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 tomorrow 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.'"
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."
8
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, "Hearken not unto him, nor consent."
9
Therefore 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 who follow me."
11
And the king of Israel answered and said, "Tell him: `Let not him that girdeth on his armor 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.
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.'"
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."