thee, saying, Thy silver, and thy gold, thy wives, and thy children, shalt thou give me, 6. Then to morrow about this time I will send my servants unto thee, and they shall visit thy house, and the houses of thy subjects: and they shall take in their hands the things that are pleasant unto thee, and carry them away.

And the king of Israel called unto all the elders of the land, and said, Mark and see how wickedly he doeth it. He hath sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I have not withstood him.

And all the ancients and all the people said unto him, Thou shalt not hearken, nor grant.

And he said unto Benhadad the messengers, Tell my lord the king: All that thou didst command thy servant at the first will I do; but this I cannot do. And the messengers went and
said these things again.

And Benhadad sent unto him, saying, The gods do this and that unto me, where the dust of Samaria shall be enough for all the people under me to bring a handful of it.

But the king of Israel answered and said, Say ye, He that putteth on the armour shall not boast, as he that putteth it off.

And when Benhadad heard it, and he was drinking with the kings in the tents, he said unto his servants: Send yourselves. And they sent themselves against the city.

And, behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Thou hast seen all this great multitude. Behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day, that thou mayest know that I am the LORD.

And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, By the sons of the governors.
And he said, Who shall stir up the battle? And he said, Thou.

And he numbered the sons of the governors, two hundred thirty and two. And he numbered after them all the people of all the children of Israel, seven thousand men.

And they departed in the middle of the day. And Benhadad drank, and was drunken in the tent, with the thirty and two kings that came to his help.

And the lads of the governors went out first. And Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying: There go men out of Samaria.

And he said, Take them alive, whether they come out for peace, or for strife.

And when the lads of the governors were gone out, and the host after them, 20. And they smote every man that came before him. And the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued after them. And Benhadad king of Syria escaped with horses and horsemen.

And the king of Israel went out, and smote horse and chariot, and made a great slaughter of the Syrians.

And a prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go and strengthen thyself; and mark and see what thou doest. For the king of Syria shall come up against thee when the year is expired.

For the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are mountain gods: therefore have they taken us. O that we should fight with them in the plain! What is the matter, that we should have conquered them?

Do thou therefore unto him, Remove the kings every one from his place, and put lords in their stead.

And ordain thee an army like unto the army that thou hast lost, and horses and chariots like unto them: and let us fight against them in the plain. What shall we do to them? And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

And it came to pass, when the year was expired, that Benhadad gathered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

And the children of Israel also arrayed themselves, and fed themselves, and went out to meet them, and encamped against them, as two little flocks of goats. And the land was full of the Syrians.

And a man of God came near, and said unto the king of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is a God of the mountains, and not a God of the ground, I have delivered all this great multitude into thy hand, that ye may know that I am the LORD.

And they encamped against them seven days. And on the seventh day they went out to battle, and the children of Israel smote the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.

And the remnant fled to Aphek into the city: and the wall fell upon the rest of the twenty and seven thousand men. And Benhadad also fled into the city, from chamber to chamber.

And his servants said unto him, Behold, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us therefore put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out unto the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

And they girded sackcloth about their loins, and ropes about their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said: Benhadad thy servant saith unto thee, Let my soul live. And he said,
If he live, he is my brother.

And the men took the word from him in haste, and interpreted it for themselves, and said: Yea, thy brother Benhadad. And he said, Come and bring him. So Benhadad went out to him.
And let him sit upon the chariot

And he said unto him, The cities which my father took from thy father will I restore unto thee; and make thee streets of Damascus, as my father did of Samaria, and I will leave thee with a covenant. And he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.

Then said a man of the sons of the prophets unto his neighbour by the word of the LORD, Slay me, I pray thee. But he refused to smite him.

And he said unto him, Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of the LORD, behold, a lion shall smite thee, if thou depart from me. And as he departed from him, a lion found him, and smote him.

And he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him sore.

And the prophet went and stood by the way of the king, and hid his face with ashes.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, saying, Thy servant was gone out in the midst of the battle. And, behold, a man was departed, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if any man miss him, then thy soul shall be for his soul, or thou shalt weigh a talent of silver.

And when thy servant had business here and there, he was no more. And the king of Israel said unto him, This is thy judgment; thou hast pleaded it thyself.

And he hasted, and put away the ashes from his face: and the king of Israel knew him, that he was one of the prophets.

And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD; Because thou hast sent away the exiled man from thee, thy soul shall be for his soul, and thy people for his people.

And the king of Israel went away displeased and angry into his house, and came to Samaria.
(1 Kings)
Chapter 21
Practiced tyranny of Ahab and Jezebel against Naboth.

Now it came to pass, after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, and I will make me a cabbage garden out of it, because it is so near unto my house. And I will give thee a better vineyard for it; or, if it please thee, I will give thee silver for it, as much as it is worth.

And Naboth said unto Ahab: Let the LORD be far from me, that I should give thee the inheritance of my fathers.

And Ahab came home displeased, and wroth, because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto him, saying: I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay upon his bed, and turned his face, and did eat no bread.

And Jezebel his wife came in unto him, and said unto him, What is the matter, that thy spirit is displeased, and that thou eatest not bread?

And he said unto her: I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, saying, Give me thy vineyard for money; or, if thou be desirous, I will give thee another for it. But he said: I will not give thee my vineyard.

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, What kingdom would there be in Israel, if thou didst so?
Arise, eat bread, and be of good courage. I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his petschier, and sent them unto the elders and rulers of his city, that dwelt about Naboth.

And wrote thus in the epistles, Let a fast be proclaimed, and set Naboth on high among the people.

And set before him two loose knaves, which testify, saying, Thou hast blessed God and the king. And bring him forth, and stone him, that he die.

And the elders and rulers of his city, which dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel commanded
them, as she wrote in the letters which she sent unto them.

And they cried out a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

And the two scoundrels came and stood before him, and testified against Naboth