30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the city: and there fell a wall upon seven and twenty thousand men that were left: and Ben-Hadad fled into the city, and came into [a]a secret chamber.

31 ¶ And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard say that the Kings of the house of Israel are merciful Kings: we pray thee, let us put sackcloth about our [b]loins, and ropes about our heads, and go out to the King of Israel: it may be that he will save thy life.

32 Then they girded sackcloth about their loins, and put ropes about their heads, and came to the King of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-Hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live: and he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 20:30 Hebrew, from chamber, to chamber.
  2. 1 Kings 20:31 In sign of submission, and that we have deserved death, if he will punish us with rigor.

30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek,(A) where the wall collapsed(B) on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid(C) in an inner room.

31 His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful.(D) Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth(E) around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’”

The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

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