1 Kings 20
RWEBSTER
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Revised Webster's Bible

1 Kings 20:22-38

22And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 23And 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. 24And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their places: 25And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened to their voice, and did so.1 26And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.2 27And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.3 28And there came a man of God, and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 29And they encamped opposite one another seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.4

31And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save thy life. 32So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. 33Now the men diligently observed whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it : and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34And Benhadad said to him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.5 35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36Then said he to him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou hast departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him. 37Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him .6 38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.

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Notes

  1. 1. 1 Kings 20:25 that thou...: Heb. that was fallen ↩
  2. 2. 1 Kings 20:26 to fight...: Heb. to the war with Israel ↩
  3. 3. 1 Kings 20:27 were all...: or, were nourished ↩
  4. 4. 1 Kings 20:30 into an...: or, from chamber to chamber: Heb. into a chamber within a chamber ↩
  5. 5. 1 Kings 20:34 streets: or, market places ↩
  6. 6. 1 Kings 20:37 so that...: Heb. smiting and wounding ↩

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20

Revised Webster's Bible — 1833 — Public Domain