6. Tomorrow I will send my men to search through your house and through the houses of your officials. Give my men all of your valuables, and they will bring them back to me.’”
7. So King Ahab called a meeting of all the elders of his country and said, “Look, Ben-Hadad is looking for trouble. First he told me that I must give him my wives and children and my silver and gold. I agreed to give them to him.”
8. But the elders and all the people said, “Don’t obey him or do what he says.”
9. So Ahab sent a message to Ben-Hadad that said, “I will do what you said at first, but I cannot obey your second command.” King Ben-Hadad’s men carried the message to the king.
10. Then they came back with another message from Ben-Hadad that said, “I will completely destroy Samaria. I promise that there will be nothing left of that city! There will not be enough of that city left for my men to find any souvenirs to take home. May the gods destroy me if I don’t do this!”
11. King Ahab answered, “Tell Ben-Hadad that the man who puts on his armor should not boast as much as the man who lives long enough to take it off.”
12. King Ben-Hadad was drinking in his tent with the other rulers when the messengers came back and gave him the message from King Ahab. King Ben-Hadad commanded his men to prepare to attack the city, so the men moved into their places for the battle.
13. Then a prophet went to King Ahab and said, “King Ahab, the Lord says to you, ‘Do you see that great army? I will defeat that army for you today. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
14. Ahab said, “Who will you use to defeat them?” The prophet answered, “The Lord says, ‘The young men who carry the weapons for the government officials.’” Then the king asked, “Who should command the main army?” The prophet answered, “You will.”
15. So Ahab gathered the young helpers of the government officials. There were 232 of these young men. Then the king called together the army of Israel. The total number was 7000.
16. King Ahab began his attack at noon, while King Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings were drinking and getting drunk in their tents.
17. The young helpers went out first. King Ben-Hadad’s men told him that some soldiers had come out of Samaria.
18. So Ben-Hadad said, “They might be coming to fight or they might be coming to ask for peace. Capture them alive.”
19. The young men of King Ahab were the first to come out, but the rest of the army of Israel was following them.
20. Each of the men of Israel killed the man who had come against him. So the men from Aram began to run away and the army of Israel chased them. King Ben-Hadad escaped on a horse with the chariots.
21. King Ahab led the army and attacked all the horses and chariots. So King Ahab made the Arameans suffer a great defeat.
22. Then the prophet went to King Ahab and said, “The king of Aram will come back to fight again next spring. So go back and strengthen your army and make careful plans to defend yourself against him.”