Wounded Prophet’s Story

Stories From The Hebrew Bible
THE WOUNDED PROPHET’S STORY

The country nearest to Israel on the north was Syria, of which the chief city and capital was Damascus; and several of its kings, one after another, were named Benhadad. This kingdom was far greater and stronger than Israel; and when Benhadad went to make war upon King Ahab, such was the fear of the Israelites for the Syrians, that Ahab could bring only seven thousand men against the Syian army. The host of the Syrians filled all the valleys and plains around Samaria; but Benhadad and his chief rulers were drinking wine when they should have been making ready for the battle; and the little army of Israel won a great victory over the Syrians, and drove them back to their own land.

Again the Syrians came against Israel, with an army as large as before; but again God gave to Ahab and the Israelites a victory, and the Syrian army was destroyed. King Benhadad fled away to his palace, and King Ahab might easily have taken him prisoner and conquered all Syria. If he had done this, all danger from that land might have been forever removed. But Benhadad dressed himself in sackcloth and put a rope around his waist and came as a beggar to Ahab and pleaded with him for his life and his kingdom. Ahab felt very proud to have so great a king as Benhadad come kneeling before him. He spared his life and gave him back his kingdom. This was not wise; and God soon showed to Ahab what a mistake he had made.

By this time, through the teaching of Elijah and Elisha, there were many prophets of the Lord in Israel. The word of the Lord came to one of these prophets and he said to a fellow prophet, “Strike me and give me a wound.”

But the man would not strike him, and the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, as soon as you go away from me, a lion shall kill you.”

And as the man was going away, a lion rushed out upon him and killed him. Then the prophet said to another man, “Strike me, I pray you!”

The man struck him and wounded him, so that the blood flowed. Then the prophet, all bloody, with his face covered, stood by the road as King Ahab passed by, and he cried out to the king. The king saw him and stopped and asked him what had happened to him. Then the prophet said,

O king, I was in the battle; and a soldier brought to me a prisoner, and said to me, “Keep this man; if you lose him, then your life shall go for his life, or you shall pay me a talent of silver for him.” And while I was busy here and there, the prisoner escaped. Now, O king, do not let my life be taken for the man’s life.

But the king said, “You have given sentence against yourself and it shall be as you have said. Your life shall go for your prisoner’s life.”

Then the prophet threw off the covering from his face and the king saw that he was one of the prophets. And the prophet said to the king, “The Lord says, ‘Because you have let go the king whom I willed to have destroyed, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’”

When Ahab heard this, he was greatly troubled and displeased. With a feeling of alarm, he went to his palace in Samaria, knowing that he had not done wisely by sparing his kingdom’s greatest enemy.