Ben-Hadad, king of Arom, gathered his entire army, and thirty two kings with him, and horses and chariots, and he went up and besieged Shomron, and waged war with it.

And he sent messengers to Achov, king of Yisroel, to the city.

And he said to him, “Thus said Ben-Hadad, ‘your silver and your gold are mine; your beautiful wives and children are mine.’”

And the king of Yisroel answered and said, “As you say, my master, the king, I and all that I possess are yours.”

The messengers returned, and said, “Thus has said Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘When I sent to you saying, “Your silver and your gold, your wives and your children, you must give [them] to me.”

But tomorrow, at this time, I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and everything you cherish, they will put in their hands and take.’”

The king of Yisroel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please realize and see that it is evil that this one looks for, for he has sent to me for my wives and children, for my silver and gold, and I have not withheld it from him.”

And they said to him,—all the elders and all the people,—“Do not listen and do not consent.”

So he said to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Say to my master, the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant originally, I will do, but this matter I cannot do.’” The messengers went and related the answer to him.

Ben-Hadad sent to him; and said, “So shall the god do to me and even more so if the dust of Shomron will be sufficient for the soles of the feet of all the people who are with me.”

The king of Yisroel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘He who puts on the sword should not brag like the one who takes it off.’”

When he heard this report he and the kings were drinking in the shelters. He said to his servants, “Prepare and they prepared to lay siege to the city.

Then behold, a certain prophet approached Achov, king of Yisroel, and said, “So said Adonoy. ‘Do you see this entire tremendous multitude? Behold, I am putting them into your hands today, and thus you will know that I am Adonoy.’”

And Achov said, “Through whom?” And he said, “So has Adonoy said, ‘By the youths of the officers of the provinces.” And he [Achov] said, “Who will lead the battle?” And he said, “You.”

Then he counted the youths of the officers of the provinces, and there were two hundred thirty two. After them he counted all the people, all the Bnei Yisroel, seven thousand.

They went out at midday. Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the shelters, he and the kings, the thirty two kings who supported him.

The youths of the officers of the provinces [went out] first. Ben-Hadad sent out [scouts], And they told him, saying, “Men have come out of Shomron.”

He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive, and if they have come out to battle, alive shall you take them.”

These were the ones that went out of the city, the youths of the officers of the provinces, and the army that followed after them.

Each [youth] killed his opponent, and Aram fled and Yisroel pursued them. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram escaped on a horse [accompanied] with horsemen.

And [then] the king of Yisroel went forth and struck the horses and the chariots, and struck [the men of] Aram a great blow.

The prophet approached the king of Yisroel, and said to him, “Go fortify yourself. You shall know and see what you must do, for at the end of the year, the king of Aram will come up against you.”

Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram, said to him, “Their God is a God of mountains; therefore they were stronger than us. Now however we will battle them on the plains, [and you will see] if we are not stronger than them.

This is the thing you must do. Remove the kings, each from his position, and replace them with generals.

And muster an amount of soldiers equal to those of yours that fell, and horses equal to the number of horses, and chariots equal to the number of chariots. We will then battle them in the plains, and we will be more powerful than them. He listened to them and acted accordingly.

And it was at the end of the year, and Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle with Yisroel.

The Bnei Yisroel wee mustered and provisioned, and they went to meet them. The Bnei Yisroel camped opposite them like two flocks of goats, whereas Aram filled the land.

And the man of God approached and spoke to the king of Yisroel, and he said, this is what God has said, “Since Aram has declared “Adonoy is the God of mountains, but not the god of valleys,” I will give this entire great multitude into your hands, and you will know that I am Adonoy.’”

They camped opposite each other for seven days; and on the seventh day they engaged in battle. The Bnei Yisroel struck Aram [and killed] one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

Those that survived fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell upon the twenty seven thousand men that survived. Ben-Hadad fled and entered the city, into a room within a room.

His servants said to him, “Behold, we have heard about the kings of the House of Israel, that they are kindly kings. Let us put sackcloth on our hips, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Yisroel, perhaps he will spare your life.”

So they girded their hips with sackcloth, and ropes on their head, and they came to the king of Yisroel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad, said, ‘Please let me live.’” He [Achov] said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

The men took it for a [good] Omen, and hurried to confirm it from him, and they said, “Your brother, Ben Hadad.” He said, “Come and bring him.” Ben-Hadad came out to him, and [Achov] helped him up onto the chariot.

He [Ben-Hadad] said, “The cities that my father took from your father. I will return, and you may establish markets in Damascus as my father established in Shomron.” And [Achov] said, “With this treaty I will release you.” [Lit. send you off]. And he made a treaty with him, and released him.

Then a certain man who was one of the disciples of the prophets, said to his friend, “By the word of Adony, hit me now;” but the man refused to hit him.

And he said to him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of Adonoy, behold, when you leave me, a lion will kill you.” he left him and a lion found him and killed him.

He found a different man and he said to him, “Please hit me;” and the man hit him, striking him and wounding him.”

And the prophet went and waited for the king on the road, and disguised himself with a kerchief over his eyes.

And when the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out in the thick of the battle, and behold a man turned aside and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man. If he shall be missing, it will be your life instead of his life, or you will pay a kikar of silver.

As your servant was at work here and there, he disappeared.” And the king of Yisroel said to him, “You have pronounced your own verdict.”

He hastened and removed the kerchief from his eyes; and the king of Yisroel recognized him, as one of the prophets.

He [the prophet] said to him, “So said Adonoy, ‘Because you released the man whom I condemned, from your hand; your life will be instead of his life, and your people instead of his people.’”

And the king of Yisroel went to his home dejected and angry, and [then] he came to Shomron.