The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, &#8220;Ben Hadad is your brother.&#8221; Ahab<n id="1" /> then said, &#8220;Go, get him.&#8221; So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot.

He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">The messengers came again and said, &#8220;This is what Ben Hadad says, &#8216;I sent this message to you, &#8220;You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.&#8221;

They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily<n id="1" /> in their quarters.<n id="2" />

The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, &#8220;Men are marching out of Samaria.&#8221;<n id="1" />

Each one struck down an enemy soldier;<n id="1" /> the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen.

<p class="bodytext">In the spring<n id="1" /> Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army<n id="2" /> and marched to Aphek to fight Israel.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria<n id="1" /> and besieged and attacked it.<n id="2" />

So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, &#8220;Say this to my master, the king, &#8216;I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" /> So the messengers went back and gave their report.p>

<p class="bodytext">Ben Hadad sent another message to him, &#8220;May the gods judge me severely<n id="1" /> if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.&#8221;<n id="2" />

The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them.<n id="1" /> Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.<n id="2" />

So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, &#8220;Your servant<n id="1" /> Ben Hadad says, &#8216;Please let me live!&#8217;&#8221; Ahab<n id="2" /> replied, &#8220;Is he still alive? He is my brother.&#8221;<n id="3" />

Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it<n id="1" /> to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message:

Ben Hadad accepted King Asa&#8217;s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.<n id="1" /> They conquered<n id="2" /> Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.<n id="3" />