Scriptures

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Kings 20
³ ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and so are your wives and the best of your children!’”
⁴ “All right, my lord the king,” Israel’s king replied. “All that I have is yours!”
⁵ Soon Ben-hadad’s messengers returned again and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have already demanded that you give me your silver, gold, wives, and children.
⁶ But about this time tomorrow I will send my officials to search your palace and the homes of your people. They will take away everything you consider valuable!’”
⁷ Then Ahab summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “Look how this man is stirring up trouble! I already agreed with his demand that I give him my wives and children and silver and gold.”
⁸ “Don’t give in to any more demands,” all the elders and the people advised.
⁹ So Ahab told the messengers from Ben-hadad, “Say this to my lord the king: ‘I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but I cannot accept this last demand of yours.’” So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad with that response.
¹⁰ Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers.”
¹¹ The king of Israel sent back this answer: “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”
¹² Ahab’s reply reached Ben-hadad and the other kings as they were drinking in their tents. “Prepare to attack!” Ben-hadad commanded his officers. So they prepared to attack the city.
¹³ Then a certain prophet came to see King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what the LORD says: Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”