English Bible Presentation Sharing - 1-Kings Book, chapter 20, verse 64 in Hcsb Version

1 Kings 20 : 1 (HCSB)

Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariotry, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

1 Kings 20 : 2 (HCSB)

He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says:

1 Kings 20 : 3 (HCSB)

'Your silver and your gold are mine! And Your best wives and children are mine as well!'"

1 Kings 20 : 4 (HCSB)

Then the king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord king: I am yours, along with all that I have."

1 Kings 20 : 5 (HCSB)

The messengers then returned and said, "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'I have sent *messengers to you, saying: Your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children you are to give to me.

1 Kings 20 : 6 (HCSB)

But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants' houses. Whatever is precious to you, they will lay their hands on and take away.'"

1 Kings 20 : 7 (HCSB)

Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, "Think it over and you will see that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn't turn him down."

1 Kings 20 : 8 (HCSB)

All the elders and all the people said to him, "Don't listen or agree."

1 Kings 20 : 9 (HCSB)

So he said to Ben-hadad's messengers, "Say to my lord the king, 'Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' " So the messengers left and took word back to him.

1 Kings 20 : 10 (HCSB)

Then Ben-hadad sent *messengers to him and said, "May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria's dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me."

1 Kings 20 : 11 (HCSB)

The king of Israel answered, "Say this: 'Let not him who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.'"

1 Kings 20 : 12 (HCSB)

When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in the tents, he said to his servants, "Take *your positions." So they took their positions against the city.

1 Kings 20 : 13 (HCSB)

A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this entire immense horde? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the LORD.'"

1 Kings 20 : 14 (HCSB)

Ahab asked, "By whom?" And the prophet said, "This is what the LORD says: 'By the young men of the provincial leaders.' " Then he asked, "Who is to start the battle?" He said, "You."

1 Kings 20 : 15 (HCSB)

So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232 After them he counted all the Israelite troops: 7,000.

1 Kings 20 : 16 (HCSB)

They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents.

1 Kings 20 : 17 (HCSB)

The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, "Men are marching out of Samaria."

1 Kings 20 : 18 (HCSB)

So he said, "If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive."

1 Kings 20 : 19 (HCSB)

The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city,

1 Kings 20 : 20 (HCSB)

and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

1 Kings 20 : 21 (HCSB)

Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariotry. He inflicted a great slaughter on Aram.

1 Kings 20 : 22 (HCSB)

The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, "Go and strengthen yourself, then consider what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will march up against you."

1 Kings 20 : 23 (HCSB)

Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they.

1 Kings 20 : 24 (HCSB)

Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place.

1 Kings 20 : 25 (HCSB)

Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost-- horse for horse, chariot for chariot-- and let's fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they." The king listened to them and did so.

1 Kings 20 : 26 (HCSB)

In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel.

1 Kings 20 : 27 (HCSB)

The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape.

1 Kings 20 : 28 (HCSB)

Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans have said: The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over this entire immense horde to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"

1 Kings 20 : 29 (HCSB)

They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans-- 100,000 foot soldiers in one day.

1 Kings 20 : 30 (HCSB)

The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those 27,000 remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.

1 Kings 20 : 31 (HCSB)

His servants said to him, "Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings *who show special kindness. So let's put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let's go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."

1 Kings 20 : 32 (HCSB)

So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please spare my life.' " So he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

1 Kings 20 : 33 (HCSB)

Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly latched onto the hint and said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

1 Kings 20 : 34 (HCSB)

Then Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities that my father took from your father I restore to you, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria." *Ahab responded ,"On the basis of this treaty, I release you." So he made a treaty with him and released him.

1 Kings 20 : 35 (HCSB)

One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him.

1 Kings 20 : 36 (HCSB)

He told him, "Because you did not listen to the voice of the LORD, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you." When he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

1 Kings 20 : 37 (HCSB)

The prophet found another man and said to him, "Strike me!" So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

1 Kings 20 : 38 (HCSB)

Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

1 Kings 20 : 39 (HCSB)

As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant marched out into the midst of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, 'Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out 75 pounds of silver.'

1 Kings 20 : 40 (HCSB)

But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it."

1 Kings 20 : 41 (HCSB)

He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.

1 Kings 20 : 42 (HCSB)

The prophet said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because you released from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.'"

1 Kings 20 : 43 (HCSB)

The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria.