1 Kings 20:22-38

22Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring1 the king of Aram will come up against you.”

23Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail. 24So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers. 25And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.”

And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.

The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

28Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

29For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

30The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

31Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

32So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”

And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

33Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”

“Go and get him!” said the king.

Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

34Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

“By this treaty2 I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

35Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”

But the man refused to strike him.

36Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”

And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

37Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”

So the man struck him and wounded him, 38and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.