20:1 亞蘭王便‧哈達聚集他的全軍，率領三十二個王，帶著車馬上來圍攻撒馬利亞；
20:2 又差遣使者進城見以色列王亞哈，對他說：「便‧哈達如此說：
20:3 你的金銀都要歸我，你妻子兒女中最美的也要歸我。」
20:4 以色列王回答說：「我主我王啊，可以依著你的話，我與我所有的都歸你。」
20:5 使者又來說：「便‧哈達如此說：我已差遣人去見你，要你將你的金銀、妻子、兒女都給我。
20:6 但明日約在這時候，我還要差遣臣僕到你那裡，搜查你的家和你僕人的家，將你眼中一切所喜愛的都拿了去。」
20:7 以色列王召了國中的長老來，對他們說：「請你們看看，這人是怎樣地謀害我，他先差遣人到我這裡來，要我的妻子、兒女，和金銀，我並沒有推辭他。」
20:8 長老和百姓對王說：「不要聽從他，也不要應允他。」
20:9 故此，以色列王對便‧哈達的使者說：「你們告訴我主我王說：王頭一次差遣人向僕人所要的，僕人都依從；但這次所要的，我不能依從。」使者就去回覆便‧哈達。
20:10 便‧哈達又差遣人去見亞哈說：「撒馬利亞的塵土若夠跟從我的人每人捧一捧的，願神明重重地降罰與我！」
20:11 以色列王說：「你告訴他說，才頂盔貫甲的，休要像摘盔卸甲的誇口。」
20:12 便‧哈達和諸王正在帳幕裡喝酒，聽見這話，就對他臣僕說：「擺隊吧！」他們就擺隊攻城。
20:13 有一個先知來見以色列王亞哈，說：「耶和華如此說：『這一大群人你看見了嗎？今日我必將他們交在你手裡，你就知道我是耶和華。』」
20:14 亞哈說：「藉著誰呢？」他回答說：「耶和華說，藉著跟從省長的少年人。」亞哈說：「要誰率領呢？」他說：「要你親自率領。」
20:15 於是亞哈數點跟從省長的少年人，共有二百三十二名，後又數點以色列的眾兵，共有七千名。
20:16 午間，他們就出城；便‧哈達和幫助他的三十二個王正在帳幕裡痛飲。
20:17 跟從省長的少年人先出城；便‧哈達差遣人去探望，他們回報說：「有人從撒馬利亞出來了。」
20:18 他說：「他們若為講和出來，要活捉他們；若為打仗出來，也要活捉他們。」
20:19 跟從省長的少年人出城，軍兵跟隨他們；
20:20 各人遇見敵人就殺。亞蘭人逃跑，以色列人追趕他們；亞蘭王便‧哈達騎著馬和馬兵一同逃跑。
20:21 以色列王出城攻打車馬，大大擊殺亞蘭人。
20:22 那先知來見以色列王，對他說：「你當自強，留心怎樣防備；因為到明年這時候，亞蘭王必上來攻擊你。」
20:23 亞蘭王的臣僕對亞蘭王說：「以色列人的神是山神，所以他們勝過我們；但在平原與他們打仗，我們必定得勝。
20:24 王當這樣行：把諸王革去，派軍長代替他們，
20:25 又照著王喪失軍兵之數，再招募一軍，馬補馬，車補車，我們在平原與他們打仗，必定得勝。」王便聽臣僕的話去行。
20:26 次年，便‧哈達果然點齊亞蘭人上亞弗去，要與以色列人打仗。
20:27 以色列人也點齊軍兵，預備食物，迎著亞蘭人出去，對著他們安營，好像兩小群山羊羔；亞蘭人卻滿了地面。
20:28 有神人來見以色列王，說：「耶和華如此說：『亞蘭人既說我─耶和華是山神，不是平原的神，所以我必將這一大群人都交在你手中，你們就知道我是耶和華。』」
20:29 以色列人與亞蘭人相對安營七日，到第七日兩軍交戰；那一日以色列人殺了亞蘭人步兵十萬，
20:30 其餘的逃入亞弗城；城牆塌倒，壓死剩下的二萬七千人。便‧哈達也逃入城，藏在嚴密的屋子裡。
20:31 他的臣僕對他說：「我們聽說以色列王都是仁慈的王，現在我們不如腰束麻布，頭套繩索，出去投降以色列王，或者他存留王的性命。」
20:32 於是他們腰束麻布，頭套繩索，去見以色列王，說：「王的僕人便‧哈達說，求王存留我的性命。」亞哈說：「他還活著嗎？他是我的兄弟。」
20:33 這些人留心探出他的口氣來，便急忙就著他的話說：「便‧哈達是王的兄弟！」王說：「你們去請他來。」便‧哈達出來見王，王就請他上車。
20:34 便‧哈達對王說：「我父從你父那裡所奪的城邑，我必歸還。你可以在大馬士革立街市，像我父在撒馬利亞所立的一樣。」亞哈說：「我照此立約，放你回去」，就與他立約，放他去了。
20:35 有先知的一個門徒奉耶和華的命對他的同伴說：「你打我吧！」那人不肯打他。
20:36 他就對那人說：「你既不聽從耶和華的話，你一離開我，必有獅子咬死你。」那人一離開他，果然遇見獅子，把他咬死了。
20:37 先知的門徒又遇見一個人，對他說：「你打我吧！」那人就打他，將他打傷。
20:38 他就去了，用頭巾蒙眼，改換面目，在路旁等候王。
20:39 王從那裡經過，他向王呼叫說：「僕人在陣上的時候，有人帶了一個人來，對我說：『你看守這人，若把他失了，你的性命必代替他的性命；不然，你必交出一他連得銀子來。』
20:40 僕人正在忙亂之間，那人就不見了。」以色列王對他說：「你自己定妥了，必照樣判斷你。」
20:41 他急忙除掉蒙眼的頭巾，以色列王就認出他是一個先知。
20:42 他對王說：「耶和華如此說：『因你將我定要滅絕的人放去，你的命就必代替他的命，你的民也必代替他的民。』」
20:43 於是以色列王悶悶不樂地回到撒馬利亞，進了他的宮。
Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”
4 The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”
5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. 6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’”
7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”
8 The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.”
9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.’” They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”
12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents,[a] and he ordered his men: “Prepare to attack.” So they prepared to attack the city.
13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
14 “But who will do this?” asked Ahab.
The prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The junior officers under the provincial commanders will do it.’”
“And who will start the battle?” he asked.
The prophet answered, “You will.”
15 So Ahab summoned the 232 junior officers under the provincial commanders. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all. 16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. 17 The junior officers under the provincial commanders went out first.
Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.”
18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them 20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. 21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.
22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”
23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. 25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.
26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
31 His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’”
The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said.
“Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
34 “I will return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad offered. “You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
Ahab said, “On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.
35 By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.
36 So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him. 38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent[b] of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”
“That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”
41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die.[c] Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’” 43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.
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以色列王亞哈是不敬畏上帝的人，即使上帝讓他經歷了兩次勝利，但是對他而言好像沒有感覺，甚至於上帝把亞蘭王便‧哈達交在他手中，竟然還隨隨便便放他回去！讓人覺得他到底有沒有智慧？讓人覺得很惋惜！怪不得上帝會通過先知預言：「因你將我定要滅絕的人放去，你的命就必代替他的命，你的民也必代替他的民。」
然而他聽了這話還不悔改，或是想辦法彌補這個錯誤！竟然只是如經文所說：於是以色列王悶悶不樂地回到撒馬利亞，進了他的宮！
你看到這樣的王是不是會搖頭呢？
這也可我們很大的警惕，我們若不看重上帝，不珍惜上帝所給我們的恩惠，是不是也會和亞哈王一般，上帝的恩典臨到，就好像沒有臨到一般？讓我們以此為我們的警戒！
正如許多人認為：「因信稱義」只是憑這信心就可以得上帝的拯救而有永生，實在是太便宜了，還是要加上好行為比較保障！照樣的看法就是忽略了主耶穌的救恩，讓人覺得主耶穌沒有完全的能力拯救我們！
《希伯來書》2章3節說：「我們若忽略這麼大的救恩，怎能逃罪呢？這救恩起先是主親自講的，後來是聽見的人給我們證實了。」
所以，強調靠自己好行為才能得救的人，是無法逃罪的！約翰福音明明告訴我們：「信他的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已經定了，因為他不信上帝獨生子的名。」(3:18)
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