So Elijah departed then, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him…and Elijah passed by Elisah, and threw his mantle upon him. And Elisha turned back from Elijah, and took a yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the yoke of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and attended…him.

And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together: and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

And, look, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Look, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am the LORD.’" And Ahab went out, and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, "Go, strengthen yourself…for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you."

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. …And the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

And there came a man of God, and spoke unto the king of Israel, and said, "This says the LORD, ‘Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys," therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’"

And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel killed of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men that were left.

And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber. And his servants said unto him, "Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save your life."

So they…came to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Benhadad says, ‘I pray you, let me live.’"

And Ahab said, "Is he yet alive? He is my brother."

So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. And he said unto Ahab, "This says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’" And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, close by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to you, I will give you the worth of it in money." And Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid…me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto you."

And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him…. And Ahab laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, "Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry: I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in Naboth’s city….

And she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Satan, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You did blaspheme God and the king.’ And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die."

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth is stoned, and is dead." And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: look, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he is gone down to possess it. And you shall speak unto him, saying, this says the LORD, have you killed, and also taken possession? …This says the LORD, in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours."

And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat." And…when Ahab heard those words…he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his body, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "See you how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house."

REFERENCES

1 Kings 19:19, 21; 1 Kings 20:1, 13, 21-22, 26-32, 38, 42-43; 1 Kings 21:1-4, 7-10, 14, 16-19, 23-24, 27-29.

CHAPTER 34