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2 Kings 7
Darby Translation
2 Kings 7
Darby Translation
7 And Elisha said, Hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah: To-morrow about this time shall the measure of fine flour be at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
2 And the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in the heavens, would this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, Why do we abide here until we die?
4 If we say, Let us enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we abide here, we shall die. And now come, let us fall away to the camp of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they put us to death, we shall but die.
5 And they rose up in the dusk to go to the camp of the Syrians; and they came to the extremity of the camp of the Syrians; and behold, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, a noise of a great host; and they said one to another, Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
7 And they rose up and fled in the dusk, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 And those lepers came to the extremity of the camp; and they went into one tent, and ate and drank, and carried thence silver and gold, and garments, and went and hid it; and they came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence, and went and hid [it].
9 And they said one to another, We are not doing right; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, the iniquity will find us out; and now come, let us go and tell the king's household.
10 And they came and called to the porters of the city, and told them saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no one there, no sound of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And the porters cried [it] and told [it] to the king's house within.
12 And the king rose up in the night and said to his servants, Let me tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry, and they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some one take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that have perished), and let us send and see.
14 And they took two chariots with their horses; and the king sent after the army of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and materials, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.
16 And the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians; and the measure of fine flour was at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah.
17 And the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate; and the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died, according to what the man of God had said,—what he had said when the king came down to him.
18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king saying, Two measures of barley shall be at a shekel, and the measure of fine flour at a shekel, to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.
19 And the captain answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in the heavens, would such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
20 And so it happened to him; and the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died.
2 Kings 7
English Standard Version
2 Kings 7
English Standard Version
Elisha Promises Food
7 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, (A)Tomorrow about this time a seah[a] of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,[b] and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” 2 Then (B)the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, (C)“If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
The Syrians Flee
3 Now there were four men who were lepers[c] (D)at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.” 5 So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians (E)hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us (F)the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.” 7 (G)So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them.
9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household.” 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city and told them, “We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied and the donkeys tied and the tents as they were.” 11 Then the gatekeepers called out, and it was told within the king's household. 12 And the king rose in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.’” 13 And one of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of Israel who have already perished. Let us send and see.” 14 So they took two horsemen, and the king sent them after the army of the Syrians, saying, “Go and see.” 15 So they went after them as far as the Jordan, and behold, all the way was littered with garments and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, (H)according to the word of the Lord. 17 Now the king had appointed (I)the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said (J)when the king came down to him. 18 For when the man of God had said to the king, “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,” 19 (K)the captain had answered the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, (L)“You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 7:1 A seah was about 7.7 quarts or 7.3 liters
- 2 Kings 7:1 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- 2 Kings 7:3 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
列王纪下 7
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
列王纪下 7
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
以利沙预言撒玛利亚获救
7 以利沙说：“你们要听耶和华的话。耶和华这样说：‘明日大约这个时候，在撒玛利亚的城门，三公斤面粉只卖十一克银子，六公斤大麦也只是卖十一克银子。’” 2 但那搀扶王的官长回答神人，说：“即使耶和华在天上开了窗户，也不会有这事发生。”以利沙说：“看哪，你要亲眼看见，却吃不着。”
亚兰军撤退
3 有四个痲风病人在城门口那里，他们彼此说：“我们为甚么坐在这里等死呢？ 4 我们如果说：‘我们进城去吧！’城里正有饥荒，我们就要死在那里。我们如果坐在这里，也是要死。现在，让我们去投降亚兰人的军队吧；如果他们饶我们一命，我们就可以活着；如果他们要杀死我们，我们就死吧。” 5 于是他们在黄昏动身去到亚兰人的军营那里；他们来到亚兰人的军营外边，竟看不见一个人在那里。 6 因为主使亚兰人的军队听见战车、战马和大军的声音；他们就彼此说：“看哪，一定是以色列王雇用了赫人的众王和埃及人的众王来攻击我们。” 7 于是他们在黄昏的时候起来逃跑，他们丢下他们的帐幕，他们的马匹和他们的驴子；军营仍在那里，他们却只顾逃命去了。 8 这些患痲风病的人来到军营的外边，他们进入其中一座帐幕，又吃又喝，并且从那里取去金子、银子和衣服，然后离去，把东西收藏起来。他们再回去，进入另一座帐幕，从那里拿走财物，去收藏起来。
四个痲风病人报信
9 他们彼此说：“我们这样作是不对的。今天是报好消息的日子，我们竟不出声，如果我们等到早上天亮，我们就算为有罪了。现在，来吧，我们要去通知王家。” 10 他们就去呼喊守城门的，告诉他们说：“我们去过亚兰人的军营那里，看见那里一个人也没有，也没有人声。只有马仍拴着，驴仍拴着，帐幕都原封不动。” 11 守城门的就喊叫起来，又往城内给王家报信。 12 王在夜间起来，对他的臣仆说：“我告诉你们亚兰人对我们所作的是怎么一回事。他们知道我们闹饥荒，所以出到军营外在田野埋伏，心里说：‘他们必从城里出来。我们就可以活捉他们，进入城里去了。’” 13 他的一位臣仆回答，说：“请叫人拉五匹剩下的马来；看哪，牠们像所有剩下在这里的以色列人，都要像所有死去的以色列人一样；让我们打发人去看看吧。” 14 于是他们取了两辆战车和马匹，王差人去追踪亚兰军，吩咐他们：“去查看吧。” 15 他们就去追踪亚兰军直到约旦河。看哪，沿途堆满了衣物器具，就是亚兰人在匆忙逃走时丢弃的。于是使者回去向王报告。
预言应验
16 众民就出去，抢掠亚兰人的军营。于是三公斤面粉卖十一克银子，六公斤大麦也卖十一克银子，好象耶和华所说的。 17 王指派那官长，就是那搀扶他的，在城门口镇压。众民在城门那里把他践踏在地，他就死了，好象神人所说的，就是王下来到神人那里时，他所说的。 18 这是因为当神人对王说：“明天大约这个时分，在撒玛利亚城门口，六公斤大麦卖十一克银子，三公斤面粉也卖十一克银子。” 19 那官长回答神人，说：“即使耶和华在天上开了窗户，也不会有这事发生。”神人说：“看哪，你要亲眼看见，却吃不着。” 20 这事果然发生在他身上：众民把他践踏在地，他就死了。
2 Kings 7
The Voice
2 Kings 7
The Voice
7 Elisha: Pay attention to this prediction from the Eternal. This is His message: “By this time tomorrow, 7 quarts of flour and 13 quarts of barley will sell for 11 grams at the market in the gate of Samaria.”
2 Then the king’s first officer responded to the man of God.
First Officer: Even if the Eternal carved out windows in heaven, is this really possible?
Elisha: You will witness this event, but you will not be allowed to enjoy the feast.
3 Meanwhile four men with skin diseases were standing and conversing near the gate entrance.
Diseased Men (to each other): Why are we just sitting around here isolated, waiting to die? 4 If we decide to go into the city where there is a famine, we will die just the same as if we stay here. So why don’t we walk over to the Aramean camp and see if we can get some food; it is our only hope. If we live, then we live; if we die, then we die.
5 Just before nightfall, they stood up and walked over to the Aramean camp, but when they got close to the camp, there was no one in sight. 6 The Lord had fooled the Aramean army. He had caused them to imagine the monstrous noise of a mighty army of chariots and horses coming toward them.
Arameans (to one another): That’s not just the army of Israel. Israel’s king has commissioned the Hittite kings and the Egyptian kings to war against us.
7 So the Arameans ran away just before nightfall, without any fighting taking place. God caused them to abandon their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and the campsite, and run for their lives.
8 When the diseased men arrived at the camp, they walked into one tent and ate and drank. They gathered up all the valuables they could find—clothes, silver, gold—and went out and hid them in a secret place. Then they went into another tent and did the same thing.
Diseased Men (among themselves): 9 This isn’t right. We have stumbled upon a good thing, and we have kept it to ourselves. If we wait until sunrise, we will surely be punished for our silence. Let’s go quickly now to tell the palace of this news.
10 So they returned to the city and called to the gatekeepers.
Diseased Men (to the gatekeepers): The Aramean camp is empty! We have just come from there, and there is not even a whisper of a man left there! The animals are still tied up, and the tents are still standing, but there is no one there!
11 The gatekeepers went and told the palace about this strange news. 12 The king woke up and listened to the report. He was immediately suspicious, so he explained his theory to his servants.
King of Israel: I don’t trust this. I think I know what the Arameans are up to. They are fully aware that we are all starving, so they have hidden themselves in a field outside of their camp and have created a plan: “As soon as they leave the city, we will attack them and capture them and overtake their city.”
Royal Servant: 13 Allow a few men to take five of the horses that are still alive in this miserable city. They are already doomed to the same destiny as all the Israelites left here and all the Israelites who have already died; therefore, let’s at least try to find a way to survive.
14 So a few men took a couple of chariots along with some of the horses that were still alive in the city, and Israel’s king told them, “Trail after the Aramean army, and get down to the bottom of this.” 15 The king’s messengers traveled to the Jordan River and found that the trail was covered with clothing and weapons and tools that the Arameans had left behind in their haste. The messengers immediately went back and told the king what they had found.
16 Everyone in the city went and raided the abandoned Aramean camp. So 7 quarts of premium flour were sold for 11 grams, and 13 quarts of barley were sold for the same, just as the Eternal had said they would be. 17 The king instructed his first officer to guard the gate, but everyone ran over him at the gate on their way to raid the abandoned Aramean camp. He was killed, as the man of God had said he would be when the king had spoken to him.
18 You recall that this man of God had told the king, “By this time tomorrow, 7 quarts of premium flour will sell for 11 grams, and 13 quarts of barley will sell for the same at the market in the gate of Samaria.” 19 The officer had then asked, “Even if the Eternal carved out windows in heaven, is it really possible?” Elisha had replied, “You will witness this event, but you will not be allowed to enjoy the feast.” 20 This was the truth about the officer’s destiny, for he was killed at the city entrance—trampled by the starving, miserable citizens of Samaria.
2 Kings 7
New International Version
2 Kings 7
New International Version
7 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel(A) at the gate of Samaria.”
2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning(B) said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates(C) of the heavens, could this happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat(D) any of it!”
The Siege Lifted
3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d](E) at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound(F) of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired(G) the Hittite(H) and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 7 So they got up and fled(I) in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
8 The men who had leprosy(J) reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”
10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
12 The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide(K) in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’”
13 One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”
14 So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” 15 They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight.(L) So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered(M) the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel,(N) as the Lord had said.
17 Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died,(O) just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 18 It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
19 The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates(P) of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” 20 And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 7:1 That is, probably about 12 pounds or about 5.5 kilograms of flour; also in verses 16 and 18
- 2 Kings 7:1 That is, about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams; also in verses 16 and 18
- 2 Kings 7:1 That is, probably about 20 pounds or about 9 kilograms of barley; also in verses 16 and 18
- 2 Kings 7:3 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin; also in verse 8.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Chinese New Version (Simplified) (CNVS)
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.