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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Ethan: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 200 and 25.
about that time, king Ben Hayad of Aram
mobilized his army supported by the
chariots and horses of 32 Allied Kings.
They went to Besiege, Samaria,
the capital of Israel, and
launched attacks against it.
Ben Hayad sent messengers into the city to
relay this message to King Ahab of Israel.
This is what Ben Hayad says.
Your silver and gold are mine and so are
your wives and the best of your children.
All right, my Lord, the
king, Israel's king replied.
All that I have is yours Soon, Ben
Haddad's Messengers returned again
and said, this is what Ben Hayad says.
I have already demanded that you give
me your silver, gold wives and children,
but about this time tomorrow, I will
send my officials to search your
palace and the homes of your officials.
They will take away everything
you consider valuable.
Then Ahab summoned all the elders
of the land and said to them, look
how this man is stirring up trouble.
I already agreed with his demand
that I give him my wives and
children and silver and gold.
Don't give in to any more demands.
All the elders and the people advised,
so Ahab told the messengers from Ben
Hayad say this to my Lord the king.
I will give you everything you asked
for the first time, but I cannot
accept this last demand of yours.
So the messengers returned to Ben Hayad.
With that response, then Ben
Hayad sent this message to Ahab.
May the Gods strike me and even
kill me if there remains enough
dust from Samaria to provide even
a handful for each of my soldiers.
The King of Israel sent back this answer.
A warrior putting on his sword
for battle should not boast like
a warrior who has already won.
Ahab's reply reached Ben Hayad
and the other kings as they
were drinking in their tents.
Prepare to attack.
Ben Hadad commanded his officers so
they prepared to attack the city.
Then a certain prophet came to
see King Ahab of Israel and told
him This is what the Lord says.
Do you see all these enemy forces today?
I will hand them all over to you.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Ahab asked, how will he do it?
And the prophet replied,
this is what the Lord says.
The troops of the provincial
commanders will do it.
Should we attack first?
Ahab asked.
Yes, the prophet answered.
So Ahab mustered the troops of
the 232 provincial commanders.
Then he called out the
rest of the army of Israel.
Some 7,000 men.
About noontime as Ben Hayad and the 32
Allied Kings were still in their tents,
drinking themselves into a stupor.
The troops of the provincial
commanders marched out of the
city as the first contingent.
As they approached Ben Hay,
dad's scouts reported to him.
Some troops are coming from Samaria.
Take them alive.
Ben Hadad commanded whether they
have come for peace or for war.
But Ahab's provincial commanders and the
entire army had now come out to fight.
Each Israelites soldier killed his
aian opponent, and suddenly the
entire Aian army panicked and fled.
The Israelites chased them, but
King Ben Haddad and a few of his
chariot tears escaped on horses.
However, the King of Israel destroyed
the other horses and chariots
and slaughtered the aramean.
Afterward, the prophet said to King
Ahab, get ready for another attack.
Begin making plans now
for the King of Aram.
We'll come back next
spring after their defeat.
Ben Haddad's officers said to him, the
Israelite Gods are gods of the hills.
That is why they won, but we can
beat them easily on the planes.
Only this time replace the
kings with field commanders.
Recruit another army
like the one you lost.
Give us the same number of horses,
chariots, and men, and we will
fight against them on the planes.
There's no doubt that we will beat them.
So King Ben Hadad did as they
suggested the following spring.
He called up the Ian Army and
marched out against Israel.
This time at a.
Israel then mustered its army set up
supply lines and marched out for battle.
But the Israelite army looked
like two little flocks of goats
in comparison to the vast Ian
forces that filled the countryside.
Then the man of God went to
the King of Israel and said,
this is what the Lord says.
The Ians have said, the Lord is a God
of the hills and not of the plains.
So I will defeat this vast army for you,
then you will know that I am the Lord.
The two armies camped opposite
each other for seven days, and on
the seventh day the battle began.
The Israelites killed 100,000
aian foot soldiers in one day.
The rest fled into the town
of aec, but the wall fell on
them and killed another 27,000.
Ben Hadda fled into the town
and hid in a secret room.
Ben Haddad's officers said to him,
sir, we have heard that the kings of
Israel are merciful, so let's humble
ourselves by wearing burlap around our
waists and putting ropes on our heads
and surrender to the King of Israel.
Then perhaps he will let you live.
So they put on burlap and ropes and
they went to the King of Israel and
begged your servant, Ben Hayad says,
please let me live the King of Israel.
Responded.
Is he still alive?
He is my brother.
The men took this as a good sign and
quickly picked up on his words, yes.
They said, your brother
Ben Hayad, go and get him.
The King of Israel.
Told them.
And when Ben Hayad arrived, Ahab
invited him up into his chariot.
Ben Hayad told him, I will give back the
towns my father took from your father,
and you may establish places of trade in
Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.
Then Ahab said, I will release
you under these conditions.
So they made a new treaty
and Ben Hayad was set free.
Meanwhile, the Lord instructed
one of the group of prophets
to say to another man, hit me.
But the man refused to hit the prophet.
Then the prophet told him, because
you have not obeyed the voice
of the Lord, a lion will kill
you as soon as you leave me.
And when he had gone, a lion
did attack and kill him.
Then the prophet turned to
another man and said, hit me.
So he struck the prophet and wounded him.
The prophet placed a bandage over his
eyes to disguise himself, and then
waited beside the road for the king.
As the king passed by, the prophet
called out to him, sir, I was in
the thick of battle and suddenly
a man brought me a prisoner.
He said, guard this man.
If for any reason he gets away,
you will either die or pay a
fine of 75 pounds of silver.
But while I was busy doing something
else, the prisoner disappeared.
Well, it's your own fault.
The king replied.
You have brought the judgment on yourself.
Then the prophet quickly pulled
the bandage from his eyes, and
the King of Israel recognized
him as one of the prophets.
The prophet said to him, this is what
the Lord says because you have spared
the man I said, must be destroyed now.
You must die in his place.
And your people will die
instead of his people.
So the King of Israel went home
to Samaria, angry and Suen.
This concludes today's
Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.