⁷ Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Recognize^[a] that this one is only looking for trouble,^(A) for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”

⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”

⁹ So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the messengers left and took word back to him.