Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his forces, and thirty-two kings with him, horses and chariots. He went up, laid siege against Shomron, and fought against it.

He sent messengers into the city to Aḥab king of Yisra'el.

He said to him, 'Thus says Ben-Hadad: Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your best sons are mine.'

Aḥab king of Yisra'el answered, 'As you say, my Adonai the king: I am yours, and all that I have.'

The messengers returned and said, 'Thus says Ben-Hadad: I sent to you saying, You will give me your silver and gold, your wives and your sons.'

But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants, and whatever is desirable in your eyes they will put in their hand and take.'

Aḥab king of Yisra'el called all the elders of the land and said, 'Please know and see how this one seeks evil, for he sent to me for my wives, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not withhold from him.'

All the elders and all the people said to him, 'Do not listen or consent.'

He said to Ben-Hadad's messengers, 'Say to my Adonai the king: All that you sent to your servant at first I will do, but this word I cannot do.' The messengers went and brought him word.

Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, 'Thus may Elohim do to me and more if the dust of Shomron suffices for handfuls for all the people at my feet.'

Aḥab king of Yisra'el answered, 'Speak: Do not let the one girding boast like the one ungirding.'

When he heard this word while he and the kings were drinking in the booths, he said to his servants, 'Take positions.' They took positions against the city.

Look, a prophet approached Aḥab king of Yisra'el, and he said, 'Thus says יהוה: Have you seen all this great multitude? Here I am, giving it into your hand today, and you will know that I am יהוה.'

Aḥab said, 'By whom?' He said, 'Thus says יהוה: By the servants of the provincial governors.' He said, 'Who will bind the battle?' He said, 'You.'

He mustered the servants of the provincial governors, and they were two hundred thirty-two. After them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Yisra'el: seven thousand.

They went out at noon, while Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings helping him.

The servants of the provincial governors went out first. Ben-Hadad sent, and they told him, saying, 'Men have come out from Shomron.'

He said, 'If they come out for peace, capture them alive; if they come out for battle, capture them alive.'

These went out from the city: the servants of the provincial governors and the force behind them.

Each struck his man, and Aram fled. Yisra'el pursued them, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

Aḥab king of Yisra'el went out and struck the horses and chariots, and inflicted a great defeat on Aram.

The prophet approached Aḥab king of Yisra'el and said to him, 'Go, strengthen yourself, and know and see what you will do, for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.'

The servants of the king of Aram said to him, 'Their Elohim is Elohim of the mountains; therefore they were stronger than us. But let us fight them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than them.'

Do this thing: remove the kings each from his place, and put governors in their place.

You muster for yourself an army like the army that fell from you, horse for horse and chariot for chariot, and let us fight them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than them.' He listened to their voice and did so.

At the turn of the year, Ben-Hadad mustered Aram and went up to Afekah to battle with Yisra'el.

The sons of Yisra'el were mustered and provisioned, and went to meet them. The sons of Yisra'el encamped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while Aram filled the land.

A man of Elohim approached the king of Yisra'el and said to him, 'Thus says יהוה: Because Aram said, יהוה is Elohim of the mountains but not Elohim of the valleys, I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you will know that I am יהוה.'

They encamped opposite each other seven days. On the seventh day the battle happened, and the sons of Yisra'el struck Aram: a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

The rest fled to Afekah into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-Hadad fled and came into the city, into an inner room.

His servants said to him, 'Look, we've heard that the kings of the house of Yisra'el are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth on our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Yisra'el; perhaps he will spare your life.'

They girded sackcloth on their waists and ropes on their heads, came to the king of Yisra'el, and said, 'Your servant Ben-Hadad says: Please spare my life.' He said, 'Is he still alive? He is my brother.'

The men practiced divination, hurried, and snatched it from him, saying, 'Your brother Ben-Hadad.' He said, 'Come, take him.' Ben-Hadad came out to him, and he brought him up on the chariot.

He said to him, 'The cities that my father took from your father I will restore. You will set up streets for yourself in Dammesek, as my father set up in Shomron. And I, in a covenant, will send you away.' He made a covenant with him and sent him away.

A certain man from the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor, 'By the word of יהוה, please strike me.' The man refused to strike him.

He said to him, 'Because you did not listen to the voice of יהוה, here you are going from me, and the lion will strike you.' He went from beside him, and the lion found him and struck him.

He found another man and said, 'Please strike me.' The man struck him, wounding him.

The prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king, and disguised himself with ashes over his eyes.

As the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, 'Your servant went out into the thick of the battle, and a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, Watch this man; if he goes missing, it will be your life for his life, or you will pay a talent of silver.'

As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.' The king of Yisra'el said to him, 'So that is your judgment; you have decided it.'

And he hurried and removed the ashes from his eyes, and the king of Yisra'el recognized him, for he was from the prophets.

And he said to him, 'Thus says יהוה, Because you let go from your hand a man devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.'

And the king of Yisra'el went to his house, sullen and angry, and he came to Shomron.