1 Kings 20:30-42 — Legacy Standard Bible

³⁰But the rest fled to ^aAphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city ^binto an inner chamber.

³¹^aThen his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of lovingkindness, please let us ^bput sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will preserve your ¹life.” ³²So ^athey girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “^bYour servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ³³Now the men interpreted this as an omen, and hastily ¹catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he ²took him up into the chariot. ³⁴And Ben-hadad said to him, “^aThe cities which my father took from your father I will return, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he cut a covenant with him and let him go.

A Prophecy Enrages Ahab

³⁵Now a certain man of ^athe sons of the prophets said to ¹another ^bby the word of Yahweh, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. ³⁶Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you walk away from me, ^aa lion will strike you down.” And as soon as he had walked away from him, a lion found him and struck him down. ³⁷Then he found another man and said, “Please ¹strike me.” And the man ²struck him, ³wounding him. ³⁸So the prophet walked away and stood by, for the king by the way, and ^adisguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹Now it happened that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, ^athen your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a ¹talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰“Now it happened that while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” ⁴¹Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was of the prophets. ⁴²And he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore ^ayour ¹life shall go for his ²life, and your people for his people.’”