1And Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots, and he went up and laid siege against Shimron and fought against her.2He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city.3He said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'Your silver and your gold are mine; and your wives and your sons, the good ones, are mine.'"4The king of Israel answered and said, "According to your word, my lord the king: I am yours, and all that I have."5The messengers returned and said, "Thus says Ben-hadad: 'I sent to you, saying, "You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children." ' "6For if at this time tomorrow I send my servant to you and they search your house and the houses of your servants and they put in their hand and take all the desire of your eyes.7The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Know now and see that this man is doing evil, for he sent to me for my wives and my sons and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him."8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."9And he said to the angels of Ben-hadad, "Say to my lord the king, 'All that you sent to your servant the first time I will do, but this word I am not able to do.'" And the angels went, and he caused him to return word.10And Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "Thus may the gods do to me and thus may they add if the dust of Shimron suffices for handfuls for all the people who are at my feet."11The king of Israel answered and said, "Speak to him: 'Let not the one who girds himself boast like the one who opens.'"12When he heard this word while he was drinking—he and the kings in the Succoth booths—he said to his servants, "Set yourselves!" And they set themselves against the city.