3 Kings (1 Kings) 20
The Syrians besiege Samaria: they are twice defeated by Achab: who is reprehended by a prophet for letting Benadad go.
Porro Benadad rex Syriæ congregavit omnem exercitum suum, et triginta duos reges secum, et equos, et currus: et ascendens pugnabat contra Samariam, et obsidebat eam.
And Benadad, king of Syria, gathered together all his host, and there were two and thirty kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and going up, he fought against Samaria, and besieged it.
Mittensque nuntios ad Achab regem Israël in civitatem,
And sending messengers to Achab, king of Israel, into the city,
ait: Hæc dicit Benadad: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum meum est: et uxores tuæ, et filii tui optimi, mei sunt.
He said: Thus saith Benadad: Thy silver and thy gold is mine: and thy wives and thy goodliest children are mine.
Responditque rex Israël: Juxta verbum tuum, domine mi rex, tuus sum ego, et omnia mea.
And the king of Israel answered: According to thy word, my lord, O king, I am thine, and all that I have.
Revertentesque nuntii, dixerunt: Hæc dicit Benadad, qui misit nos ad te: Argentum tuum, et aurum tuum, et uxores tuas, et filios tuos, dabis mihi.
And the messengers came again, and said: Thus saith Benadad, who sent us unto thee: Thy silver and thy gold, and thy wives and thy children, thou shalt deliver up to me.
Cras igitur hac eadem hora mittam servos meos ad te, et scrutabuntur domum tuam, et domum servorum tuorum: et omne quod eis placuerit, ponent in manibus suis, et auferent.
To morrow, therefore, at this same hour, I will send my servants to thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants: and all that pleaseth them, they shall put in their hands, and take away.
Vocavit autem rex Israël omnes seniores terræ, et ait: Animadvertite, et videte quoniam insidietur nobis: misit enim ad me pro uxoribus meis, et filiis, et pro argento et auro: et non abnui.
And the king of Israel called all the ancients of the land, and said: Mark, and see that he layeth snares for us. For he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver and gold: and I said not nay.
Dixeruntque omnes majores natu, et universus populus, ad eum: Non audias, neque acquiescas illi.
And all the ancients, and all the people said to him: Hearken not to him, nor consent to him.
Respondit itaque nuntiis Benadad: Dicite domino meo regi: Omnia propter quæ misisti ad me servum tuum in initio, faciam: hanc autem rem facere non possum.
Wherefore he answered the messengers of Benadad: Tell my lord, the king: All that thou didst send for to me, thy servant at first, I will do: but this thing I cannot do.
Reversique nuntii retulerunt ei. Qui remisit, et ait: Hæc faciant mihi dii, et hæc addant, si suffecerit pulvis Samariæ pugillis omnis populi qui sequitur me.
And the messengers returning brought him word. And he sent again, and said: Such and such things may the gods do to me, and more may they add, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
Et respondens rex Israël, ait: Dicite ei: Ne glorietur, accinctus æque ut discinctus.
And the king of Israel answering, said: Tell him: Let not the girded boast himself as the ungirded.
Factum est autem cum audisset Benadad verbum istud, bibebat ipse et reges in umbraculis: et ait servis suis: Circumdate civitatem. Et circumdederunt eam.
And it came to pass, when Benadad heard this word, that he and the kings were drinking in pavilions, and he said to his servants: Beset the city. And they beset it.
Et ecce propheta unus accedens ad Achab regem Israël, ait ei: Hæc dicit Dominus: Certe vidisti omnem multitudinem hanc nimiam? ecce ego tradam eam in manu tua hodie, ut scias quia ego sum Dominus.
And behold a prophet coming to Achab, king of Israel, said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Hast thou seen all this exceeding great multitude? behold I will deliver them into thy hand this day: that thou mayst know that I am the Lord.
Et ait Achab: Per quem? Dixitque ei: Hæc dicit Dominus: Per pedissequos principum provinciarum. Et ait: Quis incipiet præliari? Et ille dixit: Tu.
And Achab said: By whom? And he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: By the servants of the princes of the provinces. And he said: Who shall begin to fight? And he said: Thou.
Recensuit ergo pueros principum provinciarum, et reperit numerum ducentorum triginta duorum: et recensuit post eos populum, omnes filios Israël, septem millia.
So he mustered the servants of the princes of the provinces, and he found the number of two hundred and thirty-two: and he mustered after them the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand:
Et egressi sunt meridie. Benadad autem bibebat temulentus in umbraculo suo, et reges triginta duo cum eo, qui ad auxilium ejus venerant.
And they went out at noon. But Benadad was drinking himself drunk in his pavilion, and the two and thirty kings with him, who were come to help him.
Egressi sunt autem pueri principum provinciarum in prima fronte. Misit itaque Benadad: qui nuntiaverunt ei, dicentes: Viri egressi sunt de Samaria.
And the servants of the princes of the provinces went out first. And Benadad sent. And they told him, saying: There are men come out of Samaria.
Et ille ait: Sive pro pace veniunt, apprehendite eos vivos: sive ut prælientur, vivos eos capite.
And he said: Whether they come for peace, take them alive: or whether they come to fight, take them alive.
Egressi sunt ergo pueri principum provinciarum, ac reliquus exercitus sequebatur:
So the servants of the princes of the provinces went out, and the rest of the army followed:
et percussit unusquisque virum qui contra se veniebat: fugeruntque Syri, et persecutus est eos Israël. Fugit quoque Benadad rex Syriæ in equo cum equitibus suis.
And every one slew the man that came against him: and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued after them. And Benadad, king of Syria, fled away on horseback with his horsemen.
Necnon egressus rex Israël percussit equos et currus, et percussit Syriam plaga magna.
But the king of Israel going out overthrew the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
Accedens autem propheta ad regem Israël, dixit ei: Vade, et confortare, et scito, et vide quid facias: sequenti enim anno rex Syriæ ascendet contra te.
(And a prophet coming to the king of Israel, said to him: Go, and strengthen thyself, and know, and see what thou dost: for the next year the king of Syria will come up against thee.)
Servi vero regis Syriæ dixerunt ei: Dii montium sunt dii eorum, ideo superaverunt nos: sed melius est ut pugnemus contra eos in campestribus, et obtinebimus eos.
But the servants of the king of Syria said to him: Their gods are gods of the hills, therefore they have overcome us: but it is better that we should fight against them in the plains, and we shall overcome them.
Tu ergo verbum hoc fac: amove reges singulos ab exercitu tuo, et pone principes pro eis:
Do thou, therefore, this thing: Remove all the kings from thy army, and put captains in their stead:
et instaura numerum militum qui ceciderunt de tuis, et equos secundum equos pristinos, et currus secundum currus quos ante habuisti: et pugnabimus contra eos in campestribus, et videbis quod obtinebimus eos. Credidit consilio eorum, et fecit ita.
And make up the number of soldiers that have been slain of thine, and horses, according to the former horses, and chariots, according to the chariots which thou hadst before: and we will fight against them in the plains, and thou shalt see that we shall overcome them. He believed their counsel, and did so.
Igitur postquam annus transierat, recensuit Benadad Syros, et ascendit in Aphec ut pugnaret contra Israël.
Wherefore, at the return of the year, Benadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphec, to fight against Israel.
Porro filii Israël recensiti sunt, et acceptis cibariis profecti ex adverso, castraque metati sunt contra eos, quasi duo parvi greges caprarum: Syri autem repleverunt terram.
And the children of Israel were mustered, and taking victuals, went out on the other side, and encamped over against them, like two little flocks of goats: but the Syrians filled the land.
(Et accedens unus vir Dei, dixit ad regem Israël: Hæc dicit Dominus: Quia dixerunt Syri: Deus montium est Dominus, et non est Deus vallium: dabo omnem multitudinem hanc grandem in manu tua, et scietis quia ego sum Dominus.)
(And a man of God coming, said to the king of Israel: Thus saith the Lord: Because the Syrians have said: The Lord is God of the hills, but is not God of the valleys: I will deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.)
Dirigebantque septem diebus ex adverso hi atque illi acies, septima autem die commissum est bellum: percusseruntque filii Israël de Syris centum millia peditum in die una.
And both sides set their armies in array one against the other seven days, and on the seventh day the battle was fought: and the children of Israel slew, of the Syrians, a hundred thousand footmen in one day.
Fugerunt autem qui remanserant in Aphec, in civitatem: et cecidit murus super viginti septem millia hominum qui remanserant. Porro Benadad fugiens ingressus est civitatem, in cubiculum quod erat intra cubiculum.
And they that remained fled to Aphec, into the city: and the wall fell upon seven and twenty thousand men, that were left. And Benadad fleeing, went into the city, into a chamber that was within a chamber.
Dixeruntque ei servi sui: Ecce, audivimus quod reges domus Israël clementes sint: ponamus itaque saccos in lumbis nostris, et funiculos in capitibus nostris, et egrediamur ad regem Israël: forsitan salvabit animas nostras.
And his servants said to him: Behold, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful; so let us put sackcloths on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save our lives.
Accinxerunt saccis lumbos suos, et posuerunt funiculos in capitibus suis, veneruntque ad regem Israël, et dixerunt ei: Servus tuus Benadad dicit: Vivat, oro te, anima mea. Et ille ait: Si adhuc vivit, frater meus est.
So they girded sackcloths on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said to him: Thy servant, Benadad, saith: I beseech thee let me have my life. And he said: If he be yet alive, he is my brother.
Quod acceperunt viri pro omine: et festinantes rapuerunt verbum ex ore ejus, atque dixerunt: Frater tuus Benadad. Et dixit eis: Ite, et adducite eum ad me. Egressus est ergo ad eum Benadad, et levavit eum in currum suum.
The men took this for good luck: and in haste caught the word out of his mouth, and said: Thy brother Benadad. And he said to them: Go, and bring him to me. Then Benadad came out to him, and he lifted him up into his chariot.
Qui dixit ei: Civitates quas tulit pater meus a patre tuo, reddam: et plateas fac tibi in Damasco, sicut fecit pater meus in Samaria, et ego fœderatus recedam a te. Pepigit ergo fœdus, et dimisit eum.
And he said to him: The cities which my father took from thy father, I will restore: and do thou make thee streets in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria and having made a league, I will depart from thee. So he made a league with him, and let him go.
Tunc vir quidam de filiis prophetarum dixit ad socium suum in sermone Domini: Percute me. At ille noluit percutere.
Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets, said to his companion, in the word of the Lord: Strike me. But he would not strike.
Cui ait: Quia noluisti audire vocem Domini, ecce recedes a me, et percutiet te leo. Cumque paululum recessisset ab eo, invenit eum leo, atque percussit.
Then he said to him: Because thou wouldst not hearken to the word of the Lord, behold thou shalt depart from me, and a lion shall slay thee. And when he was gone a little from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
Sed et alterum inveniens virum, dixit ad eum: Percute me. Qui percussit eum, et vulneravit.
Then he found another man, and said to him: Strike me. And he struck him and wounded him.
Abiit ergo propheta, et occurrit regi in via, et mutavit aspersione pulveris os et oculos suos.
So the prophet went, and met the king in the way, and disguised himself by sprinkling dust on his face and his eyes.
Cumque rex transisset, clamavit ad regem, et ait: Servus tuus egressus est ad præliandum cominus: cumque fugisset vir unus, adduxit eum quidam ad me, et ait: Custodi virum istum: qui si lapsus fuerit, erit anima tua pro anima ejus, aut talentum argenti appendes.
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Dum autem ego turbatus huc illucque me verterem, subito non comparuit. Et ait rex Israël ad eum: Hoc est judicium tuum, quod ipse decrevisti.
And whilst I, in the hurry, turned this way and that, on a sudden he was not to be seen. And the king of Israel said to him: This is thy judgment, which thyself hast decreed.
At ille statim abstersit pulverem de facie sua, et cognovit eum rex Israël, quod esset de prophetis.
But he forthwith wiped off the dust from his face, and the king of Israel knew him, that he was one of the prophets.
Qui ait ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Quia dimisisti virum dignum morte de manu tua, erit anima tua pro anima ejus, et populus tuus pro populo ejus.
And he said to him: Thus saith the Lord. Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man worthy of death, thy life shall be for his life, and thy people for his people.
Reversus est igitur rex Israël in domum suam, audire contemnens, et furibundus venit in Samariam.
And the king of Israel returned to his house, slighting to hear, and raging came into Samaria.