Ahab Covets Naboth's Vineyard

1And 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. 2And he went forth at noon, an the son of Ader was drinking and getting drunk in Socchoth, he and the kings, even thirty and two kings, his allies. 3And 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. 4And he said to them, If they come forth peaceably, take them alive; and if they come forth to war, take them alive:

5and let not the young men the heads of the districts go forth of the city. And the force that was behind them 6smote 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. 7And the king of Israel went forth, and took all the horses and the chariots, and smote the enemy with a great slaughter in Syria.

8And 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. 9And 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. 10And do thou this thing: Send away the kings, each one to his place, and set princes in their stead.

Jezebel's Plot

11And 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. 12And 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. 13And 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. 14And 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.

15And 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. 16And 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.

Elijah Denounces Ahab and Jezebel

17And 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. 18So 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. 19And 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.

20And 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. 21And 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. 22And 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. 23And he finds another man, and says, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him. 24And the prophet went and stood before the king of Israel by the way, and bound his eyes with a bandage.

Ahab's Repentance

25And 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 his 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. 26And 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.

27And he hasted, and took away the bandage from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets. 28And 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. 29And the king of Israel departed confounded and discouraged, and came to Samaria.