³⁰ But the rest fled to ^(A)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city, going from one ^(B)inner room to another.

³¹ But ^(C)his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let’s ^(D)put sackcloth ^[a]around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will let ^[b]you live.” ³² So ^(E)they put sackcloth ^[c]around their waists and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “^(F)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let ^[d]me live.’” And Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ³³ Now the men took this as a good omen, and quickly ^[e]accepting it from him, they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him mount the chariot. ³⁴ And Ben-hadad said to him, “^(G)The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you can make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

³⁵ Now a man from ^(H)the sons of the prophets said to ^[f]another ^(I)by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. ³⁶ Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you leave me, ^(J)a lion will ^[g]kill you.” And as soon as he left him a lion found him and ^[h]killed him. ³⁷ Then he found another man and said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him, ^[i]injuring him. ³⁸ So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and ^(K)disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹ And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he goes missing, ^(L)then your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, or else you shall pay a ^[j]talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ Now while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself determined it.” ⁴¹ Then he quickly took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets. ⁴² And the prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have let go from your hand the man I had designated for destruction, ^(M)your ^[k]life shall be forfeited in place of his ^[l]life, and your people in place of his people.’”