II Kings 6

¹Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, There is not room enough for us in the place where we are living under your care;

²So let us go to Jordan, and let everyone get to work cutting boards, and we will make a living-place for ourselves there. And he said to them, Go, then.

³And one of them said, Be pleased to go with your servants. And he said, I will go.

⁴So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they got to work cutting down trees.

⁵But one of them, while cutting a board, let the head of his axe go into the water; and he gave a cry, and said, This is a bad business, my master, for it is another's.

⁶And the man of God said, Where did it go in? and when he saw the place where it had gone into the water, cutting a stick, he put it into the water, and the iron came up to the top of the water.

⁷Then he said, Take it up. So he put out his hand and took it.

⁸At that time the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he had a meeting with the chiefs of his army and said, I will be waiting in secret in some named place.

⁹And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take care to keep away from that place, for the Aramaeans are waiting there in secret.

¹⁰So the king of Israel sent to the place where the man of God had said there was danger, and kept clear of it more than once.

¹¹And at this, the mind of the king of Aram was greatly troubled, and he sent for his servants and said to them, Will you not make clear to me which of us is helping the king of Israel?

¹²And one of them said, Not one of us, my lord king; but Elisha, the prophet in Israel, gives the king of Israel news of the words you say even in your bedroom.

¹³Then he said, Go and see where he is, so that I may send and get him. And news came to him that he was in Dothan.

¹⁴So he sent there horses and carriages and a great army; and they came by night, circling the town.

¹⁵Now the servant of the man of God, having got up early and gone out, saw an army with horses and carriages of war all round the town. And the servant said to him, O my master, what are we to do?

¹⁶And he said in answer, Have no fear; those who are with us are more than those who are with them.

¹⁷Then Elisha made a prayer to the Lord, saying, Lord, let his eyes be open so that he may see. And the Lord made the young man's eyes open; and he saw that all the mountain was full of horses and carriages of fire round Elisha.

¹⁸Now when the Aramaeans came down to Elisha, he made a prayer to the Lord saying, Lord, make this people blind. And he made them blind at Elisha's request.

¹⁹And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, and this is not the town: come after me so that I may take you to the man you are searching for. And he took them to Samaria.

²⁰And when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, let the eyes of these men be open so that they may see. And the Lord made their eyes open, and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.

²¹And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?

²²But he said in answer, You are not to put them to death; have you any right to put to death those whom you have not taken prisoner with your sword and your bow? put bread and water before them, so that they may have food and drink and go to their master.

²³So he made ready a great feast for them, and when they had had food and drink, he sent them away and they went back to their master. And no more bands of Aramaeans came into the land of Israel.

²⁴Now after this, Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got together all his army and went up to make an attack on Samaria, shutting the town in on all sides with his forces.

²⁵And they became very short of food in Samaria; for they kept it shut in till the price of an ass's head was eighty shekels of silver, and a small measure of doves' droppings was five shekels of silver.

²⁶And when the king of Israel was going by on the wall, a woman came crying out to him, and said, Help! my lord king.

²⁷And he said, If the Lord does not give you help, where am I to get help for you? from the grain-floor or the grape-crusher?

²⁸And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she said in answer, This woman said to me, Give your son to be our food today, and we will have my son tomorrow.

²⁹So, boiling my son, we had a meal of him; and on the day after I said to her, Now give your son for our food; but she has put her son in a secret place.

³⁰Then the king, hearing what the woman said, took his robes in his hands, violently parting them; and, while he was walking on the wall, the people, looking, saw that under his robe he had haircloth on his flesh.

³¹Then he said, May God's punishment come on me if Elisha, the son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his body after this day.

³²But Elisha was in his house, and the responsible men were seated there with him; and before the king got there, Elisha said to those who were with him, Do you see how this cruel and violent man has sent to take away my life?

³³While he was still talking to them, the king came down and said, This evil is from the Lord; why am I to go on waiting any longer for the Lord?

II Kings 6

¹The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell before you is too small for us.

²Please let us go to the Jordan, and every man take a beam from there, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell." He answered, "Go!"

³One said, "Please be pleased to go with your servants." He answered, "I will go."

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

⁵But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed."

⁶The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" He showed him the place. He cut down a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron float.

⁷He said, "Take it." So he put out his hand and took it.

⁸Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place."

⁹The man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you not pass such a place; for the Syrians are coming down there."

¹⁰The king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice.

¹¹The heart of the king of Syria was very troubled about this. He called his servants, and said to them, "Won't you show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"

¹²One of his servants said, "No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."

¹³He said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." It was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan."

¹⁴Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night, and surrounded the city.

¹⁵When the servant of the man of God had risen early, and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. His servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

¹⁶He answered, "Do not be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

¹⁷Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, please open his eyes, that he may see." The Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.

¹⁸When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

¹⁹Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." He led them to Samaria.

²⁰It happened, when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

²¹The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, "My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?"

²²He answered, "You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master."

²³He prepared great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The bands of Syria stopped raiding the land of Israel.

²⁴It happened after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.

²⁵There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

²⁶As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king!"

²⁷He said, "If the Lord doesn't help you, from where could I help you? From of the threshing floor, or from the winepress?"

²⁸The king said to her, "What ails you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'

²⁹So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him;' and she has hidden her son."

³⁰It happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes (now he was passing by on the wall); and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his flesh.

³¹Then he said, "God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stay on him this day."

³²But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn't the sound of his master's feet behind him?"

³³While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, "Behold, this disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?"