1 Kings 20:30–42

³⁰The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those 27,000 remaining men.

Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room ^win the city. ³¹His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists ^xand ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’ ”

So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this ^yand responded, “Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad.”

Then he said, “Go and bring him.”

So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot. ³⁴Then Ben-hadad said to him, “I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, ^zand you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria.” ^a

Ahab responded, “On the basis of this treaty, I release you.” So he made a treaty with him and released him.

Ahab Rebuked by the Lord

³⁵One of the sons of the prophets ^bsaid to his fellow prophet by the word of the Lord, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶He told him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” ^cWhen he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

³⁷The prophet found another man and said to him, “Strike me!” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. ³⁸Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised ^dhimself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, ^eor you will weigh out 75 pounds ^fof silver.’ ⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.”

The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it.” ^g

⁴¹He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. ⁴²The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, ^hit will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’ ”