37. Then the prophet turned to another man and said, “Hit me!” So he struck the prophet and wounded him.
38. The prophet placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself and then waited beside the road for the king.
39. As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Sir, I was in the thick of battle, and suddenly a man brought me a prisoner. He said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver!’
40. But while I was busy doing something else, the prisoner disappeared!”“Well, it’s your own fault,” the king replied. “You have brought the judgment on yourself.”
41. Then the prophet quickly pulled the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
42. The prophet said to him, “This is what the lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.”