1 Kings 20:12-18

Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

¹² When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking^(A) in their quarters,^[a] he said to his servants, ‘Take your positions.’ So they took their positions against the city.

¹³ A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the Lord.” ’^(B)

¹⁴ Ahab asked, ‘By whom? ’

And the prophet said, ‘This is what the Lord says: “By the young men of the provincial leaders.” ’

Then he asked, ‘Who is to start the battle? ’^(C)

He said, ‘You.’

¹⁵ So Ahab mobilised the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he mobilised all the Israelite troops: 7,000.^{(D) 16} They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings^(E) who were helping him were getting drunk in their quarters. ¹⁷ The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, ‘Men are marching out of Samaria.’^(F)

¹⁸ So he said, ‘If they have marched out in peace,^(G) take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.’