1 Kings 20:13–21

Ahab Victorious

¹³Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^aI will deliver them into your hand today, and ^byou shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

¹⁴Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who shall ¹begin the battle?” And he ²answered, “You.”

¹⁵Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

¹⁶They went out at noon, while ^aBen-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ¹temporary shelters ²with the thirty-two kings who helped him.

¹⁷The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.”

^18aThen he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

²⁰They ¹killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹The king of Israel went out and ¹struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.