1 Kings 20:16 bbe — And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were…

Bible in Basic English

"And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him."

— 1 Kings 20:16, Bible in Basic English

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1 Kings 20:16 in Other Translations

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1 Kings 20 — Context

13

Then a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and said, The Lord says, Have you seen all this great army? See, I will give it into your hands today, and you will see that I am the Lord.

14

And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, The Lord says, By the servants of the chiefs who are over the divisions of the land. Then he said, By whom is the fighting to be started? And he made answer, By you.

15

Then he got together the servants of all the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land, two hundred and thirty-two of them; and after them, he got together all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.

16

And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

17

And the servants of the chiefs who were over the divisions of the land went forward first; and when Ben-hadad sent out, they gave him the news, saying, Men have come out from Samaria.

18

And he said, If they have come out for peace, take them living, and if they have come out for war, take them living.

19

So the servants of the chiefs of the divisions of the land went out of the town, with the army coming after them.

1 Kings 20:16 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does 1 Kings 20:16 say?
1 Kings 20:16 in the Bible in Basic English reads: “And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.”
Where is 1 Kings 20:16 in the Bible?
1 Kings 20:16 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of 1 Kings, chapter 20, verse 16.
Who wrote 1 Kings?
1 Kings is traditionally attributed to Anonymous (traditionally Jeremiah). It was written c. 561–538 BC.
What is the book of 1 Kings about?
1 Kings tells of Solomon's wisdom and the building of the temple, then the painful division of the kingdom after his death. The northern kingdom plunges into idolatry under a series of wicked kings until the prophet Elijah is raised up to call Israel back to the LORD.
What are the major themes of 1 Kings?
1 Kings explores themes including Wisdom, Temple, Divided Kingdom, Idolatry, Prophecy. These themes shape the meaning and context of 1 Kings 20:16.
What translation should I read 1 Kings 20:16 in?
1 Kings 20:16 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize 1 Kings 20:16?
1 Kings 20:16 reads (BBE): “And in the middle of the day they went out. But Ben-hadad was drinking in the tents with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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