In the meantime, Ben-hadad, king of Aram came against Israel along with 32 other kings and told them to surrender. Now a prophet of God came and told Ahab that He would deliver that huge army to him that day. Following instructions from God, Ahab picked up 232 young leaders of provinces and 7000 people of Israel and went to fight, and they defeated the Arameans! Then the Arameans said that they were defeated because Israel's God was a God of the mountains and they thought that if they fought in the plains they would win. So they came to fight again with a large army. This time God said He would show He was really the Lord. Israel killed 100000 men and when they fled God sent a city wall crashing down on them killing another 27000. Ben-hadad came to Ahab humbly and promised to give back some cities which his father had taken from Israel. Ahab let him go on that condition. But God was angry with Ahab for letting him escape.

King Ahab saw and coveted a vineyard belonging to a man called Naboth, and he asked Naboth to sell it to him. But he refused saying it was an inheritance from his ancestors. Ahab became very sullen because of this and lay down in bed. When Jezebel heard from Ahab what had happened she chided him for forgetting that he was king! She made a scheme to call Naboth for a fast, have someone accuse him of blasphemy and then to stone him to death. After this happened Ahab went and took over the vineyard. But God sent Elijah to tell Ahab that judgment would come upon his family, Jezebel would be eaten by dogs in the street, and every male in the family would get killed.