1 And Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army {cheil: military force} and thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. Then he went up and besieged {yatzar: encircled} Samaria and fought against it.
2 And he sent {vayishlach: officially dispatched} messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city {ha'irah: capital city}.
3 And he said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad {ben-hadad: Aramean king}: ‘Your silver and your gold belong to me, and your best {hatovim: highest quality} wives and sons are mine.’”
4 “As you say {kî-dvāreḵā: according to your word}, my lord {’ăḏōnî: respectful address}, I and all that I have are yours.”
5 And the messengers returned {vayyashuvu: Mission Resumed} and said, “Thus says Ben-Hadad {ben-Hadad: Aramean King}: ‘I sent word to you, saying, “You shall give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.”’”
6 Nevertheless, about this time tomorrow I will send my servants {avadim: subordinate officials} to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants. And everything precious {machmad: greatly desired things} in your eyes they will place in their hand and carry it away.
7 And the king of Israel summoned all the elders {ziknei: senior leaders} of the land and said, “Please give heed and observe that this man is seeking trouble {ra'ah: calamity}—for he has sent to me for my wives, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I withheld nothing from him.”
8 And all the elders {zaqenim: council leaders} and all the people said to him, “Do not listen {tishma: heed, obey}, and do not consent.”
9 And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad {ben-hadad: Aramean ruler}, “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant {eved: subordinate or vassal} at first I will do, but this thing I am not able to do.’” And the messengers went and brought him back word.
10 And Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “Thus may the gods {Elohim, Pagan Deities Invoked} do to me, and thus may they add, if the dust {afar: symbol of defeat} of Samaria is sufficient for handfuls for all the people who are at my feet.”
11 And the king of Israel answered and said, “Say, ‘Let not the one who girds on {choger: donning armor} boast like the one who loosens it {kimpateach: removing armor}.’”
12 And it came to pass, as he heard this message, while he and the kings were drinking in the shelters {sukkot: temporary booths or pavilions used at gatherings}, that he said to his servants {avadim: royal officials or attendants}, “Prepare yourselves,” and they set themselves against the city.
13 And behold, a certain prophet approached{nigash: drew near with intent} Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD{YHWH, Sovereign Speaker}: Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I am giving it into your hand today, and you will know that I am the LORD.”
14 Ahab asked, “By whom?” Then the prophet answered, “Thus says the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Communicator}: ‘By the young men {na’ar: chosen youth} of the princes of the provinces.’” Ahab then asked, “Who will begin the battle?” And the prophet replied, “You.”
15 And he mustered the young men of the commanders of the provinces {medinot: administrative districts}, and they numbered 232; and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel {benei: tribal members}, 7,000.
16 And they went out at noon {tzahorayim: midday pause}, and Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents {sukkot: military shelters}—he and the thirty-two kings assisting him.
17 The young men of the princes{sarei: provincial commanders} of the provinces went out first{barishonah: at the first movement}, and Ben-Hadad sent, and they informed him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.”
18 And he said, “If they have come out for peace {shalom: well-being}, seize them alive {chayyim: living not slain}; but if they have come out for war, seize them alive.”
19 And these went out from the city—the young men {na’arei: military trainees} of the chiefs of the provinces and the army {chayil: organized force} that followed them.
20 And each man struck down his opponent {ish: personal adversary}, and Aram {Aram: Syrian army} fled, and Israel pursued them. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.
21 Then the king of Israel went out and struck {vayakh: delivered decisive strike} the horses and the chariots, and he inflicted a great blow upon Aram {Aram: ancient Syrian kingdom}.
22 And the prophet {navi: messenger of God} approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself {hitchazzak: be courageous}, and be attentive to what you should do, for at the turning of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
23 And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods {elohim: foreign deities} are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let us fight with them in the plain {mishor: level ground}, and surely we will be stronger than they.”
24 And this matter, do: Remove the kings {melakhim: dynastic rulers}, each one from his place, and set governors {pakhot: regional officials} in their stead.
25 And you, count for yourself an army {chayil: fighting force} like the army that fell from you, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they are. And he listened {vayishma: attentive obedience} to their voice and did so.
26 And it happened at the turning {tshuvah: cyclical return} of the year that Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek {aphekah: strategic stronghold} for battle with Israel.
27 And the sons of Israel were mustered and provisioned, and they marched to meet their adversaries; the sons of Israel camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while Aram {Aram: regional rival} filled the land {aretz: territory under control}.
28 And the man of God {haʾĕlōhîm: Divine Messenger} came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD {YHWH, Supreme Authority}: ‘Because Aram has said, “The LORD is the God of the mountains and not the God of the valleys,” I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
29 And these encamped opposite {nokhach-elleh: standoff position} one another for seven days, and it happened on the seventh day that the battle drew near, and the sons of Israel struck down Aram one hundred thousand foot soldiers {raglim: infantry troops} in one day.
30 And the remaining {hanotarim: survivors} fled to Aphek, to the city. Then the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of those who remained. Ben-Hadad fled into the city and entered an inner room {cheder: private chamber}.
31 And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of mercy {chesed: steadfast kindness}. Let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes {chaval: sign of surrender} on our heads, and let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will let your life be spared.”
32 And they girded sackcloth on their loins and ropes {chaval: sign of surrender} on their heads, and they came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad {ben-hadad: son of Hadad} says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 And the men divined {yenachashu: discerned} his intent and hastened and seized upon it, saying, “Your brother {achikha: coalition partner}, Ben-Hadad.” Then the king said, “Come and take him.” So Ben-Hadad came out to him, and he brought him up into the chariot.
34 And Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall establish marketplaces {chutsot: public squares for trade and negotiation} for yourself in Damascus just as my father did in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “By the covenant {berit: binding treaty} I will send you away.” So he made a covenant with him and sent him away.
35 And one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, by the word of the LORD {YHWH, Prophetic Authority}, “Strike me {hakeini: forceful causative appeal}, please,” but the man refused to strike him.
36 And he said to him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Authority}, behold, as you depart from me the lion will strike {vehikkakha: divine causative strike} you.” Then he went away from beside him, and the lion found him and struck him.
37 And he found another {acher: second individual} man, and he said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him—striking and wounding {ufatzoa: causing physical injury} him.
38 So the prophet {navi: God’s spokesperson} went and stood by the road for the king, and he disguised himself with dust {efer: concealment material} over his eyes.
39 And it came to pass as the king passed by that he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst {kerev: center of events} of the battle, and behold a man turned aside and brought another to me, saying, ‘Guard this man; if he is missing, your life {nefesh: personal existence} shall be in place of his, or you shall weigh out a talent of silver.’”
40 And it happened that while your servant {avdekha: subordinate worker} was doing this and that, he was not there. Then the king of Israel said to him, “So is your judgment; you have decided {kharatzta: rendered the verdict} it yourself.”
41 And he swiftly removed the covering {ha’aper: face concealment} from over his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, for he was one of the prophets {nevi’im: divinely inspired messengers}.
42 And he said to him, “Thus says the LORD {YHWH, Just Arbiter}: Because you have released the man I had devoted to destruction {ish-khermi: under the ban} from your hand, your life shall go in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”
43 The king of Israel went to his house sullen {sar: dejected} and angry {za’ef: deeply upset}, and he came to Samaria.