The Syrians Flee

Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: (A)‘Tomorrow about this time a [a]seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”

(B)So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, (C)if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”

And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

The Syrians Flee

Now there were four leprous men (D)at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the (E)army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians (F)to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us (G)the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” Therefore they (H)arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some [b]punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.

12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are (I)hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to [c]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, “Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.” 14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” 15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, (J)according to the word of the Lord.

17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just (K)as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, (L)“Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”

19 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?”

And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your 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

  1. 2 Kings 7:1 A third of an ephah, or about 8 gallons
  2. 2 Kings 7:9 Calamity
  3. 2 Kings 7:12 Hide themselves in ambush

(A)Naye Erisa n’agamba nti, “Muwulire ekigambo kya Mukama, kubanga bw’atyo bw’ayogera Mukama nti, Jjo obudde nga buno ekigero ky’obutta obulungi ekyenkana lita omusanvu ne desimoolo ssatu kiritundibwa gulaamu kkumi n’emu, n’ebigero bibiri ebya sayiri bitundibwe gulaamu kkumi n’emu ebweru wa wankaaki w’e Samaliya.”

(B)Awo omukungu kabaka gwe yeesigamangako n’agamba omusajja wa Katonda nti, “Mukama ne bw’anakuba ebituli mu ggulu, ekyo tekiyinzika kubaawo.” Erisa n’amuddamu nti, “Ekyo olikiraba n’amaaso go, naye tolibaako na kimu ky’olyako ku byo.”

Abasuuli Badduka

(C)Waaliwo abasajja bana abaagengewala[a] abaabeeranga ku mulyango gwa wankaaki w’ekibuga. Ne bagambagana bokka ne bokka nti, “Kiki ekitutuuza wano okutuusa okufa? Bwe tunaagamba nti, ‘Tuyingire mu kibuga,’ enjala gy’eri, era tunaafiirayo; ate bwe tusigala wano, era nawo tujja kufiirawo. Noolwekyo tulage mu nkambi y’Abasuuli, bwe banaatusaasira, tunaaba balamu, bwe banaatutta, kale kinaaba bwe kityo.”

Awo ekiro mu ttumbi ne bagolokoka ne balaga mu lusiisira lw’Abasuuli. Naye bwe baatuuka mu kitundu ekisembayo eky’olusiisira, tewaali muntu n’omu. (D)Mukama yalowozesa eggye ly’Abasuuli nti kabaka wa Isirayiri yali apangisizza bakabaka b’Abakiiti n’ab’Abamisiri okujja okumulwanirira, bwe lyawulira eddoboozi ly’amagaali n’eddoboozi ly’embalaasi. (E)Ne bagolokoka ne badduka okuva mu nkambi yaabwe amatumbibudde ne baleka awo eweema zaabwe, n’embalaasi zaabwe n’endogoyi zaabwe, ne badduka okuwonya obulamu bwabwe.

(F)Abagenge bwe baatuuka ku nkambi w’ekoma, ne bayingira mu emu ku weema, ne balya ne banywa era ne beetikka n’effeeza ne zaabu n’engoye, ne bagenda ne babikweka. N’oluvannyuma ne bakomawo, ne bayingira mu weema endala, ne baggyayo ebyalimu, ne bagenda ne babikweka nabyo.

Awo ne bagambagana nti, “Kye tukola si kituufu. Luno olunaku lwa bigambo birungi; bwe tunaasirika ne tulinda okutuusa enkya, tujja kubonerezebwa. Noolwekyo tugende tutegeeze ab’omu nju ya kabaka.”

10 Awo ne bagenda ne bakoowoola abakuumi ba wankaaki w’ekibuga, ne boogera nti, “Twalaze mu nkambi y’Abasuuli ne tutasangayo muntu n’omu okuggyako embalaasi nga zisibiddwa, n’endogoyi nga zisibiddwa, n’eweema nga ziri nga bwe baazirese.” 11 Abakuumi ne balangirira amawulire ago, n’ab’omu lubiri ne bakiwulira.

12 (G)Kabaka n’agolokoka mu kiro ekyo, n’agamba abakungu be nti, “Ka mbategeeze Abasuuli kye bategese okutukola. Bamanyi nga tuli bayala; era bavudde mu nkambi yaabwe ne bagenda okwekweka ku ttale, nga balowooza nti, ‘Mazima ddala bajja kuvaayo, n’oluvannyuma tunaabawamba nga balamu, tulyoke tuyingire mu kibuga.’ ”

13 Awo omu ku bakungu be n’aleeta ekirowoozo nti, “Ffuna abasajja bagende n’embalaasi ttaano ku ezo ezisigaddewo, kubanga bali ng’ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri ekisigaddewo; baliba ng’ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri ekimaliddwawo. Ka tubasindikeyo bagende balabe ekiriyo.”

14 Awo ne balonda abeebagala embalaasi babiri n’embalaasi zaabwe, kabaka n’abatuma okuwondera eggye ly’Abasuuli, ng’abagamba nti, “Mugende mulabe.” 15 Ne babawondera okutuukira ddala ku Yoludaani, ne basanga ng’ekkubo lyonna lijjudde engoye n’ebintu ebirala Abasuuli bye baasuula nga badduka. Awo ababaka ne bakomawo eri kabaka ne bamutegeeza bye baalaba.

Okunyaga mu Nkambi y’Abasuuli

16 (H)Awo abantu ne bafuluma, ne bakaliza olusiisira lw’Abasuuli. Ekigero ky’obutta obulungi ekyenkana lita musanvu ne desimoolo ssatu ne kitundibwa gulaamu kkumi n’emu, n’ebigero bibiri ebya sayiri ne bitundibwa gulaamu kkumi n’emu, ng’ekigambo kya Mukama bwe kyali.

17 (I)Kabaka yali alonze omukungu we oli gwe yeesigamangako, okuvunaanyizibwa wankaaki, abantu ne bamulinnyiririra mu mulyango, n’afa, ng’omusajja wa Katonda bwe yayogera, mu kiseera kabaka bwe yalaga ewuwe. 18 Bwe kityo bwe kyali kubanga omusajja wa Katonda bwe yagamba kabaka nti, “Jjo essaawa nga zino ebigero bibiri ebya sayiri biritundibwa gulaamu kkumi n’emu, n’ekigero ky’obutta obulungi ne kitundibwa gulaamu kkumi n’emu, mu wankaaki ya Samaliya,” 19 (J)omukungu oyo, yaddamu omusajja wa Katonda nti, “Laba, Mukama ne bwaggulawo ebituli eby’omu ggulu, tekiyinzika kubaawo.” Omusajja wa Katonda n’amugamba nti, “Olikiraba n’amaaso go, naye toliryako na kimu.” 20 Era bwe kityo bwe kyali ekyamutuukako, abantu bwe bamulinnyiririra mu wankaaki, n’afa.

Footnotes

  1. 7:3 Abagenge baali tebateekwa kuliraana muntu yenna okuggyako bagenge bannaabwe (Lv 13:46)