place, and put# captains in their rooms:
			25	And number# thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost# , horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight# against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger# than they. And he hearkened# unto their voice, and did so# . [that thou...: Heb. that was fallen]
			26	And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered# the Syrians, and went up# to Aphek, to fight against Israel. [to fight...: Heb. to the war with Israel]
			27	And the children of Israel were numbered# , and were all present# , and went# against# them: and the children of Israel pitched# before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled# the country. [were all...: or, were nourished]
			28	And there came# a man of God, and spake# unto the king of Israel, and said# , Thus saith# the LORD, Because the Syrians have said# , The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver# all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know# that I am the LORD.
			29	And they pitched# one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined# : and the children of Israel slew# of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
			30	But the rest# fled# to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell# upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left# . And Benhadad fled# , and came# into the city, into an inner chamber. [into an...: or, from chamber to chamber: Heb. into a chamber within a chamber]
			31	And his servants said# unto him, Behold now, we have heard# that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put# sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out# to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save# thy life.
			32	So they girded# sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came# to the king of Israel, and said# , Thy servant Benhadad saith# , I pray thee, let me live# # . And he said# , Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
			33	Now the men did diligently observe# whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily# catch# it : and they said# , Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said# , Go# ye, bring# him. Then Benhadad came forth# to him; and he caused him to come up# into the chariot.
			34	And Benhadad said# unto him, The cities, which my father took# from thy father, I will restore# ; and thou shalt make# streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made# in Samaria. Then said Ahab , I will send thee away# with this covenant. So he made# a covenant with him, and sent him away# . [streets: or, market places]
			35	And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said# unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite# me, I pray thee. And the man refused# to smite# him.
			36	Then said# he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed# the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed# from me, a lion shall slay# thee. And as soon as he was departed# from him, a lion found# him, and slew# him.
			37	Then he found# another man, and said# , Smite# me, I pray thee. And the man smote# him, so that in smiting# he wounded# him . [so that...: Heb. smiting and wounding]
			38	So the prophet departed# , and waited# for the king by the way, and disguised# himself with ashes upon his face.
			39	And as the king passed by# , he cried# unto the king: and he said# , Thy servant went out# into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside# , and brought# a man unto me, and said# , Keep# this man: if by any means# he be missing# , then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay# a talent of silver. [pay: Heb. weigh]
			40	And as thy servant was busy# here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said# unto him, So shall thy judgment be ; thyself hast decided# it . [he was...: Heb. he was not]
			41	And he hasted# , and took the ashes away# from his face; and the king of Israel discerned# him that he was of the prophets.
			42	And he said# unto him, Thus saith# the LORD, Because thou hast let go# out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
			43	And the king of Israel went# to his house heavy and displeased, and came# to Samaria.