2 Kings 6:24-33

Evangelical Heritage Version

Ben Hadad Lays Siege to Samaria

²⁴ After these things, Ben Hadad king of Aram mobilized his whole army and went up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁵ There was a severe famine in Samaria, because the siege lasted until a donkey head sold for eighty shekels^[a] of silver and a cup of dove’s droppings^[b] for five shekels of silver.

²⁶ When the king of Israel was walking on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

²⁷ But he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” ²⁸ Then the king asked her, “What is the problem?”

She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Come on, give up your son, and we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we cooked my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son so that we may eat him,’ but she hid her son.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. As he was walking on the wall, the people were surprised to see that he was wearing sackcloth on his body, underneath his clothing.

³¹ Then he said, “May God punish me severely and even double it, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him. But before the messenger came to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see that this murderer has sent this man to cut off my head? When the messenger comes, shut the door and push against it. Isn’t the sound of the feet of his master behind him?”

³³ While he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then the king said, “Indeed this evil is from the Lord. Why should I wait hopefully for the Lord anymore?”