Thematic Bible: Besieged by ben-hadad

And it happened after this Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his army and went up and lay siege to Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria. And, behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five silver pieces. And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king! read more.
And he said, if Jehovah does not help you, from where shall I help you? Out of the barn-floor, or out of the winepress? And the king said to her, What ails you? And she said, This woman said to me, Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. And we boiled my son and ate him. And I said to her on the other day, Give your son so that we may eat him. And she has hidden her son. And it happened when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And he passed by on the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth inside on his flesh. And he said, May God do so, and more also, to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him. And he sent a man from before him. But before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? While he still talked with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. And he said, Behold, this evil is from Jehovah. Why should I wait for Jehovah any longer?

And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. And thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and laid siege to Samaria, and warred against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, and to the city, and said to him, Ben-hadad says this: Your silver and your gold are mine, your wives also and your sons, the best are mine. read more.
And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O King, according to your saying I am yours and all that I have. And the messengers came again and said, Ben-hadad speaks in this way, saying, Although I have sent to you saying, You shall deliver me your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons, yet I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hand and take it away. And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Please mark and see how this one seeks mischief. For he sent to me for my wives and for my sons, and for my silver and for my gold. And I did not keep them back from him. And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen nor consent! And he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers left and brought him word again. And Ben-hadad sent to him and said, May the gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me. And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Do not let him who girds on boast himself like the one who loosens his armor. And it happened he heard this word, and he was drinking, he and the kings in the booths, he said to his servants, Set in order, and they set in order against the city. And they placed the engines against the city.