2 Kings 4-6
Complete Jewish Bible
4 The wife of one of the guild prophets complained to Elisha. “Your servant my husband died,” she said, “and you know that he feared Adonai. Now a creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves.” 2 Elisha asked her, “What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a flask of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, and borrow containers from all your neighbors, empty containers; and don’t borrow just a few! 4 Then go in; shut the door, with you and your sons inside; and pour oil into all those containers; and as they are filled, put them aside.” 5 So she left him and shut the door on herself and her sons. They brought her the containers while she poured. 6 When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container”; but he answered, “There isn’t another container.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God; and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt; then you and your sons can live on what’s left.”
8 One day Elisha visited Shunem, and a well-to-do woman living there pressed him to stay and eat a meal. After this, whenever he came through, he stopped there for a meal. 9 She said to her husband, “I can see that this is a holy man of God who keeps stopping at our place. 10 Please, let’s build him a little room on the roof. We’ll put a bed and a table in it for him, and a stool and a candlestick. Then, whenever he comes to visit us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha came to visit there, and he went into the upper room to lie down. 12 He said to Geichazi his servant, “Call this Shunamit.” He called her; and when she arrived, 13 he said to him, “Tell her this: ‘You have shown us so much hospitality! What can I do to show my appreciation? Do you want me to say anything to the king for you? or to the commander of the army?” She answered, “I’m happy living as I do, among my own people.” 14 He said, “What, then, is to be done for her?” Geichazi answered, “There’s one thing — she doesn’t have a son; and her husband is old. 15 Elisha said, “Call her.” After he called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 He said, “Next year, when the season comes around, you will be holding a son.” “No, my lord,” she answered. “Man of God, don’t lie to your servant!” 17 But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son the following year when the season came around, just as Elisha had said to her.
18 When the child was old enough, he went out one day to be with his father, who was with the reapers. 19 Suddenly he cried out to his father, “My head! My head hurts!” He said to his servant, “Carry him back to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he lay on her lap until noon; and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door on him and went out. 22 She called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants with a donkey. I must get to the man of God as fast as I can; I’ll come straight back.” 23 He asked, “Why are you going to him today? It isn’t Rosh-Hodesh and it isn’t Shabbat.” She said, “It’s all right.” 24 Then she saddled the donkey and ordered her servant, “Drive as fast as you can; don’t slow down for me unless I say so.”
25 She set out and came to the man of God on Mount Karmel. When the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Geichazi his servant, “Look, here comes that Shunamit. 26 Run now to meet her, and ask her, “Is everything all right with you? with your husband? with the child?” She answered, “Everything is all right.” 27 But when she reached the man of God on the hill, she grabbed his feet. Geichazi came up to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is in great distress, but Adonai has hidden from me what it is, he hasn’t told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say not to deceive me?” 29 Then Elisha said to Geichazi, “Get dressed for action, take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, don’t greet him; if anyone greets you, don’t answer; and lay my staff on the child’s face.” 30 The mother of the child said, “As Adonai lives, and as you live, I will not leave you. He got up and followed her. 31 Geichazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So he went back to Elisha and told him, “The child didn’t wake up.”
32 When Elisha reached the house, there the child was, dead and laid on the bed. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to Adonai. 34 Then he got up on the bed and lay on top of the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands. As he stretched himself out on the child, its flesh began to grow warm. 35 Then he went down, walked around in the house awhile, went back up and stretched himself out on the child again. The child sneezed seven times, then opened his eyes. 36 Elisha called Geichazi and said, “Call this Shunamit.” So he called her; and when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 She entered, fell at his feet and prostrated herself on the floor. Then she picked up her son and went out.
38 Elisha went back to Gilgal. At the time, there was a famine in the land. The guild prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire, and boil some soup for the prophets.” 39 One of them went out to the field to gather vegetables and came upon a wild vine, from which he filled the front of his cloak with wild squash. On returning he cut them up and put them into the stew; they didn’t know what they were. 40 Then they poured it out for the men to eat; but on tasting it, they cried, “Man of God! There’s death in that pot!” And they couldn’t eat it. 41 But he said, “Bring some flour.” He threw it in the pot, then said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” This time there was nothing harmful in the pot.
42 A man came from Ba‘al-Shalishah bringing the man of God twenty loaves of bread made from the barley firstfruits and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give this to the people to eat.” 43 His servant said, “How am I to serve this to a hundred men?” But he said, “Give it to the people to eat; for Adonai says that they will eat and have some left over.” 44 So he served them, and they ate and had some left over, as Adonai had said.
5 Na‘aman, commander of the king of Aram’s army, was highly respected and esteemed by his master; because through him Adonai had brought victory to Aram. But although he was a brave warrior, he also suffered from tzara‘at. 2 Now on one of their raids into Isra’el’s territory, Aram carried away captive a little girl, who became a servant for Na‘aman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish my lord could go to the prophet in Shomron! He could heal his tzara‘at.” 4 Na‘aman went in and told his lord, “The girl from the land of Isra’el said such-and-such.” 5 The king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Isra’el.”
He set out, taking with him 660 pounds of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold and ten changes of clothes. 6 He brought the king of Isra’el the letter, which said, “When this letter reaches you, you will see that I have sent my servant Na‘aman to you, so that you can heal his tzara‘at.” 7 When the king of Isra’el finished reading the letter, he tore his clothes. “Am I God, able to kill and make alive,” he asked, “so that he sends me a man to heal of tzara‘at? You can see that he is only seeking an excuse to quarrel with me.” 8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Isra’el had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Isra’el.”
9 So Na‘aman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, who said, “Go, and bathe in the Yarden seven times. Your skin will become as it was, and you will be clean.” 11 But Na‘aman became angry and left, saying, “Here now! I thought for certain that he would come out personally, that he would stand, call on the name of Adonai his God and wave his hand over the diseased place and thus heal the person with tzara‘at. 12 Aren’t Amanah and Parpar, the rivers of Dammesek, better than all the water in Isra’el? Why can’t I bathe in them and be clean?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 But his servants approached him and said, “My father! If the prophet had asked you to do something really difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So, doesn’t it make even more sense to do what he says, when it’s only, ‘Bathe, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Yarden, as the man of God had said to do; and his skin was restored and became like the skin of a child; and he became clean.
15 Then, with his whole retinue, he returned to the man of God, went and stood before him, and said, “Well, I’ve learned that there is no God in all the earth except in Isra’el; therefore, please accept a present from your servant.” 16 But Elisha answered, “As Adonai lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And despite his urging him to take it, he refused. 17 So Na‘aman said, “If you won’t take it, then please let your servant be given as much earth as two mules can carry; because from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices to other gods, but only to Adonai. 18 Except this, and may Adonai forgive your servant for it: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon — when I bow down, may Adonai forgive your servant for this.” 19 Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”
Na‘aman had gone only a short distance from him, 20 when Geichazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “Here, my master has made it easy on this Arami Na‘aman by not accepting from him what he brought. As Adonai lives, I’ll run after him and get at least something from him.” 21 So Geichazi hurried off after Na‘aman. When Na‘aman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” 22 “Yes,” he replied. “My master sent me with this message: ‘Two young men have just now come to me, guild prophets from the hills of Efrayim. Would you be kind enough to give them a talent of silver [sixty-six pounds] and two changes of clothes?” 23 “By all means, take two talents!” said Na‘aman, pressing him. He tied up the two talents of silver in two bags and gave them, with the two changes of clothes, to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Geichazi. 24 On reaching the hill, he took the bags from them and put them away in the house. Then he let the men go, and they left. 25 He went in and stood before his master. Elisha asked, “Where have you been, Geichazi?” “Your servant hasn’t gone anywhere,” he said. 26 Elisha said to him, “Wasn’t my heart there with you when the man left his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to receive silver and clothing — and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves? 27 Therefore Na‘aman’s tzara‘at will cling to you and your descendants forever.” He left Elisha’s presence with tzara‘at as white as snow.
6 The guild prophets said to Elisha, “As you can see, the place where we are living in order to be with you is too small for us. 2 Please allow us to go to the Yarden; each of us will collect a log there, and we’ll build a place there for us to live.” He answered, “Go ahead.” 3 But one of them said, “Please, won’t you come with your servants?” He answered, “All right, I will”; 4 so he went with them. When they arrived at the Yarden, they cut down trees; 5 but as one was felling a tree trunk, the head of his axe fell in the water. “Oh, no!” he cried. “My master, it was a borrowed one!” 6 The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” He showed him the place. Then Elisha cut a stick, threw it in there, and the iron axe-head floated to the surface. 7 “Lift it out,” he said. So he put out his hand and took it.
8 Now the king of Aram went to war against Isra’el; and in consulting his servants he said, “I’ll set up my ambush camp in such-and-such a place.” 9 The man of God sent this message to the king of Isra’el: “Be careful not to go past such-and-such a place, because Aram will attack there.” 10 So the king of Isra’el sent men to the place the man of God had told him and warned him about, and he took special precautions there. This happened more than once or twice, 11 and it greatly upset the king of Aram. He called his servants and said to them, “Tell me which of you is betraying us to the king of Isra’el?” 12 One of his servants replied, “It’s not that, my lord, king. Rather, Elisha, the prophet who is in Isra’el, tells the king of Isra’el the words you speak privately in your own bedroom!” 13 He said, “Go and see where he is, so that I can send and bring him here.” They told him, “He’s in Dotan.”
14 So he sent horses, chariots and a large army there; they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 The servant of the man of God got up early in the morning; on going outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. His servant said to him, “Oh, my master, this is terrible! What are we going to do?” 16 He answered, “Don’t be afraid — those who are with us outnumber those who are with them!” 17 Elisha prayed, “Adonai, I ask you to open his eyes, so that he can see.” Then Adonai opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw: there before him, all around Elisha, the mountain was covered with horses and fiery chariots. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Adonai, “Please strike these people blind”; and he struck them blind, as Elisha had asked. 19 Next, Elisha told them, “You’ve lost your way, and this isn’t even the right city. Follow me, and I’ll take you to the man you’re looking for.” Then he led them to Shomron. 20 On their arrival in Shomron, Elisha said, “Adonai, open the eyes of these men, so that they can see.” Adonai opened their eyes, and they saw: there they were, in the middle of Shomron.
21 When the king of Isra’el saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, should I attack them? Should I attack them?” 22 He answered, “Don’t attack them! You wouldn’t even attack prisoners you had captured with your own sword and bow, would you? So give them food to eat and water to drink, and let them return to their master.” 23 So he provided well for them; and after they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away; and they returned to their master. After that, no more raiding parties entered the land of Isra’el from Aram.
24 But some time afterwards, Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, went up and laid siege to Shomron. 25 At the time, there was a severe famine in Shomron; and they maintained their siege until a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver and half a pint of doves’ dung for five pieces of silver. 26 As the king of Isra’el was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help, my lord, king!” 27 He said, “If Adonai isn’t helping you, how do you expect me to help you? There isn’t any grain, and there isn’t any wine.” 28 Then the king asked her, “What’s troubling you?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son, so that we can eat him today; and we’ll eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, so that we can eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. At the time, he was passing by on the wall; and when the people looked, they saw him there with sackcloth against his skin. 31 Then he said, “May God do terrible things to me, and worse ones too, if the head of Elisha the son of Shafat remains on his body by day’s end.” 32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the leaders were sitting there with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, close the door and keep it shut against him. You can hear his master’s footsteps following right behind him!” 33 While he was still speaking, the messenger arrived with this message from the king: “Here, this evil is from Adonai. Why should I wait for Adonai any longer?”
Melachim Bais 4-6
Orthodox Jewish Bible
4 Now there cried out a certain isha of the nashim of the Bnei HaNevi’im unto Elishah, saying, Thy eved my ish is dead; and thou knowest that thy eved did fear Hashem: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two yeladim to be avadim (slaves).
2 And Elishah said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the bais? And she said, Thine shifchah hath not anything in the bais, except a flask of shemen.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee kelim from all around of all thy shchenim, even empty kelim; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the delet behind thee and behind thy banim, shalt pour out into all those kelim, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the delet behind her and behind her banim, who were bringing to her; and she poured.
6 And it came to pass, when the kelim were full, that she said unto her ben, Bring me another keli. And he said unto her, There is not any more keli. And the shemen stopped.
7 Then she came and told the Ish HaElohim. And he said, Go, sell the shemen, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy banim on the rest.
8 And then one day Elishah passed over to Shunem, where was an isha gedolah; and she constrained him to eat lechem. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in there to eat lechem.
9 And she said unto her ish, Hinei now, I perceive that this is an Ish Elohim Kadosh, which passeth by us tamid.
10 Please, let us make a small aliyyat kir (walled upper room); and let us set for him there a mittah (bed), and a shulchan (table), and a kisse (chair), and a menorah: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in there.
11 And then one day he came there, and he turned in the aliyyah (upper room), and lay there.
12 And he said to Geichazi his na’ar, Call this Shunamit. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Hinei, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to HaMelech, or to the Sar HaTzava? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Geichazi answered, Verily she hath no ben, and her ish is zaken.
15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the petach (doorway).
16 And he said, About this mo’ed, according to the et chayyah (Gen. 18:10), thou choveket ben (shalt embrace a son). And she said, No, adoni, thou Ish HaElohim, do not give false hope unto thine shifchah.
17 And the isha conceived, and bore ben at that mo’ed that Elishah had said unto her, according to the et chayyah.
18 The yeled grew, and it happened one day, that he went out to Aviv to the kotzerim (harvesters, reapers).
19 And he said unto Aviv, My rosh, my rosh. And he said to the na’ar, Carry him to immo.
20 And when he had lifted him, and brought him to immo, he sat on her birkayim (knees) till tzohorayim, and then died.
21 And she went up, and laid him on the mittat Ish HaElohim, and shut [the door] behind her and went out.
22 And she called unto her ish, and said, Send me now, please, one of the ne’arim, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the Ish HaElohim, and return.
23 And he said, Madu’a (why) wilt thou go to him today? It is neither Rosh Chodesh, nor Shabbos. And she said, Shalom.
24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her na’ar, lead on, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 So she went and came unto the Ish HaElohim at Mt Carmel. And it came to pass, when the Ish HaElohim saw her afar off, that he said to Geichazi his na’ar, Hinei, over there is that Shunamit:
26 Run now, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it shalom with thee? Is it shalom with thy ish? Is it shalom with the yeled? And she answered, Shalom:
27 And when she came to the Ish HaElohim at the har, she took hold of him by the raglayim: but Geichazi came near to thrust her away. And the Ish HaElohim said, Let her alone; for her nefesh is marah within her: and Hashem hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
28 Then she said, Did I make request of adoni for a ben? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 Then he said to Geichazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my mishe’net (staff) in thine yad, and run: if thou meet any ish, salute him not; and if any ish salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my mishe’net (staff) upon the face of the na’ar.
30 And the em hana’ar said, As Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 And Geichazi passed on ahead of them, and laid the mishe’net (staff) upon the face of the na’ar; but there was neither kol (voice), nor keshet (attention). So he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, The na’ar is not awakened.
32 And when Elishah was come into the bais, hinei, the na’ar was dead, and lying upon his mittah.
33 So he went in, and shut the delet on the two of them, and davened unto Hashem.
34 And he went up, and lay upon the yeled, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his palms upon his palms: and stretched himself upon him; and the basar of the yeled grew warm.
35 Then he turned away, and paced in the bais to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the na’ar sneezed seven times, and the na’ar opened his eyes.
36 And he summoned Geichazi, and said, Call this Shunamit. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy ben.
37 Then she went in, and fell at his raglayim, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her ben, and went out.
38 And Elishah returned to Gilgal; and there was a ra’av (famine) in the land; and the Bnei HaNevi’im were sitting before him; and he said unto his na’ar, Put on the siyr hagedolah, and cook stew for the Bnei HaNevi’im.
39 And one went out into the sadeh to gather orot (herbs), and found a gefen sadeh, and gathered thereof pakku’ot sadeh (wild gourds), the fold of his beged he filled, and came and cut them up into the siyr of stew; though no one knew what they were.
40 So they poured out for the anashim to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the stew, that they cried out, and said, O thou Ish HaElohim, there is mavet in the siyr. And they could not eat thereof.
41 But he said, Then bring kemakh (meal, flour). And he cast it into the siyr; and he said, Serve to HaAm, that they may eat. And there was no rah in the siyr.
42 And there came an ish from Ba’al Shalishah, and brought the Ish HaElohim lechem bikkurim, twenty loaves of se’orim (barley), and [roasted] ears of corn in his sack. And he [Elishah] said, Give unto HaAm, that they may eat.
43 And the one serving him said, What, should I set this before a hundred ish? He said again, Give HaAm, that they may eat; for thus saith Hashem, They shall eat, and there shall be shirayim.
44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and there was shirayim thereof, according to the Devar Hashem.
5 Now Na’aman, Sar Tzeva Melech Aram, was an ish gadol before his adon and highly honored, because by him Hashem had given deliverance unto Aram; he was also a gibbor chayil, but metzorah (having leprosy)
2 And Aram (the Syrians) had gone out gedudim (in bands of soldiers), and had taken away captive out of Eretz Yisroel a na’arah ketanah; and she waited on Na’aman’s isha.
3 And she said unto her gevirah, If only adoni were before the navi that is in Shomron! For he would recover him of his tzara’at.
4 And one went in, and told his adon, saying, Thus and thus said the na’arah that is of Eretz Yisroel.
5 And Melech Aram said, Go to, go, and I will send a sefer (letter) unto Melech Yisroel. And he [Na’aman] departed, and took with him ten talents of kesef, and six thousand pieces of zahav, and ten changes of begadim.
6 And he brought the sefer (letter) to Melech Yisroel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, hinei, I have therewith sent Na’aman avdi to thee, that thou mayest of his tzara’at recover him.
7 And it came to pass, when Melech Yisroel had read the sefer, that he tore his begadim, and said, Am I HaElohim, to kill and to make alive, that this doth send unto me to recover an ish of his tzara’at? Wherefore consider, now, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elishah Ish HaElohim had heard that Melech Yisroel had torn his beged, that he sent to HaMelech, saying, Why hast thou torn thy beged? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a navi in Yisroel.
9 So Na’aman came with his susim and with his merkavah, and stood at the petach of the bais Elishah.
10 And Elishah sent a malach unto him, saying, Go and wash sheva times in the Yarden, and thy basar shall come back to thee, and thou shalt be tahor.
11 But Na’aman was in wrath, and went away, and said, Hinei, I thought that he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the Shem Hashem Elohav, and wave his yad over the makom, and give recovery from the metzorah (leprosy, leprous area).
12 Are not Avana and Parpar, naharot of Damascus, better than all the mayim of Yisroel? May I not wash in them, and be tahor? So he turned and went away in chemah (anger, hot temper).
13 And his avadim came near, and spoke unto him, and said, Avi, if the navi had bid thee do some davar gadol, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be tahor?
14 Then went he down, and did undergo tevilah (dipped himself, immersed himself) sheva times in the Yarden, according to the devar of the Ish HaElohim; his basar came back like unto the basar of a na’ar katan; he was tahor.
15 He returned to the Ish HaElohim, he and all his machaneh came, stood before him; and he said, Hinei, now I know that there is no Elohim in kol ha’aretz, but in Yisroel; now therefore, please, take a brocha of thy eved.
16 But he said, As Hashem liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
17 And Na’aman said, Shall there not then, please, be given to thy eved two mules’ massa (burden) of adamah? For thy eved will henceforth offer neither olah nor zevach unto elohim acherim, but unto Hashem.
18 In this thing Hashem pardon thy eved, that when adoni goeth into the Bais Rimmon to bow down there, and he leaneth on my yad, and I bow myself in the Bais Rimmon; when I bow down myself in the Bais Rimmon, Hashem pardon thy eved in this thing.
19 And he said unto him, Go in shalom. So he departed from him some distance.
20 But Geichazi, the na’ar Elishah the Ish HaElohim, said, Hinei, adoni hath spared Na’aman HaArami hazeh by not accepting at his hands that which he brought: but, as Hashem liveth, I will run after him, and take something of him.
21 So Geichazi pursued after Na’aman. And when Na’aman saw him running after him, he got down from the merkavah to meet him, and said, HaShalom (is all well)?
22 And he said, Shalom (all is well). Adoni hath sent me, saying, Hinei, even now there came to me from har Ephrayim two ne’arim of the Bnei HaNevi’im; give them, now, a talent of kesef, and two changes of begadim.
23 And Na’aman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of kesef in two bags, with two changes of begadim, and laid them upon two of his ne’arim; and they bore them before him.
24 And when he came to a secluded spot, he took them from their yad, and put them away in the bais; and he let the anashim go, and they departed.
25 But he went in, and stood before his adon. And Elishah said unto him, From where comest thou, Geichazi? And he said, Thy eved went nowhere.
26 And he said unto him, Went not mine lev (spirit) with thee, when the ish turned again from his merkavah to meet thee? Is it a time to receive kesef, and to receive begadim, and zeitim (olive groves), and kramim, and tzon, and bakar, and avadim, and shefachot?
27 The tzara’at therefore of Na’aman shall make its deveykus unto thee, and unto thy zera l’olam. And he went out from his presence metzorah, like sheleg (snow).
6 And the Bnei HaNevi’im said unto Elishah, Hinei now, the makom where we dwell with thee is too tzar (cramped, crowded) for us.
2 Let us go, now, unto the Yarden, and take from there every ish one korah (beam), and let us build us a makom (place, home) there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go, ye.
3 And one said, Be agreed, now, and go with thy avadim. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Yarden, they cut down haetzim (the trees, the wood).
5 But as one was felling the korah (beam, i.e., tree) the barzel (iron [axehead]) fell into the mayim; and he cried out, and said, Alas, adoni! For it was sha’ul (being borrowed).
6 And the Ish HaElohim said, Where fell it? And he showed him the makom (place). And he cut an etz (piece of wood, stick), and cast it in there; and the barzel did float up to the surface.
7 Therefore said he, Take it out to thee. And he stretched out his yad, and took it.
8 Then Melech Aram warred against Yisroel, and took counsel with his avadim, saying, In such and such makom shall be my chosen encampment places.
9 And the Ish HaElohim sent unto Melech Yisroel, saying, Beware that thou be shomer not to pass this makom; for there come down Aram.
10 And Melech Yisroel sent to the makom which the Ish HaElohim told him and warned him of, and he was watchful there, not just once nor twice.
11 Therefore the lev Melech Aram was over this matter much incensed; and he summoned his avadim, and said unto them, Will ye not show me who of us is [traitor] to Melech Yisroel?
12 And one of his avadim said, None, adoni HaMelech; but Elishah HaNavi that is in Yisroel, telleth Melech Yisroel the devarim that thou speakest in thy cheder mishkav (bedroom).
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and take him captive. And it was told him, saying, Hinei, he is in Dotan.
14 Therefore sent he there susim, and merkavot, and a strong army contingent; and they came by lailah, and surrounded the ir.
15 And when the mesharet (minister, servant) of the Ish HaElohim was risen early, and went forth, hinei, an army surrounded the ir with susim and merkavot. And his na’ar said unto him, Alas, adoni! What shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not; for they that be with us are rabbim (many) more than they that be with them.
17 And Elishah davened, and said, Hashem, now, open his eyes, that he may see. And Hashem opened the eyes of the na’ar and he saw; and, hinei, the har was full of susim and merkavot of eish all around Elishah.
18 And when they made their descent unto him, Elishah davened unto Hashem, and said, Strike now hagoy hazeh, with blindness. And He struck them with blindness according to the davar Elishah.
19 And Elishah said unto them, This is not the derech, neither is this the ir; follow me, and I will lead you to the ish whom ye seek. But he led them to Shomron.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Shomron, that Elishah said, Hashem, open the eyes of these, that they may see. And Hashem opened their eyes, and they saw; and, hinei, they were in the midst of Shomron.
21 And Melech Yisroel said unto Elishah, when he saw them, Avi, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not strike them; wouldest thou strike those whom thou hast taken captive with thy cherev and with thy keshet? Set lechem and mayim before them, that they may eat and drink, and go back to adoneihem.
23 And he prepared kerah gedolah (a great meal) for them; and when they finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they went to adoneihem. So the raiding parties of Aram (Syria) came no more into Eretz Yisroel.
24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben Hadad Melech Aram gathered all his machaneh, and went up, and laid siege to Shomron.
25 And there was a ra’av gadol in Shomron; and, hinei, they laid siege to it, until a rosh chamor was sold for fourscore pieces of kesef, and a quarter of a kav of dove’s dung for five pieces of kesef.
26 And as Melech Yisroel was passing by upon the chomah (wall), there cried out an isha unto him, saying, Hoshia (save), adoni HaMelech!
27 And he said, If Hashem saves thee not, from where can I save thee? From the goren (threshing floor) or from the yekev (wine press)?
28 And HaMelech said unto her, What troubleth thee? And she answered, This isha said unto me, Give thy ben, that we may eat him hayom (today), and we will eat beni (my son) machar (tomorrow).
29 So we cooked beni (my son), and did eat him; and I said unto her on the yom ha’acher (the day after), Give thy ben, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her ben.
30 And it came to pass, when HaMelech heard the divrei haisha, that he tore his begadim; and he passed by upon the chomah, and the people looked, and, hinei, he had, underneath, sackcloth upon his basar.
31 Then he said, Elohim do so and more also to me, if the rosh Elishah Ben Shaphat shall remain on him hayom (today).
32 But Elishah sat in his bais, and the Zekenim sat with him; and he [HaMelech] sent an ish ahead of him; but before the malach came to him, he [Elishah] said to the Zekenim, See ye how this ben hameratze’ach (son of a murderer) hath sent to cut off mine rosh? Look, when the malach cometh, shut the delet (door), and hold him shut out by the delet; is not the sound of the raglei adonav behind him?
33 And while he [Elishah] yet was speaking with them, hinei, the malach (messenger) came down unto him; and he [HaMelech] said, Hinei, this ra’ah (evil, disaster) is from Hashem; what hope can I have from Hashem?
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International