4. Then the king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”
5. The messengers then returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent messengers to you, saying: You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
6. But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.’ ”
7. Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Think it over and you will see that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”
8. All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”
9. So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” So the messengers left and took word back to him.
10. Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria’s dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11. The king of Israel answered, “Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”
12. When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in the tents, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.
13. A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am Yahweh.’ ”
14. Ahab asked, “By whom? ”And the prophet said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘By the young men of the provincial leaders.’ ”Then he asked, “Who is to start the battle? ” He said, “You.”
15. So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he counted all the Israelite troops: 7,000.
16. They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents.
17. The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”
18. So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”
19. The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city,