20. Each one struck down his opponent, so that the Arameans fled. Israel chased after them. Ben-hadad, Aram’s king, escaped with some horses and chariots.
21. Israel’s king went out and attacked the horses and chariots. He attacked the Arameans with a fierce assault.
22. The prophet came to Israel’s king and said to him, "Maintain your strength! Know and understand that at the turn of the coming year, Aram’s king will attack you again."
23. The officers of Aram’s king said to him, "Israel’s god is a god of the mountains. That’s why they were stronger than us. But if we fight them on the plains, we will certainly be stronger than they are.
24. This is what you need to do: Remove the kings from their military posts and appoint officials in their place.
25. Then raise another army like the one that was destroyed, with horses like those horses and chariots like those chariots. Then we will fight them on the plains, and we will certainly be stronger than they are." The king took their advice and followed it.
26. So in the spring of the year, Ben-hadad assembled the Arameans and marched up to Aphek to fight with Israel.
27. Now the Israelites had already been assembled and provisioned, so they went to engage the Arameans. The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the land.
28. Then the man of God came forward and said to Israel’s king, "This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans said that the Lord is a god of the mountains but not a god of the valleys, I am handing this whole great army over to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
29. The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle began. The Israelites attacked and destroyed one hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers in a single day.
30. Those who were left fled to Aphek, into the city where a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand more of them. But Ben-hadad escaped and hid in an inner room within the city.
31. Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, "Listen, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings. Allow us to put mourning clothes on our bodies and cords around our heads. We will then go to Israel’s king. Perhaps he will let you live."
32. So they put mourning clothes on their bodies and cords around their heads. They went to Israel’s king and said, "Ben-hadad is your slave. He begs, ‘Please let me live!’"Israel’s king said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."