The Floating Ax Head

6 The sons of the prophets^(A) said to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision^[a] is too small for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.”

“Go,” he said.

³ Then one said, “Please come with your servants.”

“I’ll come,” he answered.

⁴ So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed!”^(B)

⁶ Then the man of God^(C) asked, “Where did it fall?”

When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.^{(D) 7} Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it.

The Aramean War

⁸ When the king of Aram^(E) was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”

⁹ But the man of God^(F) sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰ Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly^[b] warned the king, so the king would be on his guard.

¹¹ The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹² One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³ So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.”

When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,”^{(G) 14} he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

¹⁶ Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid,^(H) for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.”^(I)

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire^(J) all around Elisha.

¹⁸ When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike this nation with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness,^(K) according to Elisha’s word. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.^{(L) 20} When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes. They looked and discovered they were in Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father,^(M) should I kill them? I will kill them.”

²² Elisha replied, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have captured with your sword or your bow? Set food and water in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their master.”^(N)

²³ So he prepared a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders^(O) did not come into Israel’s land again.

²⁴ Some time later, King Ben-hadad^(P) of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up to besiege Samaria. ²⁵ So there was a great famine^(Q) in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for 80 silver shekels,^[c] and a cup^[d] of dove’s dung^[e] sold for five silver shekels.^[f](R)

²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “My lord the king, help!”

²⁷ He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”^{(S) 28} Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?”^(T)

She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’^(U) but she has hidden her son.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes.^(V) Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth^(W) under his clothes next to his skin. ³¹ He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely^(X) if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

³² Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders^(Y) were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer^(Z) has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

³³ While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger^[g] came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”^(AA)

The Traditions of the Elders

7 The^(A) Pharisees^(B) and some of the scribes^(C) who had come from Jerusalem^(D) gathered around Him. ² They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean^(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. ³ (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace,^(F) they do not eat unless they have washed.^(G) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.^[a](H)) ⁵ Then the Pharisees^(I) and the scribes^(J) asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders,^(K) instead of eating bread with ritually unclean^[b] hands?”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah^(L) prophesied^(M) correctly about you hypocrites,^(N) as it is written:^(O)

⁸ Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”^{[d] 9} He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain^[e] your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses^(U) said:

¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^(X) you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift^(Y) committed to the temple), ¹² “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You revoke God’s word^(Z) by your tradition that you have handed^(AA) down. And you do many other similar things.” ¹⁴ Summoning^(AB) the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:^{(AC) 15} Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. [¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!]”^[h]

¹⁷ When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach^(AD) and is eliminated.”^[i] (As a result, He made all foods clean.^[j](AE)) ²⁰ Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,^(AF) thefts, murders,^{(AG) 22} adulteries,^(AH) greed,^(AI) evil actions, deceit,^(AJ) promiscuity,^(AK) stinginess,^[k] blasphemy,^(AL) pride,^(AM) and foolishness.^{(AN) 23} All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

A Gentile Mother’s Faith

²⁴ He got up and departed from^(AO) there to the region of Tyre^(AP) and Sidon.^[l](AQ) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but He could not escape notice. ²⁵ Instead, immediately after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit^(AR) came and fell at His feet.^{(AS) 26} Now the woman was Greek,^(AT) a Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon^(AU) out of her daughter. ²⁷ He said to her, “Allow the children to be satisfied first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”^(AV)

²⁸ But she replied to Him, “Lord,^(AW) even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then He told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” ³⁰ When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

Jesus Does Everything Well

³¹ Again, leaving the region of Tyre,^(AX) He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,^(AY) through^[m] the region of the Decapolis.^{(AZ) 32} They brought to Him a deaf^(BA) man who also had a speech difficulty,^(BB) and begged Jesus to lay His hand on^(BC) him. ³³ So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting His fingers in the man’s ears and spitting,^(BD) He touched his tongue. ³⁴ Then, looking up to heaven,^(BE) He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!”^[n] (that is, “Be opened!”). ³⁵ Immediately his ears were opened,^(BF) his speech difficulty was removed,^[o] and he began to speak clearly.^{(BG) 36} Then He ordered them to tell no one,^(BH) but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim^(BI) it.

³⁷ They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well!^(BJ) He even makes deaf^(BK) people hear, and people unable to speak,^(BL) talk!”