The First of Kings

20 Now King Ben-ha′dad wey de rule Syria gather all im army together with 32 other kings and their horse them and their chariots. E go surround Sa·mar′i·a and fight-am. 2 Then e send messengers to the city to go meet King A′hab wey de rule Israel, and tell-am say: “This na wetin Ben-ha′dad talk, 3 ‘Na me get your silver and your gold, and your wives and your sons wey better pass.’” 4 So the king of Israel answer-am say: “My lord the king, me and everything wey I get na your own, as you talk-am.”

5 After, the messengers come back and talk say: “This na wetin Ben-ha′dad talk, ‘I be send you message say: “You go give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your sons.” 6 But around this time tomorrow, I go send my servants to come meet you, them go sofri check your house and the house of your servants, and them go seize all your better-better things, and carry them comot.’”

7 When the king of Israel hear this one, e call all the elders of the land and talk say: “Una don see say this man don make up im mind to cause trouble for us, because e don talk say make I give-am my wives, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I gree for-am.” 8 Then all the elders and all the people tell-am say: “No obey-am and make you no gree for-am.” 9 So e tell the messengers wey Ben-ha′dad don send say: “Tell my lord the king say, ‘All the things wey you first talk say make me your servant do, I go do them, but I no go fit do this one.’” Then the messengers go back go tell-am.

10 Ben-ha′dad come send message to-am say: “Make the gods punish me and add join-am if enough sand go dey Sa·mar′i·a wey go reach to full the hand of each of the people wey de follow me!” 11 The king of Israel answer-am say: “Tell-am say, ‘Make the person wey just de ready to go fight war no boast like person wey don already win the war.’” 12 When e just hear this answer, as im and the kings de drink for their tents,* e tell im servants say: “Make una ready to attack the city!” So them ready to attack the city.

13 But one prophet go meet A′hab the king of Israel, and tell-am say: “This na wetin Jehovah talk, ‘You de see this plenty people? I go put them for your hand today, and you go know say na me be Jehovah.’” 14 A′hab ask-am say: “Na who you go use?” E answer-am say: “This na wetin Jehovah talk, ‘Na the servants of the prince them wey de rule the different-different areas.’” So e ask-am say: “Na who go start the war?” E answer-am say: “Na you!”

15 Then A′hab count the servants of the prince them wey de rule the different-different areas, and them be 232. After that one, e count all the men of Israel and them be 7,000. 16 Them comot for hot afternoon, and that time, Ben-ha′dad de drink and e don dey drunk for inside the tents* with the 32 kings wey de help-am. 17 When the servants of the prince them wey de rule the different-different areas first come out, quick-quick, Ben-ha′dad send messengers to go meet them. The messengers tell-am say: “Some men don come from Sa·mar′i·a.” 18 So e talk say: “If them come to make peace with us, make una catch them alive; even if them come fight war, make una still catch them alive.” 19 But when the servants of the prince them wey de rule the different-different areas and the armies wey de follow them come out from the city, 20 each of them kill the person wey de fight-am. Then Syria people run and Israel people pursue them, but King Ben-ha′dad wey de rule Syria use horse run comot with some of the people wey de ride horse. 21 But the king of Israel comot go de kill the horse them and de destroy the chariots, and e kill plenty-plenty Syria people.

22 Later, the prophet go meet the king of Israel and tell-am say: “Go make yourself strong and think about wetin you go do, because as next year de start,* the king of Syria go come fight you.”

23 Then the servants of the king of Syria tell-am say: “Their God na God of mountains. Na im make them win us. If we fight them for level ground, we go win them. 24 Make you still do this one: Comot all the kings from their position and use governors replace them. 25 Then gather army wey be the same as the ones wey you lose, with the same number of horse them and chariots like the one wey you lose, make we go fight them for level ground, and we go surely win them.” So e follow their advice and do exactly as them talk.

26 When the year de start, Ben-ha′dad gather Syria people and go A′phek to go fight war with Israel people. 27 Israel people too ready and gather things wey them need, them come comot go meet them. When Israel people set camp for their front, them be like two small groups of goats, but Syria people full the whole land. 28 Then the man of the true God go meet the king of Israel and talk say: “This na wetin Jehovah talk, ‘Because Syria people don talk say: “Jehovah na God of mountains and no be God of level lands,” I go put all this plenty-plenty people for your hand and you go surely know say na me be Jehovah.’”

29 Them stay for the camp face each other for seven days and the war start for the seventh day. For one day, Israel people kill 100,000 Syria soldiers wey de use leg waka. 30 The rest of the people come run enter inside the city for A′phek, but the wall fall ontop 27,000 of the men wey remain. Ben-ha′dad too run enter the city and hide for one room wey dey inside-inside.

31 So im servants tell-am say: “See, we don hear say the kings for Israel de pity people,* so abeg, make we wear sackcloth for our waist and put ropes for our head and go meet the king of Israel. Maybe e no go kill you.”* 32 So them wear sackcloth for their waist and put ropes for their head and come meet Israel people king and talk say: “Ben-ha′dad your servant talk say, ‘Abeg, make you no kill me.’”* E come answer them say: “E still dey alive? Na my brother e be.” 33 The men take wetin e talk as good sign, and them just believe-am. So them talk say: “Ben-ha′dad na your brother.” As e hear this one, e talk say: “Make una go bring-am.” Then Ben-ha′dad comot go meet-am, and the king of Israel talk say make e climb enter the chariot.

34 Ben-ha′dad come tell-am say: “I go give you back the cities wey my papa collect from your papa, and you fit build markets* for yourself for Damascus, just as my papa do for Sa·mar′i·a.”

A′hab come answer-am say: “Because of this agreement, I go allow you make you go.”

So e make agreement with-am and e allow-am go.

35 As Jehovah command, one of the sons of the prophets* tell the person wey dey near-am say: “Abeg, blow me.” But the man no gree blow-am. 36 So e tell-am say: “Because say you no listen to the voice of Jehovah, once you comot from where I dey, lion go kill you. After e comot from where e dey, lion come meet-am and kill-am.

37 E see another man and tell-am say: “Abeg, blow me.” The man come blow-am and wound-am.

38 Then the prophet comot and stand near road de wait for the king. And e bandage im eyes make them no know say na im. 39 As the king de pass, the prophet come raise im voice tell the king say: “Your servant go the place wey the war strong well-well, and one man wey de come out carry another man give me and talk say, ‘Watch this man. If e run, you go use your life* pay to replace-am, or you go pay one talent* of silver.’ 40 And as your servant de busy de do different-different things, before you know the man don run.” The king of Israel come tell-am say: “Na so your own judgment go be, you don judge yourself.” 41 Then e comot the bandage from im eyes quick-quick, and the king of Israel just know say e be one of the prophets. 42 The prophet tell-am say: “This na wetin Jehovah talk, ‘Because you allow the man wey I say make you kill escape from your hand, you must use your life pay for im life* and your people go replace im people.’” 43 So the king of Israel go im house for Sa·mar′i·a, de feel bad and e no happy at all.