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forſake thy Parents, and Lands, and All, and defire only this Liberty to £o and bid them farewe], that thou mayſt follow me. Whence comes this marvellous Change ? Ir is not from me, who did only throw my Mantle over thee . but from an higher power, even from Gods Spirit. which hath changed thy Heart. and conſecrated thee ro thy prophetical Office: which therefore it concerns thee vigorouſly ro execute, and wholly to devote thy ſelf to it.
21 And hereturned back from him t, and took a yoke of oxen, and ſlew them, and boiled their fleſh with the inftrumentsof the oxen «, and gave unto the people x, and theydid eat : then he aroſe, and went after Elijah,
and miniſtred unto him.
t From Elias to his Parents; whom when he had ſeen and kifled, he returned to the Field where Elijah was. ui c- With the wood belonging to the plow, ©. to which more was added, as occation required But that he burned, to ſhew his toral relinquiſhing of his former Employment. x i e. He made thereofa Featt for his Ser- vants who had been plowghing with him, and for him, and his other Friends and Neighbours who came to take their leave of him. Hereby he ſhewed how willingly and joyfully he forfook all his Friends, that he might ſerve God in that high and honourable
Employment. OH AP XX.
Benhadad not content with Ahabs Homage, beſizgeth Samaria, 1--=12. By the Direfion of a Prophet the Syrians are twice beaten : and Benhadad hides himſelf, 1330. The Syrians ſubmit themſelves, and Ahab maketh a Covenant with Benhadad, 3 1----34, The Prophet by a Parable reproveth Abab : and denounceth Juagment againſt him, 35 43.
A N D Benhadad # the king of Syria gathered all his
hoſt cogether b, and there were thirty and two kings c with him, and horſes, and chariots : and he went upand
beſieged Samaria, and warred againſt it.
a Called A4adad by Joſephus, and Adar by the LXX, and Azores by Juftin; ſuch changes of Names being uſual in their Tranſlations into other Lauguages, and by other Authors. b To war againſt Iſrael : wherein his deſign was to amplifie the Conqueſts which his Father had made, chap: 15: 20: but Gods Deſign was to puniſh 1/-2e/ for their Apoſtacy and Idolatry, «c Petty Kings, ſuch as were in Canaen in Joſbuas time, who indeed were no more than Governours of Cities or ſmall Territories. Theſe were either Subject or Tri- butary to Benhadad, or hired by him.
2 Andhe ſent meſſengers to Ahab king of Ifrael into the ciry, and ſaid unto him, Thus faith Benhadad,
2 Thy ſilver and thy gold is mine &, thy wives alſo, and thy children, even the goodliteſt are mine.
d Ichallenge them as my own, 2nd accordingly expettto have them forthwith delivered into my poſſeſſion, if thou expeteft peace with me.
4 And the king of Ifraclanſweredand ſaid, Mylord O king, according to thy ſaying, I am thine, and all
that I have e. | |
eI do ſo far comply with thy Demand, that I will own thee for my Lord, and my ſelf for thy Vaſlal and Tributary : and will hold my wives, and Children, and Eſtate, as by thy Favour, and with an Acknowledgement. Bur it is nor likely that he would deliver up his wives and Children into the Barbarians hand, or that his proud and imperious wife Jezebel would permit him ro do ſo.
5 And the meſlengers came again, and ſaid, Thus ſpeaketh Benhadad, ſaying, Although 7 have ſent unto thee, ſaying, Thou ſhalt deiiver me thy ilver and thy
gold, and thy wives, and thy children f :
F Although I did before demand not only the Dominion of thy Treaſures, and wives, and Children, as thou mayſt ſeem to under- ſtand me, bur alſo the propriety and a&tual poſſeſiion of them ; wherewith I would then have been contented :
—_—
6 Yet I will ſend my ſervants unto thee to morrow |
about this time, and they ſhall ſearch thine houſe, and
the houſesofchy ſervants ; andit ſhall be,chat whatſoever |
is f pleaſant in thineeyes, they ſhall put it in their hand and take it away g.
x Yet now I will not accept of thoſe Terms. but together with thy Royal Treaſures, Iexpett all the Treaſures of thy ſervants or Sub- jets; nor will I wait till thou deliver them to me, bur I will ſend my Servants into the City, and they ſhall have free Liberty and Power to ſearch out and take away all which they deſire, and this to pte- vent Fraud and Delay ; and then I will grant thee a Peace.
- Then the king of Iſrael called all the elders of the land b, and ſaid, Mark, I pray you, and fee how this man ſecketh himfetf ;: for he ſenc unto me for my wives and for my chiidren, and for my ſilver, and for my gold, and + I denied him not &. þ Whoſe Counſel and Concurrence he now deſires in his Diſtreſs. 5 Though he pretend peace, and a Friendly Agreement upon theſe Terms propounded, it is apparent by thoſe Additional Demands, Thathe intends nothing leſs than our utter Ruin. & Igranted his Demands in the ſenſe before mentioned- :
8 And all the elders, and all the people faid unto him, Hearken nor wnre bim, nor conſent.
9 Wherefore he ſaid unto the meſſengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didfſt ſend for to
" thy ſervant at-the firſt, I will do : but this thing I may
not do /. And the meſſengers departed, and brought
him word again. LIf I would do it, I cannot, becauſe my People will nor ſuffer it,
10 And Benhadad ſent unto him, and ſaid, * The
ods doſo unto me, and more alſo, if the duſt of Samaria
{hall ſuffice for handfuls for all the people that F follow me m.
N © $
2 If I do not aflau!t thy City with fo potent and themercvs an Army, that ſhall turn all thy City into an hcap of Duſt, and ſhall be ſufficient to carry it all away, though every Soldier take but one handful ofit:; See the like Boaſt, 2 Sam; 17: 13.
11 And the king of rael anſwered and ſaid, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on h;s harneſs, boaſt him- felf, as he thar purtteth it off ».
z Donor Triumph before the Fight and ViRtory, for the Events of War are uncertain.
12 And it came to paſs, when Beyhadad heard this
ſelves in aray o: And they let themſelves in aray againſt
Haſlt thou ſeen all this great multitude ? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day ; and thou ſhalt know that I am the LORD r.