Regum I 20

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Porro Benadad rex Syriæ congregavit omnem exercitum suum, et triginta duos reges secum, et equos, et currus : et ascendens pugnabat contra Samariam, et obsidebat eam.	1 Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his whole army -- thirty-two kings were with him, and horses andchariots -- and marched on Samaria, to besiege it and take it by assault.
2 Mittensque nuntios ad Achab regem Israël in civitatem,	2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel to tel him, 'Ben-Hadad says this,
3 ait : Hæc dicit Benadad : Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum meum est : et uxores tuæ, et filii tui optimi, mei sunt.	3 "Your silver and gold are mine. Your wives and children remain yours." '
4 Responditque rex Israël : Juxta verbum tuum, domine mi rex, tuus sum ego, et omnia mea.	4 The king of Israel replied, 'As you command, my lord king. Myself and al I have are yours.'
5 Revertentesque nuntii, dixerunt : Hæc dicit Benadad, qui misit nos ad te : Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum, et uxores tuas, et filios tuos, dabis mihi.	5 The messengers came again, this time they said, 'Ben-Hadad says this, "I have already sent you anorder to hand over your silver and your gold, your wives and your children;
6 Cras igitur hac eadem hora mittam servos meos ad te, et scrutabuntur domum tuam, et domum servorum tuorum : et omne quod eis placuerit, ponent in manibus suis, et auferent.	6 but I swear, this time tomorrow, I shal send my servants to ransack your house and your servants'houses and lay hands on everything that they value and take it away." '
7 Vocavit autem rex Israël omnes seniores terræ, et ait : Animadvertite, et videte quoniam insidietur nobis : misit enim ad me pro uxoribus meis, et filiis, et pro argento et auro : et non abnui.	7 The king of Israel summoned al the elders of the country and said, 'You can see clearly how this manintends to ruin us. He has already demanded my wives and my children, although I have not refused him mysilver and gold.'
8 Dixeruntque omnes majores natu, et universus populus, ad eum : Non audias, neque acquiescas illi.	8 Al the elders and all the people said, 'Take no notice. Do not consent.'
9 Respondit itaque nuntiis Benadad : Dicite domino meo regi : Omnia propter quæ misisti ad me servum tuum in initio, faciam : hanc autem rem facere non possum.	9 So he gave this answer to Ben-Hadad's messengers, 'Say to my lord the king, "Al you first required ofyour servant I wil do, but this I cannot do." ' And the messengers went back with the answer.
10 Reversique nuntii retulerunt ei. Qui remisit, et ait : Hæc faciant mihi dii, et hæc addant, si suffecerit pulvis Samariæ pugillis omnis populi qui sequitur me.	10 Ben-Hadad then sent him the following message, 'May the gods bring unnameable ills on me andworse il s too, if there is enough dust in Samaria for each of my fol owers to have a handful!'
11 Et respondens rex Israël, ait : Dicite ei : Ne glorietur, accinctus æque ut discinctus.	11 But the king of Israel returned this answer, 'Say: the man who puts on his armour is not the one toboast, but the man who takes it off.'
12 Factum est autem cum audisset Benadad verbum istud, bibebat ipse et reges in umbraculis : et ait servis suis : Circumdate civitatem. Et circumdederunt eam.	12 When Ben-Hadad heard this message -- he was under the awnings drinking with the kings -- he gaveorders to his servants, 'Take up position!' And they took up their positions against the city.
13 Et ecce propheta unus accedens ad Achab regem Israël, ait ei : Hæc dicit Dominus : Certe vidisti omnem multitudinem hanc nimiam ? ecce ego tradam eam in manu tua hodie, ut scias quia ego sum Dominus.	13 A prophet then arrived, looking for Ahab king of Israel. 'Yahweh says this,' he said. ' "You have seenthis huge army? This very day I shal deliver it into your hands, and you will know that I am Yahweh." '
14 Et ait Achab : Per quem ? Dixitque ei : Hæc dicit Dominus : Per pedissequos principum provinciarum. Et ait : Quis incipiet præliari ? Et ille dixit : Tu.	14 'By whose means?' Ahab asked. The prophet replied, 'Yahweh says this, "By means of the guards ofthe district governors." ' 'Who wil co-ordinate the attack?' Ahab asked. 'You will,' the prophet replied.
15 Recensuit ergo pueros principum provinciarum, et reperit numerum ducentorum triginta duorum : et recensuit post eos populum, omnes filios Israël, septem millia.	15 So Ahab inspected the guards of the district governors: there were two hundred and thirty-two. Afterthese he reviewed the army, all the Israelites: there were seven thousand.
16 Et egressi sunt meridie. Benadad autem bibebat temulentus in umbraculo suo, et reges triginta duo cum eo, qui ad auxilium ejus venerant.	16 They made a sortie at midday, when Ben-Hadad was drinking himself senseless under the awnings,he and the thirty-two kings who were al ies.
17 Egressi sunt autem pueri principum provinciarum in prima fronte. Misit itaque Benadad : qui nuntiaverunt ei, dicentes : Viri egressi sunt de Samaria.	17 The guards of the district governors led the sortie. A report was made to Ben-Hadad: 'Some menhave come out of Samaria.'
18 Et ille ait : Sive pro pace veniunt, apprehendite eos vivos : sive ut prælientur, vivos eos capite.	18 He said, 'If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take themalive too.'
19 Egressi sunt ergo pueri principum provinciarum, ac reliquus exercitus sequebatur :	19 So they made a sortie from the city, the district governors' guards and behind them the army,
20 et percussit unusquisque virum qui contra se veniebat : fugeruntque Syri, et persecutus est eos Israël. Fugit quoque Benadad rex Syriæ in equo cum equitibus suis.	20 and each struck down his man. Aram took to flight and Israel pursued; Ben-Hadad king of Aramescaped on horseback.
21 Necnon egressus rex Israël percussit equos et currus, et percussit Syriam plaga magna.	21 The king of Israel then advanced, capturing horses and chariots and inflicting a great defeat on Aram.
22 Accedens autem propheta ad regem Israël, dixit ei : Vade, et confortare, et scito, et vide quid facias : sequenti enim anno rex Syriæ ascendet contra te.	22 The prophet then went to the king of Israel and said, 'Now is the time to be resolute and think careful yabout what you should do, for at the turn of the year the king of Aram wil march against you.'
23 Servi vero regis Syriæ dixerunt ei : Dii montium sunt dii eorum, ideo superaverunt nos : sed melius est ut pugnemus contra eos in campestribus, et obtinebimus eos.	23 The servants of the king of Aram said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the mountains; that is why theyhave proved stronger than we are. But if we fight them on level ground, we shal certainly beat them.
24 Tu ergo verbum hoc fac : amove reges singulos ab exercitu tuo, et pone principes pro eis :	24 This is what you must do: remove all these kings from their commands and appoint professionalsoldiers in their place.
25 et instaura numerum militum qui ceciderunt de tuis, et equos secundum equos pristinos, et currus secundum currus quos ante habuisti : et pugnabimus contra eos in campestribus, et videbis quod obtinebimus eos. Credidit consilio eorum, et fecit ita.	25 You, for your part, must recruit an army as large as the one which deserted you, with as many horsesand as many chariots; then if we fight them on level ground, we shal certainly beat them.' He listened to theiradvice and acted accordingly.
26 Igitur postquam annus transierat, recensuit Benadad Syros, et ascendit in Aphec ut pugnaret contra Israël.	26 At the turn of the year, Ben-Hadad mustered the Aramaeans and marched on Aphek to fight Israel.
27 Porro filii Israël recensiti sunt, et acceptis cibariis profecti ex adverso, castraque metati sunt contra eos, quasi duo parvi greges caprarum : Syri autem repleverunt terram.	27 The Israelites were already mobilised and provisioned, and marched out to meet them. Encampedopposite them, the Israelites looked like two herds of goats, whereas the Aramaeans fil ed the countryside.
28 (Et accedens unus vir Dei, dixit ad regem Israël : Hæc dicit Dominus : Quia dixerunt Syri : Deus montium est Dominus, et non est Deus vallium : dabo omnem multitudinem hanc grandem in manu tua, et scietis quia ego sum Dominus.)	28 The man of God then went to the king of Israel and said, 'Yahweh says this, "Since Aram has saidthat Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the plains, I shall put the whole of this huge army intoyour power, and you will know that I am Yahweh." '
29 Dirigebantque septem diebus ex adverso hi atque illi acies, septima autem die commissum est bellum : percusseruntque filii Israël de Syris centum millia peditum in die una.	29 For seven days they were encamped opposite each other. On the seventh day battle was joined andthe Israelites slaughtered the Aramaeans, a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.
30 Fugerunt autem qui remanserant in Aphec, in civitatem : et cecidit murus super viginti septem millia hominum qui remanserant. Porro Benadad fugiens ingressus est civitatem, in cubiculum quod erat intra cubiculum.	30 The rest fled to Aphek, into the citadel, but the city walls collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of thesurvivors. Now Ben-Hadad had fled and taken refuge in an inner room inside the citadel.
31 Dixeruntque ei servi sui : Ecce, audivimus quod reges domus Israël clementes sint : ponamus itaque saccos in lumbis nostris, et funiculos in capitibus nostris, et egrediamur ad regem Israël : forsitan salvabit animas nostras.	31 'Look,' his servants said to him, 'we have heard that the kings of Israel are faithful and kind kings. Letus put sackcloth round our waists and cords round our heads and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he wilspare your life.'
32 Accinxerunt saccis lumbos suos, et posuerunt funiculos in capitibus suis, veneruntque ad regem Israël, et dixerunt ei : Servus tuus Benadad dicit : Vivat, oro te, anima mea. Et ille ait : Si adhuc vivit, frater meus est.	32 So they wrapped sackcloth round their waists and put cords round their heads and went to the king ofIsrael, and said, 'Your servant Ben-Hadad says, "Spare my life." '
33 Quod acceperunt viri pro omine : et festinantes rapuerunt verbum ex ore ejus, atque dixerunt : Frater tuus Benadad. Et dixit eis : Ite, et adducite eum ad me. Egressus est ergo ad eum Benadad, et levavit eum in currum suum.	33 'So he is stil alive?' he replied. 'He is my brother.' The men took this for a good omen and quicklyseized on his words. 'Yes,' they said, 'Ben-Hadad is your brother.' Ahab said, 'Go and fetch him.' Then Ben-Hadad came out to him and Ahab made him get up into his chariot.
34 Qui dixit ei : Civitates quas tulit pater meus a patre tuo, reddam : et plateas fac tibi in Damasco, sicut fecit pater meus in Samaria, et ego fœderatus recedam a te. Pepigit ergo fœdus, et dimisit eum.	34 Ben-Hadad said, 'I shall restore the towns which my father took from your father and you may set upa trading quarter for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria.' 'With a treaty,' Ahab said, 'I shall set youfree.' Granting him a treaty, Ahab let him go.
35 Tunc vir quidam de filiis prophetarum dixit ad socium suum in sermone Domini : Percute me. At ille noluit percutere.	35 At Yahweh's command a member of the brotherhood of prophets said to a companion of his, 'Strikeme,' but the man refused to strike him.
36 Cui ait : Quia noluisti audire vocem Domini, ecce recedes a me, et percutiet te leo. Cumque paululum recessisset ab eo, invenit eum leo, atque percussit.	36 So he said to him, 'Since you have disobeyed Yahweh's order, the very moment you leave me a lionwil kill you.' And no sooner had he left him than he met a lion, which killed him.
37 Sed et alterum inveniens virum, dixit ad eum : Percute me. Qui percussit eum, et vulneravit.	37 The prophet then went to find another man and said, 'Strike me,' and the man struck him andwounded him.
38 Abiit ergo propheta, et occurrit regi in via, et mutavit aspersione pulveris os et oculos suos.	38 The prophet then went and stood waiting for the king on the road, disguising himself with a bandageover his eyes.
39 Cumque rex transisset, clamavit ad regem, et ait : Servus tuus egressus est ad præliandum cominus : cumque fugisset vir unus, adduxit eum quidam ad me, et ait : Custodi virum istum : qui si lapsus fuerit, erit anima tua pro anima ejus, aut talentum argenti appendes.	39 As the king passed, he cal ed out to him, 'Your servant was making his way to where the fight wasthickest when someone left the fighting to bring a man to me, and said, "Guard this man; if he is found missing,your life wil pay for his, or else you wil have to pay one talent of silver."
40 Dum autem ego turbatus huc illucque me verterem, subito non comparuit. Et ait rex Israël ad eum : Hoc est judicium tuum, quod ipse decrevisti.	40 But your servant was busy with one thing and another, the man disappeared.' The king of Israel said,'That is your sentence then. You have pronounced it yourself.'
41 At ille statim abstersit pulverem de facie sua, et cognovit eum rex Israël, quod esset de prophetis.	41 At this the man quickly pul ed off the bandage over his eyes, and the king of Israel recognised him asone of the prophets.
42 Qui ait ad eum : Hæc dicit Dominus : Quia dimisisti virum dignum morte de manu tua, erit anima tua pro anima ejus, et populus tuus pro populo ejus.	42 He said to the king, 'Yahweh says this, "Since you have let the man escape who was under my curseof destruction, your life wil pay for his, your people for his people." '
43 Reversus est igitur rex Israël in domum suam, audire contemnens, et furibundus venit in Samariam.	43 And the king of Israel went home, gloomy and out of temper, back to Samaria.