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And Benhadad the king of Syriagathered all his hosttogether: and there were thirty and twokings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besiegedSamaria, and warred against it.
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And he sentmessengers to Ahabking of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saithBenhadad,
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Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
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And the king of Israelanswered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
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And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speakethBenhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
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Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
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Then the king of Israelcalled all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seekethmischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
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And all the elders and all the peoplesaid unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
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Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengersdeparted, and brought him wordagain.
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And Benhadadsent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
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And the king of Israelanswered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
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And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
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And, behold, there cameaprophet unto Ahabking of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this greatmultitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
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And Ahabsaid, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
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Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were twohundred and thirtytwo: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seventhousand.
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And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and twokings that helped him.
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And the young men of the princes of the provinces went outfirst; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
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And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
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So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
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And they slew every one his man: and the Syriansfled; and Israelpursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syriaescaped on an horse with the horsemen.
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And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a greatslaughter.
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And the prophetcame to the king of Israel, and said unto 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.
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And the servants of the king of Syriasaid unto 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.
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And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and putcaptains in their rooms:
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And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fightagainst them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
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And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadadnumbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
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And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and wentagainst them: and the children of Israelpitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syriansfilled the country.
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And there came a man of God, and spake unto 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 greatmultitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
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And they pitchedone over against the othersevendays. And so it was, that in the seventhday the battle was joined: and the children of Israelslew of the Syrians an hundredthousandfootmen in oneday.
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But the restfled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wallfell upon twenty and seventhousand of the men that were left. And Benhadadfled, and came into the city, into an innerchamber.
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And his servantssaid unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are mercifulkings: let us, I pray thee, putsackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
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So they girdedsackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servantBenhadadsaith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
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Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastilycatch it: and they said, Thy brotherBenhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
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And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my fathertook from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt makestreets for thee in Damascus, as my fathermade in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
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And a certainman of the sons of the prophetssaid unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the manrefused to smite him.
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Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lionfoundhim, and slewhim.
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Then he foundanotherman, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the mansmote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
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So the prophetdeparted, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
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And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
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And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israelsaid unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
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And he hasted, and took the ashesaway from his face; and the king of Israeldiscerned him that he was of the prophets.
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And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
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And the king of Israelwent to his househeavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.