25
And prepare another army like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot; then 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.
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.
27
And the sons of Israel were numbered and took provisions and went against them; and the sons of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the land.
28
Then the man of God came and spoke unto the king of Israel and said, Thus hath the LORD said, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD
is God of the mountains, but he
is not God of the valleys, therefore, I will deliver all this great multitude into thy hand that ye may 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 sons of Israel slew of the Syrians one hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30
But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men
that were left. And Benhadad also fled and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31
Then his slaves 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 give thee 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 slave Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he replied, If he is yet alive, he
is my brother.
33
Now these men took this as a good omen and quickly took this word from his mouth, and they said, Thy brother Benhadad! And 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 plazas for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria, and I will leave here confederated with thee. So he made a covenant with him and sent him away.
35
Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour by the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.