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New International Version (NIV) |
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1 Now King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his army, supported by the chariots and horses of thirty-two allied kings. They went to besiege Samaria, the Israelite capital, and launched attacks against it.
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1 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it.
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2 Ben-hadad sent messengers into the city to relay this message to King Ahab of Israel: "This is what Ben-hadad says:
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2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-Hadad says:
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3 'Your silver and gold are mine, and so are the best of your wives and children!'"
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3 'Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.' "
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4 "All right, my lord," Ahab replied. "All that I have is yours!"
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4 The king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours."
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5 Soon Ben-hadad's messengers returned again and said, "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'I have already demanded that you give me your silver, gold, wives, and children.
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5 The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 'I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children.
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6 But about this time tomorrow I will send my officials to search your palace and the homes of your people. They will take away everything you consider valuable!'"
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6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.' "
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7 Then Ahab summoned all the leaders of the land and said to them, "Look how this man is stirring up trouble! I already agreed when he sent the message demanding that I give him my wives and children and silver and gold."
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7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, "See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him."
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8 "Don't give in to any more demands," the leaders and people advised.
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8 The elders and the people all answered, "Don't listen to him or agree to his demands."
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9 So Ahab told the messengers from Ben-hadad, "Say this to my lord the king: 'I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but this last demand of yours I simply cannot meet.'" So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad with the response.
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9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.' " They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
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10 Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: "May the gods bring tragedy on me, and even worse than that, if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide more than a handful for each of my soldiers."
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10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful."
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11 The king of Israel sent back this answer: "A warrior still dressing for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won."
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11 The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: 'One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.' "
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12 This reply of Ahab's reached Ben-hadad and the other kings as they were drinking in their tents. "Prepare to attack!" Ben-hadad commanded his officers. So they prepared to attack the city.
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12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men: "Prepare to attack." So they prepared to attack the city.
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13 Then a prophet came to see King Ahab and told him, "This is what the LORD says: Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
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13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
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14 Ahab asked, "How will he do it?"And the prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says: The troops of the provincial commanders will do it.""Should we attack first?" Ahab asked."Yes," the prophet answered.
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14 "But who will do this?" asked Ahab. The prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says: 'The young officers of the provincial commanders will do it.' " "And who will start the battle?" he asked. The prophet answered, "You will."
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15 So Ahab mustered the troops of the 232 provincial commanders. Then he called out the rest of his army of seven thousand men.
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15 So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.
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16 About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two allied kings were still in their tents getting drunk,
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16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
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17 the troops of the provincial commanders marched out of the city. As they approached, Ben-hadad's scouts reported to him, "Some troops are coming from Samaria."
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17 The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, "Men are advancing from Samaria."
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18 "Take them alive," Ben-hadad commanded, "whether they have come for peace or for war."
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18 He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."
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19 But by now Ahab's provincial commanders had led the army out to fight.
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19 The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them
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20 Each Israelite soldier killed his Aramean opponent, and suddenly the entire Aramean army panicked and fled. The Israelites chased them, but King Ben-hadad and a few others escaped on horses.
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20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.
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21 However, the other horses and chariots were destroyed, and the Arameans were killed in a great slaughter.
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21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.
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22 Afterward the prophet said to King Ahab, "Get ready for another attack by the king of Aram next spring."
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22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again."
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23 After their defeat, Ben-hadad's officers said to him, "The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.
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23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
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24 Only this time replace the kings with field commanders!
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24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers.
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25 Recruit another army like the one you lost. Give us the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight against them in the plains. There's not a shadow of a doubt that we will beat them." So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested.
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25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost--horse for horse and chariot for chariot--so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they." He agreed with them and acted accordingly.
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26 The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek.
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26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
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27 Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and moved into the battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside!
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27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
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28 Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: The Arameans have said that the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the plains. So I will help you defeat this vast army. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
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28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.' "
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29 The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
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29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
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30 The rest fled behind the walls of Aphek, but the wall fell on them and killed another 27,000. Ben-hadad fled into the city and hid in a secret room.
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30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
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31 Ben-hadad's officers said to him, "Sir, we have heard that the kings of Israel are very merciful. So let's humble ourselves by wearing sackcloth and putting ropes on our heads. Then perhaps King Ahab will let you live."
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31 His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life."
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32 So they put on sackcloth and ropes and went to the king of Israel and begged, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please let me live!'"The king of Israel responded, "Is he still alive? He is my brother!"
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32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says: 'Please let me live.' " The king answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."
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33 The men were quick to grasp at this straw of hope, and they replied, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad!""Go and get him," the king of Israel told them. And when Ben-hadad arrived, Ahab invited him up into his chariot!
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33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go and get him," the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
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34 Ben-hadad told him, "I will give back the towns my father took from your father, and you may establish places of trade in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."Then Ahab said, "I will let you go under these conditions." So they made a treaty, and Ben-hadad was set free.
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34 "I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." [Ahab said, ] "On the basis of a treaty I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.
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35 Meanwhile, the LORD instructed one of the group of prophets to say to another man, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike the prophet.
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35 By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused.
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36 Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." And sure enough, when he had gone, a lion attacked and killed him.
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36 So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
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37 Then the prophet turned to another man and said, "Strike me!" So he struck the prophet and wounded him.
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37 The prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him and wounded him.
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38 The prophet waited for the king beside the road, having placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself.
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38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
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39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Sir, I was in the battle, and a man brought me a prisoner. He said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver!'
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39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, 'Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.'
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40 But while I was busy doing something else, the prisoner disappeared!""Well, it's your own fault," the king replied. "You have determined your own judgment."
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40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared." "That is your sentence," the king of Israel said. "You have pronounced it yourself."
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41 Then the prophet pulled the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
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41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
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42 And the prophet told him, "This is what the LORD says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people."
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42 He said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.' "
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43 So the king of Israel went home to Samaria angry and sullen.
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43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.
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| Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. (New Living Translation - The Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
