1Ki 21 | EngLXX | STEP | And the son of Ader gathered all his forces, and went up and besieged Samaria, he and thirty-two kings with him, and all his horse and chariots: and they went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

1 Kings 21

1 And the son of Ader gathered all his forces, and went up and besieged Samaria,he and thirty-two kings with him, and allhis horse and chariots: and they went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 And he sent into the city to Achaab king of Israel, and said to him, Thus says the sonof Ader, 3 Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your children are mine. 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, As you have said, my lord, O king, I am your,and all minealso. 5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus says the son of Ader, I sent to you, saying,You shall give me your silver and your gold, and your wives and your children. 6 For at this time to-morrow I will send my servants to you, and they shall search yourhouse, and the houses of your servants, and it shall be that all the desirable objects of their eyes onwhich they shall lay their hands, they shall even takethem. 7 And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Take notice now andconsider, that this man seeks mischief: for he has sent to me concerning my wives, and concerning my sons,an concerning my daughters: I have not kept back from him my silver and my gold. 8 And the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not, and consent not. 9 And he said to the messengers of the son of Ader, Say to your master, All things thatyou have sent to your servant about at first I will do; but this thing I shall not be able to do. Andthe men departed, and carried back the answer to him. 10 And the son of Ader sent to him, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if the dustof Samaria shall suffice for foxes to all the people, even my infantry. 11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Let it be sufficient; let not the humpbackedboast as he that is upright. 12 And it came to pass when he returned him this answer, he and all the kings with him weredrinking in tents: and he said to his servants, Form a trench. And they made a trench against the city. 13 And, behold, a prophet came to Achaab king of Israel, and said, Thus says the Lord, Hastyou seen this great multitude? behold, I give it this day into your hands; and you shall know that Iam the Lord. 14 And Achaab said, Whereby? And he said, Thus says the Lord, by the young men of the headsof the districts. And Achaab said, Who shall begin the battle? and he said, You. 15 And Achaab numbered the young men the heads of the districts, and they were two hundredand thirty: and afterwards he numbered the people,even every man fit for war, seven thousand. 16 And he went forth at noon, an the son of Ader was drinkingand getting drunk in Socchoth, he and the kings,even thirty and two kings, his allies. 17 And the young men the heads of the districts went forth first; and they send and reportto the king of Syria, saying, There are men come forth out of Samaria. 18 And he said to them, If they come forth peaceably, take them alive; and if they comeforth to war, take them alive: 19 and let not the young men the heads of the districts go forth of the city. And the forcethat was behind them 20 struck each one the man next to him; and each one a second time struck the man next tohim: and Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; and the son of Ader,even the king of Syria, escapes on the horse of a horseman. 21 And the king of Israel went forth, and took all the horses and the chariots, and struckthe enemy with a great slaughter in Syria. 22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said, Strengthen yourself, and observe,and see what you shall do; for at the return of the year the son of Ader king of Syria comes up againstyou. 23 And the servants of the king of Syria, even they said, The God of Israelis a God of mountains, and not a God of valleys; therefore has he prevailed against us: butif we should fight against them in the plain, verily we shall prevail against them. 24 And do you this thing: Send away the kings, each one to his place, and set princes intheir stead. 25 And we will give youanother army according to the army that was destroyed, and cavalry according to the cavalry,and chariots according to the chariots, and we will fight against them in the plain, and we shall prevailagainst them. And he hearkened to their voice, and did so. 26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that the son of Ader reviewed Syria, andwent up to Apheca to war against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and came to meet them: and Israel encampedbefore them as two little flocks of goats, but Syria filled the land. 28 And there came the man of God, and said to the king of Israel, Thus says the Lord, BecauseSyria has said, The Lord God of Israelis a God of the hills, and heis not a God of the valleys, therefore will I give this great army into your hand, and youshall know that Iam the Lord. 29 And they encamp one over against the other before them seven days. And it came to passon the seventh day that the battle drew on, and Israel struck Syria,even a hundred thousand footmen in one day. And the rest fled to Apheca, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousandmen that were left: and the son of Ader fled, and entered into an inner chamber, into a closet. And he said to his servants, I know that the kings of Israel are merciful kings: letus now put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and let us go forth to the king of Israel,if by any means he will save our souls alive. So they girded sackcloth upon their loins, and put ropes upon their heads, and said tothe king of Israel, Your servant the son of Ader says, Let our souls live, I pray you. And he said, Doeshe yet live? He is my brother. And the men divined, and offered drink-offerings; and they caught the word out of hismouth, and said, Your brother the son of Ader. And he said, Go you⌃ in and fetch him. And the son of Aderwent out to him, and they cause him to go up to him into the chariot. And he said to him, The cities which my father took from your father I will restore toyou; and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made streets in Samaria; and Iwill let you go with a covenant. And he made a covenant with him, and let him go. And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of theLord, Strike me, I pray, And the man would not strike him. And he said to him, Because you have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, therefore,behold, as you depart from me, a lion shall strike you: and he departed from him, and a lion found him,and struck him. And he finds another man, and says, Strike me, I pray you. And the man struck him, andin striking woundedhim. And the prophet went and stood before the king of Israel by the way, and bound his eyeswith a bandage. And it came to pass as the king passed by, that he cried aloud to the king, and said,Your servant went out to war, and, behold, a man broughtanother man to me, and said to me, Keep his man; and if he should by any means escape, thenyour life shall go for his life, or you shall pay a talent of silver. And it came to pass, that your servant looked round this way and that way, and the manwas gone. And the king of Israel said to him, Behold, you have also destroyed snaresset for me. And he hasted, and took away the bandage from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognizedhim, that he was one of the prophets. And he said to him, Thus says the Lord, Because you have suffered to escape out of yourhand a man appointed to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for hispeople. And the king of Israel departed confounded and discouraged, and came to Samaria.