¹³At the same time a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel. The prophet said, “Ahab, the Lord says to you, ‘Do you see that big army? I will hand it over to you today so you will know I am the Lord.’ ”

¹⁴Ahab asked, “Who will you use to defeat them?”

The prophet answered, “The Lord says, ‘The young officers of the district governors will defeat them.’ ”

Then the king asked, “Who will command the main army?”

The prophet answered, “You will.”

¹⁵So Ahab gathered the young officers of the district governors, two hundred thirty-two of them. Then he called together the army of Israel, about seven thousand people in all.

¹⁶They marched out at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two rulers helping him were getting drunk in their tents. ¹⁷The young officers of the district governors attacked first. Ben-Hadad sent out scouts who told him that soldiers were coming from Samaria. ¹⁸Ben-Hadad said, “They may be coming to fight, or they may be coming to ask for peace. In either case capture them alive.”

¹⁹The young officers of the district governors led the attack, followed by the army of Israel. ²⁰Each officer of Israel killed the man who came against him. The men from Aram ran away as Israel chased them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with some of his horsemen. ²¹Ahab king of Israel led the army and destroyed the Arameans’ horses and chariots. King Ahab thoroughly defeated the Aramean army.

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