And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith ^aBen-hadad,

 3 Thy ^asilver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.

 5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

 6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in ^athine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man ^aseeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

 8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

 9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.