rd

1 Kings 20

1 Samaria is beſieged. 13 The Lord promiſeth the vi-ctorie to Aháb by a Prophet. 31 The King of Iſraél made peace with Ben-hadád, and is reproued there-fore by the Prophet.
1.1 THen Bé-hadád the King of " Arám aſ-ſembled all his armie , and two and thirtie a Kings with him,with horſes,& charets,and went vp,and beſieged " Sama-ria,and foght againſt it.
2.2 And he ſent meſſengers to Aháb King of Iſraél,into the citie,
3.3 And ſaid vnto him, Thus ſayeth Ben-ha-dád,Thy ſiluer and thy golde is mine: alſo thy women, and thy faire children are mine.
4.4 And the King of Iſraél anſwered, and ſaid,My lord King,according to thy ſay-ing, b I am thine,and all that I haue.
5.5 And when the meſſengers came againe, they ſaid, Thus comandeth Ben-hadád,& ſayth, When I ſhal ſend vnto thee, and cõmande,thou ſhalt deliuer me thy ſiluer & thy golde,& thy women,& thy childrẽ,
6.6 c Or els I wil ſend my ſeruants vnto thee by to morow this time:and they ſhal ſear-che thine houſe,and the houſes of thy ſer-uants:and whatſoeuer is pleaſant in thine eyes,they ſhal take it in their hands, and bring it away.
7.7 Then the King of Iſraél ſent for all the Elders of the land, and ſaid, Take hede,I pray you,and ſe how he ſeketh miſchief: for he ſent vnto me for my wiues,and for my children,and for my ſiluer,and for my golde,and I denyed him not.
8.8 And all the Elders, & all the people ſaid to him, d Hearkẽ not vnto him,nor cõſẽt.
9.9 Wherefore he ſaid vnto the meſſingers of Ben-hadád,Tel my lord the King, All that thou dideſt ſend for to thy ſeruant at the firſt time,that I wil do,but this thĩg I may not do. And the meſſengers depar-ted,and broght him an anſwer.
10.10 And Ben-hadád ſent vnto him, & ſaid, The gods do ſo to me & more alſo, if the e duſt of Samaria be ynough to all ye peo-ple yt followe me, for euerie mã an hãdful
11.11 And the King of Iſraél anſwered, and ſaid, Tel him,Let not him that girdeth his harnes,boaſt hĩ ſelfe,as he yt f putteth it of.
12.12 And when he heard ye tidings, as he was with the Kings drinking in the pauilions, he ſaid vnto his ſeruãts,Bring forthe " your engines,and thei ſet them againſt the citie.
13.13 ¶ And beholde, there came a Prophet vnto Aháb King of Iſraél ,ſaying, Thus ſaith ye Lord,Haſt thou ſene all this great multitude? beholde, I wil deliuer it into thine hand this day , that yu maiſt knowe, g that I am the Lord.
14.14 And Aháb ſaid,By whome?And he ſaid, Thus ſaith the Lord, By the ſeruants of the princes of the prouinces .He ſaid a-gaine, Who ſhal ordre the battel? And he anſwered,Thou.
15.15 ¶ Then he nombred the ſeruants of the princes of the prouinces, and they were two hundreth, two and thirtie:& after thẽ he nombred the whole people of all the children of Iſraél,euen ſeuen thouſande.
16.16 And they wẽt out at noone:but Ben-ha-dád did drinke til he was dronken in the tents,bothe he & the Kings:for two & thir-tie Kings helped him.
17.17 So the h ſeruants of the princes of the prouinces went out firſt:& Ben-hadád ſent out,and they ſhewed him, ſaying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18.18 And he ſaid, Whether they be come out for peace,take them aliue:or whether they be come out to fight,take them yet aliue.
19.19 So they came out of the citie,to wit,the ſer-uants of the princes of the prouinces, and the hoſte which followed them.
20.And they flewe euerie one his " enemie: and the " Aramites fled, and Iſraél purſued them : but Ben-hadád the King of Arám eſcaped on an horſe with his i horſemen.
21.And the King of Iſraél went out, and ſmote the horſes and charets, and with a great ſlaughter ſlewe he the Aramites.
22.(For there had come a Prophet to the King of Iſraél, & had ſaid vnto him, Go, be of good courage, and conſider, and take hede what thou doeſt: for when the yere is gone about, the King of Arám wil come vp againſt thee)
23.¶ Thẽ the ſeruants of the King of Arám ſaid vnto him, Their k gods are gods of the mountaines, and therefore they ouercame vs : but let vs fight againſt them in the plaine, and douteles we ſhal ouercome them.
24.And this do, Take the Kings away, euerie one out of his place, and place captaines for them.
25.And nomber thy ſelfe an armie, like the armie that thou haſt loſt, with ſuche horſes, and ſuche charets, and we wil fight againſt them in the plaine, and douteles we ſhal ouercome thẽ: and he hearkened vnto their voyce, and did ſo.
26.And after the yere was gone about, Ben-hadád nombred the Aramites, and went vp to Aphék to fight againſt Iſraél.
27.And the children of Iſraél were nombred, and were all l aſſembled and went againſt them, and the children of Iſraél pitched before them, like two litle flockes of kiddes: but the Aramites filled the countrey.
28.And there came a man of God, and ſpake vnto the King of Iſraél, ſaying, Thus ſayth the Lord, Becauſe the Aramites haue ſaid, The Lord is the God of the mountaines, and not God of the valleis, therefore wil I deliuer all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye ſhal knowe that m I am the Lord.
29.And they pitched one ouer againſt the other ſeuen dayes, & in the ſeuēth day the battel was ioyned: and the children of Iſraél ſlewe of the Aramites an hundreth thouſand fotemen in one day.
30.But the reſt fled to Aphék into the citie: and there fel a wall vpon ſeuen & twentie thouſand men that were left: and Ben-hadád fled into the citie, and came into " a ſecret chamber.
31.¶ And his ſeruantes ſaid vnto him, Beholde now, we haue heard ſay that the Kings of the houſe of Iſraél are merciful Kings: we pray thee, let vs put ſackecloth about our n loynes, and ropes about our heades, and go out to the King of Iſraél: it may be that he wil ſaue thy life.
32.Thẽ they girded ſackecloth about their loynes, and put ropes about their heades, and came to the King of Iſraél, and ſaid, Thy ſeruant Ben-hadád ſaith, I pray thee, let me liue: and he ſaid, Is he yet aliue? he is my brother.
33.Now the men toke diligent hede, " if they colde catche anie thing of him, and made haſte, & ſaid, Thy brother o Ben-hadád. And he ſaid, Go, bring him. So Bẽ hadád came out vnto him, and he cauſed him to come vp vnto the charet.
34.And Ben-hadád ſaid vnto him, The cities, which my father toke frō thy father, I wil reſtore, and thou ſhalt make ſtretes for thee in p Damaſcus, as my father did in Samaria. Then ſaid Aháb, I wil let thee go with this couenant. So he made a couenant with him, and let him go.
35.¶ Then a certeine man of the " children of the Prophetes ſaid vnto his neighbour by the cōmandemēt of the Lord, q Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refuſed to ſmite him.
36.Then ſaid he vnto him, Becauſe thou haſt not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, beholde, aſſone as thou art departed from me, a lyon ſhal r ſlay thee. So when he was departed from him, a lyon found him and ſlewe him.
37.Then he found another man, and ſaid, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man ſmote him, and in ſmiting wounded him.
38.So the Prophet departed, and waited for the King by the way, and diſguyſed him ſelfe with aſſhes vpon his face.
39.And when the King came by, he cryed vnto the King, and ſaid, [ſ]Thy ſeruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whome another man broght vnto me, & ſaid, Kepe this man : if he be loſt, and want, thy life ſhal go for his, or els thou ſhalt paye a talent of ſiluer.
40.And as thy ſeruant had here and there to do, he was gone: and the King of Iſraél ſaid vnto him, So ſhal thy iudgement be: thou haſt giuen ſentence.
41.And he haſted, and toke the aſſhes away from his face: & the King of Iſraél knew him that he was of the Prophetes:
42.And he ſaid vnto him, Thus ſaith the Lord, * Becauſe thou haſt let go out of thine hands a man whome I appointed to dye, thy life ſhal go for his life, and thy people for his people.
43.And the King of Iſraél went to his houſe heauy and in diſpleaſure, and came to " Samaria.

Notes

1:".
Or, Syria.
1:a.
a That is, go-uernours, and rulers of pro-uinces.
1:".
Or, Shomerón
4:b.
b I am contẽt to obey and pay tribute.
6:c.
c He wolde not accept his anſwer,except he did out of hand deliuer whatſoeuer he ſhulde aſke: for he ſoght an occaſion, how to make warre againſt him.
8:d.
d They thoght it their dueties rather to ven-ter their liues, then to grant to that thing which was not lawful, onely to ſatiſfie the luſt of a tyrãt.
10:e.
e Muche leſſe ſhal there be founde anie pray, that is worthe anie thing, when they ſhalbe ſo manie
11:f.
f Boaſt not be-fore the victo-rie be gotten.
12:".
Or, Put your ſelues in ordre.
13:g.
g Before God went about by ſignes and mi-racles to pul Aháb frõ his impietie, and now againe by wonderful vi-ctories.
17:h.
h That is, y^e yong men trained in the ſeruice of princes.
20:".
Ebr. man.
20:".
Or, Syrians.
20:i.
With them ye were appointed for the preſeruaciō of his perſone.
23:k.
Thus ye wicked blaſpheme God: in their furie, whome notwithſtanding he ſuffreth not vnpuniſhed.
27:l.
All they yt were in ye battel of the former yere, ver. 15.
28:m.
Who am of like power in the valley, as I am on the hills, and can aſwel deſtroy a multitude wt fewe as with manie.
30:".
Ebr. from chāber to chamber.
31:n.
In ſigne of ſubmiſſion, and that we haue deſerued death, if he wil puniſhe vs wt rigour.
33:".
Or, and caught it of him.
33:o.
He is aliue.
34:p.
Thou ſhalt appoint in my chief citie what thou wilt, and I wil obey thee
35:".
Or, of the diſciples.
35:q.
By this external ſigne he wolde more liuely touche ye Kings heart.
36:r.
Becauſe thou haſt tranſgreſſed the commandement of the Lord.
39:ſ.
By this parable he maketh Aháb cōdemne him ſelfe, who made a couenant with Gods enemie, and let him eſcape, whome God had appointed to be ſlaine.
42:*.
Chap. 22.38.
43:".
Or, Shomerōn.