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The Arameans Flee

Now there were four men with a defiling skin disease outside the city gate who said to one another, “Why should we sit here until we die?(A) If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there, but if we sit here, we shall also die. Therefore, let us desert to the Aramean camp; if they spare our lives, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die.”(B) So they arose at twilight to go to the Aramean camp, but when they came to the edge of the Aramean camp there was no one there at all. For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to fight against us.”(C) So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives.(D) When these diseased men had come to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank, carried off silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they came back, entered another tent, carried off things from it and went and hid them.

Then they said to one another, “What we are doing is wrong. This is a day of good news; if we are silent and wait until the morning light, we will be found guilty; therefore let us go and tell the king’s household.”(E) 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp, but there was no one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied, the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.” 11 Then the gatekeepers called out and proclaimed it to the king’s household. 12 The king got up in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Arameans have prepared against us. They know that we are starving, so they left 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.’ ”(F) 13 One of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, since those left here will suffer the fate of the whole multitude of Israel that have perished already;[a] let us send and find out.” 14 So they took two mounted men, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and find out.” 15 So they went after them as far as the Jordan; the whole way was littered with garments and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king.

16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of choice meal was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.(G) 17 Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate; the people trampled him to death in the gate, just as the man of God had said when the king came down to him. 18 For when the man of God had said to the king, “Two measures of barley shall be sold for a shekel and a measure of choice meal for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,”(H) 19 the captain had answered the man of God, “Even if the Lord were to make windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?” And he had answered, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat from it.”(I) 20 It did indeed happen to him; the people trampled him to death in the gate.

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Footnotes

  1. 7.13 Compare Gk Syr Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain

The Arameans Flee

Now there happened to be four lepers who were at that very moment at the entrance to the city gate. As they were talking with one another, they said, “Why are we sitting here waiting to die? If we tell ourselves, ‘Let’s remain in the city,’ we’ll die there since there’s famine in the city. But if we sit here, we’ll die, too. So let’s go over[a] to the Arameans! If they spare our lives, we’ll live, and if they kill us…we’re dying anyway!”[b]

So they got up at dusk and went out to the Aramean encampment. But when they arrived at the outskirts of the Aramean encampment, there was no one there! The Lord had made the Aramean army hear the sounds of chariots, horses, and a large army, so they told one another, “Look! The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the Egyptians to come attack us!” So the Arameans[c] got up and ran away in the gathering darkness. They left behind their tents, horses, and donkeys just as they were—and fled for their lives!

When the lepers arrived at the outskirts of the encampment, they entered one tent and ate and drank. Then they carried off from there some silver, gold, and clothes, and went out and hid them. After this, they returned, entered another tent, raided it, and went and hid all of that,[d] too! But then they told each other, “We’re not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, but if we keep quiet until morning, we’re sure to be punished! So let’s leave and go tell the king’s household!” 10 So they left, called out to the city gatekeepers, and reported to them: “We went out to the Aramean encampment, and there was nobody there! Not even the sound of men—only horses and donkeys tied up, and tents left just as they were!”

11 The gatekeepers announced the report to the king’s attendants, 12 so the king got up in the middle of the night and ordered his servants: “Let me explain what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we’re hungry, so they’ve left their encampment to conceal themselves in the surrounding fields. They’re telling themselves, ‘When they come out of the city, we’ll capture them alive and enter the city!’”

13 One of his attendants suggested, “Please, let’s take five of the remaining horses, since those who remain here will end up like the rest of Israel, which has already died, and we’ll send them out to look.” 14 So they took two chariots and horses, and the king sent them out after the Aramean army with the orders, “Go and look!”

The Prophecy is Fulfilled

15 They went out in the direction of the Jordan River,[e] and the entire roadway was strewn with clothes and equipment that the Arameans had abandoned in their haste to leave![f] So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16 At this, the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. At that time, a seah[g] of finely ground flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in accordance with the Lord’s message.

17 Meanwhile, the king appointed the same royal attendant on whom he depended[h] to take control of the city gate, but the people trampled him to death in the gate, just as the man of God had told the king when the king came down to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king:

“At about this time tomorrow, in Samaria’s city gate, a seah[i] of finely ground flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel.”

19 But the royal attendant on whom the king depended responded to the man of God: “Look here! Even if the Lord were to make a window in the sky, how could this happen?”

He replied, “No, you look! You’ll see it with your eyes, but you won’t eat any of it!”[j]

20 And so it happened to him, because the people trampled him in the city gate and he died.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 7:4 Lit. let’s fall
  2. 2 Kings 7:4 The Heb. lacks anyway
  3. 2 Kings 7:7 Lit. So they
  4. 2 Kings 7:8 The Heb. lacks all of that
  5. 2 Kings 7:15 The Heb. lacks River
  6. 2 Kings 7:15 The Heb. lacks to leave
  7. 2 Kings 7:16 I.e. a dry measure of grain equal to about 2 gallons in volume.
  8. 2 Kings 7:17 Cf. v. 2
  9. 2 Kings 7:18 I.e. a dry measure of grain equal to about 2 gallons in volume.
  10. 2 Kings 7:19 Cf. v. 1-2