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 all his 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 son of Ader, 3 Thy silver and thy gold are mine, and thy wives and thy children are mine. 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, As thou hast said, my lord, O king, I am thine, and all mine also.
5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus says the son of Ader, I sent to thee, saying, Thou shalt give me thy silver and thy gold, and thy wives and thy children. 6 For at this time to-morrow I will send my servants to thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants, and it shall be that all the desirable objects of their eyes on which they shall lay their hands, they shall even take them. 7 And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Take notice now and consider, that this man seeks mischief: for he has sent to me concerning my wives, and concerning my sons, and 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 that thou hast sent to thy servant about at first I will do; but this thing I shall not be able to do. And the 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 dust of 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 humpbacked boast as he that is upright. 12 And it came to pass when he returned him this answer, he and all the kings with him were drinking 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 saith the Lord, Hast thou seen this great multitude? behold, I give it this day into thine hands; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 14 And Achaab said, Whereby? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, By the young men of the heads of the districts. And Achaab said, Who shall §begin the battle? and he said, Thou.
15 And Achaab **numbered the young men the heads of the districts, and they were two hundred and thirty: and afterwards he numbered the people, even every ††man fit for war, seven thousand. 16 And he went forth at noon, and the son of Ader was drinking and 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 report to 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 come forth to war, take them alive: 19 and let not the young men the heads of the districts go forth of the city. And the force that was behind them 20 smote each one the man next to him; and each one a second time smote the man next to him: 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 smote the enemy with a great slaughter in Syria. 22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said, Strengthen thyself, and observe, and see what thou shalt do; for at the return of the year the son of Ader king of Syria comes up against thee.
23 And the servants of the king of Syria, even they said, The God of Israel is a God of mountains, and not a God of valleys; therefore has he prevailed against us: but if we should fight against them in the plain, verily we shall prevail against them. 24 And do thou this thing: Send away the kings, each one to his place, and set princes in their stead. 25 And we will ***give thee another 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 prevail against 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, and went up to Apheca to war against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and came to meet them: and Israel encamped before 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 saith the Lord, Because Syria has said, The Lord God of Israel is a God of the hills, and he is not a God of the valleys, therefore will I give this great army into thy hand, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 29 And they encamp one over against the other before ‡‡‡them seven days. And it came to pass on the seventh day that the battle drew on, and Israel smote Syria, even a hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30 And the rest fled to Apheca, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left: and the son of Ader fled, and entered into §§§an inner chamber, into a closet.
31 And he said to his servants, I know that the kings of Israel are *merciful kings: let us 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. 32 So they girt sackcloth upon their loins, and put ropes upon their heads, and said to the king of Israel, Thy servant the son of Ader says, Let our †souls live, I pray thee. And he said, Does he yet live? He is my brother. 33 And the men divined, and offered ‡drink-offerings; and they caught the word out of his mouth, and said, Thy brother the son of Ader. And he said, Go ye in and fetch him. And the son of Ader went out to him, and they cause him to go up to him §into the chariot. 34 And he said to him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore to thee; and thou shalt make streets for thyself in Damascus, as my father made streets in Samaria; and I will let thee go with a covenant. And he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray. And the man would not smite him. 36 And he said to him, Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, therefore, behold, as thou departest from me, a lion shall smite thee: and he departed from him, and a lion found him, and smote him. 37 And he finds another man, and says, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him.
38 And the prophet went and stood before the king of Israel by the way, and bound his eyes with a bandage. 39 And it came to pass as the king passed by, that he cried aloud to the king, and said, Thy servant went out to war, and, behold, a man brought another man to me, and said to me, Keep this man; and if he should by any means escape, then thy **life shall go for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 40 And it came to pass, that thy servant looked round this way and that way, and ††the man was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, Behold, thou hast also ‡‡destroyed snares set for me. 41 And he hasted, and took away the bandage from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognised him, that he was one of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast suffered to escape out of thine hand a man appointed to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. 43 And the king of Israel departed confounded and discouraged, and came to Samaria.
* 21:1 Gr. chariot. † 21:10 The LXX. read שועליס for שעליס. ‡ 21:12 Or, build a mound or fortification. § 21:14 Gr. engage in the war. ** 21:15 Or, reviewed. †† 21:15 Gr. son of strength. ‡‡ 21:17 Gr. among the first. §§ 21:18 Gr. infin. for imper. *** 21:25 Gr. change. ††† 21:25 Gr. his. ‡‡‡ 21:29 Gr. these. §§§ 21:30 Gr. the house of the chamber. * 21:31 Gr. kings of mercy. † 21:32 Gr. soul. ‡ 21:33 Or, poured libations, but some read ἔσπευσαν, which answers exactly to the Heb. § 21:33 Gr. upon or to. ** 21:39 Gr. soul. †† 21:40 Gr. he was not. ‡‡ 21:40 Gr. slain.