2 Kings

6 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha,—See, we pray thee, the place wherein we sit before thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, as far as the Jordan, and fetch from thence every man a single beam, and let us make us a place wherein we may sit. And he said—Go ye.

3 Then said one—Be content, we pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he said—I myself will go.

4 So he went with them,—and when they came to the Jordan they cut down wood.

5 And it came to pass, as one was felling a branch, that the axe-head fell into the water, so he made outcry and said—Alas! my lord, for it was borrowed!

6 And the man of God said—Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a piece of wood and cast it in thither, and the iron did swim.

7 And he said—Take it up to thee. So he put forth his hand, and took it.

8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel,—so he took counsel with his servants, saying—In such and such a place shall be my encampment.

9 The man of God, therefore, sent unto the king of Israel, saying—Beware of passing by this place,—for thither are the Syrians coming down.

10 So the king of Israel sent unto the place whereof the man of God had spoken to him and warned him, and was on his guard there,—not once nor twice.

11 Then was the heart of the king of Syria disquieted concerning this thing,—and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not tell me who of our men are for the king of Israel?

12 Then said one of his servants, None, my lord O king,—but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words which thou speakest in thy bed-chamber.

13 And he said—Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him. And it was told him, saying—Lo! in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither—horses and chariots, and a strong force,—and they came in by night, and encompassed the city.

15 And when the attendant of the man of God arose early and went forth, lo! a force surrounding the city with horses and chariots. Then said his young man unto him—Alas! my lord, what shall we do?

16 And he said—Do not fear,—for more are they who are with us than they who are with them.

17 Then prayed Elisha, and said, O Yahweh! open, I beseech thee, his eyes, that he may see. And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and lo! the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Yahweh, and said—Smite, I beseech thee, this people with sudden blindness. And he smote them with sudden blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

19 Then Elisha said unto them—This is not the way, neither is this the city, follow me that I may lead you unto the man whom ye would secure! So he led them to Samaria.

20 And it came to pass, when they had entered Samaria, that Elisha said, O Yahweh! open the eyes of these men that they may see! And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and lo! they were in the midst of Samaria!

21 Then said the king of Israel unto Elisha, when he saw them,—Shall I smite—shall I smite, my father?

22 And he said—Thou shalt not smite. Them whom thou hadst taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow wouldst thou have been smiting? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go their way unto their lord.

23 And he made for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he let them go, and they went their way unto their lord. So then, troops of Syrians came again no more into the land of Israel.

24 But it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered together all his host,—and came up and laid siege against Samaria.

25 And there came to be a great famine in Samaria, and lo! they continued the siege against it,—until an ass’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and one pint of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

26 And so it was that, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman made outcry unto him, saying—Save, my lord, O king!

27 And he said—If Yahweh do not save thee, whence should I save thee? out of the threshing-floor or out of the wine-press?

28 And the king said to her—What aileth thee? And she said—This woman said unto me—Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and my son will we eat to-morrow.

29 So we cooked my son, and did eat him,—and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; But she had hid her son.

30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes, while yet he was passing by upon the wall,—so the people looked, and lo! sackcloth upon his flesh within.

31 And he said—So let God do to me, and so let him add,—if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remain on him to-day!

32 Now Elisha being seated in his house, and the elders seated with him,—when he had sent a man from before him, ere yet the messenger could come in unto him, he himself said unto the elders—Do ye see how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? See! when the messenger is coming in, close ye the door, and press him back with the door, is not the sound of his lord’s feet behind him?

33 While yet he was speaking with them, lo! the messenger coming down unto him,—and he said,—Lo! this is a calamity from Yahweh, why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?