Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: with thirty-two kings and their forces, including horses and chariots, to besiege Samaria and wage war against it. Ben-hadad sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "Thus says Ben-hadad: Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives also and your children, even the best of them, are mine.

The king of Israel answered and said, "It is according to your saying, my lord, O king; I am thine, and all that I have. But then Benhadad's messengers came again and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children. My servants will come to your house tomorrow at this time and search it and the houses of your servants; they shall take away whatever is pleasing in your eyes.

The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Observe how this man seeks to deceive me, for he has asked for my wives, children, silver, and gold, and I have not denied him. The elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen to him or agree with him.

Ahab replied, saying, "Tell him, Let not one who dons his armor boast himself as he who removes it. When Ben-hadad heard this message, he was drinking in the pavilions with the kings, and he said to his servants, "Set yourselves in array against the city." They set themselves in array against the city.

A prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, and said, "This is what the Lord says: Have you seen this vast army? I will deliver it into your hand today, and you will know that I am the Lord. Ahab asked, "By whom?" and the prophet replied, "Thus says the Lord, through the young men of the princes of the provinces." Then Ahab asked, "Who will lead the battle?" The prophet answered, "You.

Ahab counted the young men of the princes of the provinces, and there were 232; after them, he counted all the people, including seven thousand sons of Israel. And they went out at noon, but Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions with him and the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad was informed that men had come out of Samaria. He said, "Whether they have come out in peace, take them alive; whether they have come out to fight, take them alive. The young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, accompanied by the army that followed them.

They slew every one his man, and the Syrians fled; Israel pursued them, while Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on horseback with the cavalry. The king of Israel went out and struck down the horses and chariots, slaughtering the Syrians with a great slaughter.

The prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Go, prepare yourself, observe what you are doing, because at the turn of the year the king of Syria will come against you. The servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

Benhadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel at the return of the year. The children of Israel were numbered and assembled, then marched against them; they pitched their camp like two small flocks of kids, but the Syrians filled the land.

A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, saying, "The Lord says, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The Lord is a god of the hills but not a god of the valleys," I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'

They pitched one over against the other seven days; and on the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.

Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. His servants said to him, "We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful; let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel, perhaps he will save your life.

They girded sackcloth on their loins, put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, saying, "Your servant Benhadad says, 'Please let me live.' The king replied, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." The men carefully observed whether anything would come from him and quickly caught it, saying, "Your brother Benhadad."

The king said, "Go, bring him," and Benhadad came out to him; then he had him brought up into the chariot. Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities my father took from your father I will restore; and you shall establish trade routes in Damascus as my father did in Samaria." Then Ahab replied, "I will send you away with this agreement," so he made an agreement with him and released him.

A certain prophet said to his companion in the word of the Lord, "Strike me, I beg you," but the man refused to strike him. Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, a lion shall slay you as soon as you are departed from me; and a lion found him and slew him.

Then he found another man and said, "Strike me, I pray you," and the man struck him. The prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with ashes on his face. As the king passed by, he cried out to him and said, "Your servant went into the midst of the battle; I saw a man turn aside and bring another man to me, saying, 'If this man is missing, your life will be forfeit in his place, or you must pay a talent of silver.'

As your servant was busy here and there, he vanished; so shall your judgment be, for you have decided it yourself. The king quickly removed the ashes from his face, and recognized him to be one of the prophets.

The Lord said to him, "Because you have let go of a man I appointed for destruction, your life will be forfeit in place of his, and your people will suffer loss in proportion to his. The king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.