1 Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, came with many kings and a big army. They camped around Samaria to fight. ️⚔️️ 2 Ben-Hadad sent men to King Ahab with a message. ✉️ 3 The message said, “Your silver and gold are mine. Your best wives and kids are mine.” 4 Ahab said, “Okay, my lord king. I and all I have are yours.” ♂️ 5 The men came again with a new word from Ben-Hadad. ✉️ 6 “Tomorrow my men will look in your house and your leaders’ houses. They will take what they like.” 7 Ahab told the elders, “He wants to hurt us. He asked for my wives, kids, silver, and gold. I said yes.” ️ 8 The elders and the people said, “Do not listen. Do not say yes.” ♂️♀️ 9 Ahab said, “Tell Ben-Hadad: I will do the first thing you asked, but I cannot do this new thing.” ️ 10 Ben-Hadad said, “I will crush Samaria so much there will not be dust left!” 11 Ahab said, “Do not brag before the fight. Wait till after.” ⚔️ 12 Ben-Hadad was drinking with the kings in tents. He said, “Get ready!” They got ready. ⛺ 13 God’s man came to Ahab and said, “God says: Do you see this big army? Today I will help you win. You will know I am the Lord.” ⚔️ 14 Ahab asked, “By who?” God’s man said, “By the young men of the leaders.” Ahab asked, “Who starts?” He said, “You start.” ️ 15 Ahab counted the young men, 232. He counted all Israel, 7,000. 16 They went out at noon. Ben-Hadad and the kings were drinking in tents. ☀️⛺ 17 The young men went first. Watch men told Ben-Hadad, “Men come out from Samaria.” ♂️ 18 Ben-Hadad said, “If they come in peace, take them alive. If they come to fight, take them alive.” ️ 19 The young men went out, and the army followed. ➡️ 20 Each young man hit his man. Aram ran away. Israel chased them. Ben-Hadad got away on a horse with riders. ️ 21 The king of Israel hit the horses and horse carts. Israel won a big win. 22 God’s man told Ahab, “Be strong. Plan what to do. The king of Aram will come again next spring.” ️ 23 Aram’s helpers said, “Their God is a hill God. That is why they won. Fight on flat land, and we will win.” ⛰️➡️ 24 They said, “Take the kings out. Make leaders instead.” 25 “Make an army like before, horse for horse, cart for cart. Fight on flat land, and we will win.” Ben-Hadad listened. 26 In spring Ben-Hadad called his army. They went to Aphek to fight Israel. ⚔️ 27 Israel also called their men, got food, and went. Israel looked like two small goat flocks. Aram covered the land. ➡️ 28 God’s man said, “God says: They said I am a hill God, not a low land God. I will help you win this big army. You will know I am the Lord.” ✝️ 29 They waited seven days. On day seven they fought. Israel beat many, 100,000 men in one day. 7️⃣⚔️ 30 The rest ran to the city. A wall fell on 27,000 men. Ben-Hadad ran and hid in a room. ♂️ 31 His helpers said, “The kings of Israel are kind. Wear sad cloth and ropes on our heads. Go to Israel’s king. Maybe he will let you live.” 32 They wore sad cloth and ropes and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, Please let me live.” Ahab said, “Is he alive? He is my brother.” 33 The men were quick to use the word “brother.” Ahab said, “Go get him.” Ben-Hadad came. Ahab put him in his cart. 34 Ben-Hadad said, “I will give back the cities my father took. You can set up shops in Damascus like my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said, “I will make a deal and let you go.” So he made a deal and let him go. ️ 35 By God’s word, one of God’s men said to another man, “Hit me, please.” But the man did not. ️✋ 36 God’s man said, “You did not listen to God. A lion will kill you.” The man left, and a lion killed him. 37 God’s man found another man and said, “Hit me, please.” The man hit him and hurt him. 38 God’s man waited by the road. He put a bandage on his face to hide. ️ 39 As the king passed, he cried, “I was in the fight. A man gave me a man to guard. He said, ‘If he goes, you will die or pay a lot of silver.’” ️ 40 “I was busy here and there. The man was gone.” The king said, “You chose that. That is your pay.” ➡️⚖️ 41 He took off the bandage. The king saw he was one of God’s men. 42 He said, “God says: You let go the man I said must die. So your life will go for his life. Your people will lose people.” ⚖️ 43 The king of Israel went home sad and mad. He came to Samaria.