2 Kings 6:24-33
Expanded Bible
A Great Famine
24 Later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered his whole army and ·surrounded and attacked [besieged] Samaria. 25 There was a ·shortage of food [great famine] in Samaria. ·It was so bad [or The siege lasted so long] that a donkey’s head sold for ·about two pounds [L eighty shekels/or pieces] of silver, and ·half of a pint [L a fourth of a kab] of dove’s dung sold for ·about two ounces [L five shekels/or pieces] of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman yelled out to him, “Help me, my ·master [lord] and king!”
27 The king said, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, how can I? Can I get help from the threshing floor or from the winepress [C he has neither food nor drink to offer]?” 28 Then the king said to her, “What is your ·trouble [complaint]?”
She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we ·boiled [cooked] my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we can eat him.’ But she has hidden him.”
30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress]. As he walked along the wall, the people looked and saw he had on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap] under his clothes [C also a sign of mourning]. 31 He said, “May God ·punish me terribly [deal severely with me, and worse; L do to me, and even more] if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat ·isn’t cut off from his body [L remains on his shoulders] today [C the king blames Elisha for the situation]!”
32 The king sent a messenger to Elisha, who was sitting in his house with the elders [C an indication that Elisha is more powerful than the king]. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to them, “See, this murderer is sending men to ·cut off [L take away] my head. When the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it; don’t let him in. ·The [L Is not the…?] sound of his ·master’s [lord’s] feet is behind him.”
33 Elisha was still talking with the leaders when the messenger arrived. The king said, “This ·trouble [misery; L evil] has come from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
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2 Kings 6:24-33
New American Standard Bible
The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism
24 Now it came about after this, that (A)Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 So there was a severe (B)famine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a [a]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!” 27 But he said, “[b]If the Lord does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 Then the king said to her, “(C)What [c]is on your mind?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 (D)So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the woman’s words, (E)he tore his clothes—and he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth [d]underneath on his [e]body. 31 Then he said, “May (F)God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat [f]remains on him today.”
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and (G)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you (H)see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and [g]hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “(I)Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- 2 Kings 6:25 One kab equals about 2 qt. or 1.9 liters
- 2 Kings 6:27 Or No! Let the Lord help you
- 2 Kings 6:28 Lit to you
- 2 Kings 6:30 Lit within
- 2 Kings 6:30 Lit flesh
- 2 Kings 6:31 Lit stands
- 2 Kings 6:32 Lit press him with the door
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
