The Divided Kingdom

And the Lord said vnto him, Goe, returne by the wildernes vnto Damascus, and when thou commest there, anoint Hazael King ouer Aram.

And Iehu the sonne of Nimshi shalt thou anoynt King ouer Israel: and Elisha the sonne of Shaphat of Abel Meholah shalt thou anoynt to be Prophet in thy roume.

And him that escapeth from the sworde of Hazael, shall Iehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Iehu, shall Elisha slay.

Yet wil I leaue seuen thousand in Israel, euen all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal, and euery mouth that hath not kissed him.

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the sonne of Shaphat who was plowing with twelue yoke of oxen before him, and was with the twelft: and Eliiah went towards him, and cast his mantel vpon him.

And he left the oxen, and ran after Eliiah, and sayde, Let mee, I pray thee, kisse my father and my mother, and then I wil follow thee. Who answered him, Go, returne: for what haue I done to thee?

And when he went backe againe from him, he tooke a couple of oxen, and slewe them, and sod their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gaue vnto the people, and they did eate: then he arose and went after Eliiah, and ministred vnto him.

Then Ben-hadad the King of Aram assembled all his armie, and two and thirtie Kings with him, with horses, and charets, and went vp and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

And he sent messengers to Ahab King of Israel, into the citie,

And sayd vnto him, Thus sayth Ben-hadad, Thy siluer and thy golde is mine: also thy women, and thy fayre children are mine.

And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, My lord King, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I haue.

And when the messengers came againe, they said, Thus commandeth Ben-hadad, and saith, When I shall send vnto thee, and command, thou shalt deliuer me thy siluer and thy golde, and thy women, and thy children,

Or els I will sende my seruants vnto thee by to morow this time: and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy seruants: and whatsoeuer is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall take it in their handes, and bring it away.

Then the King of Israel sent for all the Elders of the land, and sayd, Take heede, I pray you, and see how he seeketh mischiefe: for he sent vnto me for my wiues, and for my children, and for my siluer, and for my golde, and I denyed him not.

And all the Elders, and all the people sayd to him, Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.

Wherefore hee sayde vnto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lorde the King, All that thou didddest sende for to thy seruant at the first time, that I will doe, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him an answere.

And Ben-hadad sent vnto him, and sayde, The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria be ynough to all the people that follow me, for euery man an handfull.

And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth his harneis, boast himselfe, as he that putteth it off.

And when he heard that tidings, as he was with the Kings drinking in the pauilions, he sayd vnto his seruants, Bring forth your engines, and they set them against the citie.

And beholde, there came a Prophet vnto Ahab King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou seene all this great multitude? beholde, I will deliuer it into thine hande this day, that thou mayest knowe, that I am the Lord.

And Ahab sayd, By whome? And he sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, By the seruants of the princes of the prouinces. He sayde againe, Who shall order the battel? And he answered, Thou.

Then he nombred the seruantes of the princes of the prouinces, and they were two hundreth, two and thirtie: and after them he nombred the whole people of all the children of Israel, euen seuen thousand.

And they went out at noone: but Ben-hadad did drinke till he was drunken in the tentes, both he and the Kings: for two and thirtie Kings helped him.

So the seruants of the princes of the prouinces went out first: and Ben-hadad sent out, and they shewed him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

And he sayde, Whether they be come out for peace, take them aliue: or whether they bee come out to fight, take them yet aliue.