1 Kings 21
He Let Go the Man Given into His Hand
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The Son of Ader Besieges Samaria
21:1The son of Ader gathered all his force, went up, and besieged Samaria, with thirty-two kings accompanying him and all the cavalry and chariots. They went up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
21:2He sent to Ahab king of Israel in the city,
21:3and said to him, “Thus says the son of Ader: ‘Your silver and gold are mine; your wives and children are mine.’”
21:4The king of Israel answered, “As you have said, lord king, I am yours, and everything of mine.”
21:5The messengers returned and said, “Thus says the son of Ader: ‘I sent to you, saying, “You shall give me your silver, gold, wives, and children.”
21:6For at this time tomorrow I will send my attendants to you. They will search your house and your attendants’ houses; the things desired by their eyes, whatever they lay their hands on, they will take.’”
21:7The king of Israel called all the elders and said, “Please understand and see that this man seeks harm. He has sent to me concerning my wives, my sons, and my daughters. I did not withhold my silver and gold from him.”
21:8The elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen, and do not consent.”
21:9He said to the son of Ader’s messengers, “Tell your lord, ‘Everything you first sent to your servant about, I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’” The men departed and brought him back the answer.
21:10The son of Ader sent back to him, saying, “May the god do thus to me and add more, if Samaria’s dust will suffice for the foxes—for all the people, my foot soldiers!”
21:11The king of Israel answered, “Enough! Let the bent man not boast like the upright man.”
21:12When this message was answered to him, he and all the kings with him were drinking in tents. He said to his attendants, “Build a siegework!” They set a siegework against the city.
The Prophet Promises Victory
21:13Look, a prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen this whole great crowd? Look, I am giving it into your hands today, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
21:14Ahab said, “Through whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Through the young attendants of the district rulers.’” Ahab said, “Who will engage in battle?” He said, “You.”
21:15Ahab mustered the young attendants of the district rulers, and there were two hundred thirty. After this he mustered the people, every man of valor: sixty thousand.
21:16He went out at noon, while the son of Ader was drinking himself drunk in Socchoth, he and the kings—thirty-two kings allied with him.
21:17The young attendants of the district rulers went out first. They sent out and reported to the king of Syria, “Men have come out of Samaria.”
21:18He said to them, “If these men are coming out for peace, take them alive; if for war, take them alive.
21:19And do not let the young attendants of the district rulers come out of the city.” The force behind them
21:20struck, each man the one beside him, and each repeated the blow against the one beside him. Syria fled, and Israel pursued them. The son of Ader, king of Syria, escaped on a cavalryman’s horse.
21:21The king of Israel went out, captured all the horses and chariots, and inflicted a great defeat on Syria.
At the Return of the Year
21:22The prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen yourself. Understand and consider what you must do, for at the return of the year the son of Ader, king of Syria, is coming up against you.”
21:23The attendants of the king of Syria said, “Israel’s God is a God of mountains and not a God of valleys; that is why He was stronger than we. But if we fight them on level ground, surely we will be stronger than they.
21:24Do this: dismiss the kings, each to his own place, and appoint satraps in their place.
21:25We will replace for you a force like the force you lost, cavalry for cavalry and chariots for chariots. We will fight them on level ground and be stronger than they.” He listened to them and did so.
The Battle at Aphek
21:26At the return of the year, the son of Ader mustered Syria and went up to Aphek for battle against Israel.
21:27The children of Israel were mustered and came to meet them. Israel camped opposite them like two flocks of goats, while Syria filled the land.
21:28The man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because Syria has said, “The Lord, Israel’s God, is a God of mountains and not a God of valleys,” I will give this great force into your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
21:29They camped opposite one another for seven days. On the seventh day battle began, and Israel struck down a hundred thousand Syrian foot soldiers in one day.
21:30The survivors fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on the twenty-seven thousand men remaining. The son of Ader fled and entered the house of the bedchamber, into the inner chamber.
The Covenant with the Son of Ader
21:31He said to his attendants, “I know that Israel’s kings are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth on our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will preserve our lives.”
21:32They tied sackcloth around their waists, put ropes on their heads, and said to the king of Israel, “Your servant the son of Ader says, ‘Please let me live.’” He said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
21:33The men took this as an omen, hurried, and picked up the word from his mouth: “Your brother, the son of Ader!” He said, “Come in and bring him.” The son of Ader came out to him, and they brought him up to him onto the chariot.
21:34He said to him, “I will restore to you the cities my father took from your father. You may establish outlets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” “And I will send you away with a covenant.” He made a covenant with him and sent him away.
The Prophet’s Parable Against Ahab
21:35One of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the Lord’s word, “Please strike me.” But the man was unwilling to strike him.
21:36He said to him, “Because you have not listened to the Lord’s voice, look, you are running away from me, and a lion will strike you.” He left him, and a lion found him and struck him.
21:37He found another man and said, “Please strike me.” The man struck him, delivering a blow and bruising him.
21:38The prophet went and stood waiting for the king of Israel on the road, binding his eyes with a bandage.
21:39As the king passed, he cried to the king, “Your servant went out to the army of the battle. Look, a man brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If he escapes, your life will be for his life, or you must weigh out a talent of silver.’
21:40Your servant looked around here and there, and the man was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “Look, the ambushes too! You have committed murder beside me.”
21:41He hurried and removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
21:42He said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you let a doomed man out of your hand, your life will be for his life, and your people for his people.’”
21:43The king of Israel went away, confounded and dispirited, and came to Samaria.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.