7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Look how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and for my gold; and I did not deny him”. 8And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen to him, nor agree to his demands”. 9Then Ahab said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord, the king, ‘All that you said to me in your first message I will do; but this thing I may not do”. And the messengers brought that word back to Ben-hadad. 10And Ben-hadad sent, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if even the dust that remains of Samaria enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me”. 11And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘One that puts on his armor should not boast as one that takes it off (after the battle)’”. 12And when Ben-hadad received this message, as he was drinking, with the kings in the pavilions, he said to his men, “Prepare to attack”. And they readied themselves to attack the city.

13And, then a prophet came to Ahab, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all huge army? I will give it to you this day; and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 14And Ahab said, “By whom?” And the prophet said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘By the junior officers the provinces.’” Then Ahab asked, “Who shall initiate the battle?” And the prophet answered, “You will”. 15Then he numbered the junior officers of the princes of the provinces, and there were two hundred thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, all the men of Israel - being seven thousand. 16And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17And the junior officers of the princes of the provinces went out first. And Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, and they told him, “There are men coming out of Samaria”. 18And Ben-hadad said, “Whether they who come out for peace, or for war, take them alive”. 19So these junior officers of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, with their army following them. 20And they each killed his man; and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them. And Ben-hadad escaped on a horse with the horsemen. 21And the king of Israel advanced against the horses and chariots, and inflicted heavy losses on the Syrians.

22And the prophet came to Ahab, and said to him, “Go, see what you must do to strengthen your positions; for next spring the king of Syria will come again”.

23And the men of Syria said to the king, “Their gods are gods of the hills; that is why they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24And do this: replace the kings with military captains; 25And raise an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and we shall surely be stronger than they”. And he did as they said.

26And in the spring of the next year, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. 27And the Israelites were numbered, and were all present, and marched out against them. And the Israelites camped opposite them like two little flocks of kids; while the Syrians filled the countryside. 28And a man of God came and spoke to Ahab, 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 vast army into your hands, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”’” 29And they camped opposite each other for seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed a hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day.

30But the rest fled into the city of Aphek; and there a wall fell upon twenty- seven thousand of them. Then Ben-hadad fled into the city, and hid in an inner room. 31And his officers said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us put on sackcloth, with ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.” 32So they wrapped sackcloth around their wastes, put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please, let me live’”. And Ahab said, “Is he yet alive? He is my brother.” 33Now the men diligently observed what came from him, and quickly picked up on it: and they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad”. Then Ahab said, “Go get him”. Then Ben-hadad came forth to Ahab; and he had him come up into the chariot. 34And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities, which my father took from your father, I will restore; and you shall make streets for you in Damascus, as my father made them in Samaria”. Then Ahab said, “I will set you free on the basis of this treaty”. So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

35And by word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Hit me.” But the man refused to hit him. 36Then said he to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, 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. 37Then he found another man, and said, “Hit me, I pray you”. And the man hit him, so that he wounded him. 38So the prophet left, and waited for the king by the road, and covered his eyes with a bandage. 39And as King Ahab passed by, he called to him; and said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and, a man turned aside, and brought a prisoner to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing when I return, then it shall be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’ 40And as your servant was busy here and there, he escaped”. And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have declared it”. 41And he quickly removed the bandage from his face; and the king of Israel discerned (recognized) that he was one of the prophets. 42And the prophet said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have set free a man whom I appointed to die, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’” 43And Ahab, king of Israel, went to his house resentful and angry, to Samaria.