1 Kings 20-21New King James Version (NKJV)
Ahab Defeats the Syrians
20 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all
his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with
horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against
it. 2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab
king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 ‘Your
silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and
children are mine.’”
4 And the king of Israel answered and
said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”
5 Then the messengers came back and
said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You
shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your
children”; 6 but I will send my servants to you
tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of
your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in
your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’”
7 So the king of Israel called all
the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks
trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold;
and I did not deny him.”
8 And all the elders and all the
people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”
9 Therefore he said to the messengers
of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant
the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’”
And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.
10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and
said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria
for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11 So the king of Israel answered and
said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his
armor boast like the one who takes it off.’”
12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard
this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command
post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack
the city.
13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab
king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great
multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know
that I am the Lord.’”
14 So Ahab said, “By whom?”
And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders
of the provinces.’”
Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?”
And he answered, “You.”
15 Then he mustered the young leaders
of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he
mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.
16 So they went out at noon.
Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at
the command post. 17 The young leaders of the
provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and
they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!” 18 So
he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have
come out for war, take them alive.”
19 Then these young leaders of the
provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20 And
each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and
Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21 Then
the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed
the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22 And the prophet came to the king
of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what
you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up
against you.”
The Syrians Again Defeated
23 Then the servants of the king of
Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills.
Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the
plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 So
do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in
their places; 25 and you shall muster an army like
the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we
will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.”
And he listened to their voice and did so.
26 So it was, in the spring of the
year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against
Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered
and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel
encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled
the countryside.
28 Then a man of God came and spoke
to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians
have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not
God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into
your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 29 And
they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh
day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred
thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. 30 But
the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven
thousand of the men who were left.
And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner
chamber.
Ahab’s Treaty with Ben-Hadad
31 Then his servants said to him,
“Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful
kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our
heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your
life.” 32 So they wore sackcloth around their
waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king
of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’”
And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my
brother.”
33 Now the men were watching closely
to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they
quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother
Ben-Hadad.”
So he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him;
and he had him come up into the chariot.
34 So Ben-Hadad said
to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and
you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in
Samaria.”
Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with
this treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
Ahab Condemned
35 Now a certain man of the sons of
the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, “Strike me,
please.” And the man refused to strike him. 36 Then
he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord,
surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as
he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 And he found another man, and
said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38 Then
the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself
with a bandage over his eyes. 39 Now as the king passed
by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of
the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said,
‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his
life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 While
your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”
Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your
judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”
41 And he hastened to take the
bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the
prophets. 42 Then he said to him, “Thus says
the Lord: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a
man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his
life, and your people for his people.’”
43 So the king of Israel went to his
house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.
Naboth Is Murdered for His Vineyard
21 And it came to pass after these things that Naboth
the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to
the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 So Ahab spoke
to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable
garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I
will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good
to you, I will give you its worth in money.”
3 But Naboth said to Ahab,
“The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to
you!”
4 So Ahab went into his house sullen
and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to
him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And
he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food. 5 But
Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen
that you eat no food?”
6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to
Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or
else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for
it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”
7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him,
“You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be
cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 And she wrote letters in Ahab’s
name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the
elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with
Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the
people; 10 and seat two men, scoundrels, before him
to bear witness against him, saying, “You have blasphemed God and the
king.” Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.
11 So the men of his city, the elders
and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them,
as it was written in the letters which she had sent to
them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth
with high honor among the people. 13 And two men,
scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against
him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has
blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned
him with stones, so that he died. 14 Then they sent
to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel
heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab,
“Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he
refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 So
it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to
take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
The Lord Condemns Ahab
17 Then the word of
the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise,
go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria.
There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down
to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to
him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Have you murdered and also taken
possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In
the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood,
even yours.”’”
20 So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you
found me, O my enemy?”
And he answered, “I have found you, because
you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord: 21 ‘Behold,
I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off
from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. 22 I
will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the
house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you
have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’ 23 And
concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat
Jezebel by the wall[a] of Jezreel.’ 24 The
dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of
the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.”
25 But there was no one like Ahab who
sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel
his wife stirred him up. 26 And he behaved very
abominably in following idols, according to all that the
Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of
Israel.
27 So it was, when Ahab heard those
words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and
lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.
28 And the word of
the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “See
how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before
Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will
bring the calamity on his house.”
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