Beginning
6 6 Elisha maketh iron to swim above the water. 8 He discloseth the king of Syria’s counsel to the king of Israel, 13 who sending certain to take him, were kept fast in Samaria. 24 Samaria is besieged, and endureth extreme famine.
1 And the children of the Prophets said unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the place where we dwell with thee, is too little for us.
2 Let us now go to Jordan, that we may take thence every man a [a]beam, and make us a place to dwell in. And he answered, Go.
3 And one said, Vouchsafe, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them, and when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 And as one was felling of a tree, the [b]iron fell into the water: then he cried, and said, Alas master, it was but borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. Then he cut down a piece of wood, and cast in thither, and he caused the iron to [c]swim.
7 Then he said, Take it up to thee. And he stretched out his hand, and took it.
8 ¶ Then the king of Aram warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, and said, In [d]such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 Therefore the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware thou go not over to such a place: for there the Aramites are come down.
10 So the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him, and warned him of, and [e]saved himself from thence, not once, nor twice.
11 And the heart of the king of Aram was troubled for this thing: therefore he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me, which of us bewrayeth our counsel to the king of Israel?
12 Then one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king, but Elisha the Prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel, even the words that thou speakest in thy [f]privy chamber.
13 And he said, Go, and espy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And one told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 ¶ So he sent thither horses, and chariots, and a [g]mighty host: and they came by night, and compassed the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early to go out, behold, an host compassed the city with horses and chariots. Then his servant said unto him, Alas master, how shall we do?
16 And he answered, [h]Fear not: (A)for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them.
17 Then Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, open his eyes, [i]that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he looked, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 So [j]they came down to him, but Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will lead you to the man whom ye seek. But he led [k]them to Samaria.
20 And when they were come to Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, open their eyes that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha when he saw them, [l]My father, shall I smite them, shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: doest thou not smite them that thou hast taken with thy sword, and with thy bow? but set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.
23 And he made great preparation for them: and when they had eaten and drunken, he sent them away: and they went to their master. So the bands of Aram came [m]no more into the land of Israel.
24 But afterward Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his host, and went up and besieged Samaria.
25 So there was a great famine in Samaria: for lo, they besieged it until an asses head was at four score pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s [n]dung at five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was going upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O King.
27 And he said, Seeing the Lord doth not succor thee, how should I help thee with the [o]barn, or with the wine press?
28 Also the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow,
29 (B)So we sod my son, and did eat him: and I said to her the day after, Give thy son, that we may eat him, but she hath hid her son.
30 And when the king had heard the words of the woman, he rent his clothes, (and as he went upon the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth [p]within [q]upon his flesh)
31 And he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 (Now Elisha sat in his house, and the Elders sat with him.) And the King sent a man before him: but before the messenger came to him, he said to the Elders, See ye not how this [r]murderer’s son hath sent to take away mine head? take heed when the messenger cometh, and shut the door, and handle him roughly at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?
33 While he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him, and said, Behold, this evil cometh of the Lord: [s]should I attend on the Lord any longer?
7 1 Elisha prophesieth plenty of vittles, and other things to Samaria. 6 The Syrians run away and have no man following them. 17 The prince that would not believe the word of Elisha, is trodden to death.
1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord, [t]Tomorrow this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.
2 Then a prince, on whose hand the king [u]leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Though the Lord would make [v]windows in the heaven, could this thing come to pass? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not [w]eat thereof.
3 Now there were four leprous men at the [x]entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall into the camp of the Aramites: if they save our lives, we shall live: and if they kill us, we are but dead.
5 So they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Aramites: and when they were come to the utmost part of the camp of the Aramites, lo, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had caused the camp of the Aramites to hear a [y]noise of chariots and a noise of horses, and a noise of a great army, so that they said one to another, Behold, the King of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us.
7 Wherefore they arose, and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and [z]fled for their lives.
8 And when these lepers came to the utmost part of the camp, they entered into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it: after, they returned, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
9 Then said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. If we tarry till daylight, some [aa]mischief will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go, and tell the king’s household.
10 So they came and called unto the porters of the city, and told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Aramites, and lo, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied and asses tied: and the tents are as they were.
11 And the porters cried and declared to the king’s house within.
12 Then the King arose in the night, and said unto his servants, [ab]I will show you now, what the Aramites have done unto us. They know that we are famished, therefore they are 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 me take now five of the horses that remain, and are left in the city, (behold, they are even as all the [ac]multitude of Israel that are left therein: behold, I say, they are as the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed) and we will send to see.
14 So they took [ad]two chariots of horses, and the king sent after the host of the Aramites, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them unto Jordan, and lo, all the way was full of clothes and vessels which the Aramites had cast from them in their haste: and the messengers returned, and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and spoiled the camp of the Aramites: so a measure of fine flour was at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel [ae]according to the word of the Lord.
17 And the king gave the prince (on whose hand he leaned) the charge of the gate, and the people [af]trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, which spake it, 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 at a shekel, and a measure of fine flour shall be at a shekel, tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.
19 But the prince had answered the man of God, and said, Though the Lord would make windows in the heaven, could it come so to pass? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat thereof.
20 And so it came unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.
8 1 Elisha prophesieth unto the Shunammite the dearth of seven years. 12 He prophesieth to Hazael, that he shall be king of Syria. 15 He reigneth after Ben-Hadad. 16 Jehoram reigneth over Judah. 20 Edom falleth from Judah. 25 Ahaziah succeedeth Jehoram.
1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, (C)whose son he had restored to life, saying, Up, and go, thou, and thine house, and sojourn where thou [ag]canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine, and it cometh also upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God, and went both she and her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 ¶ And at the seven year’s end, the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines, and went out [ah]to call upon the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the King talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great acts, that Elisha hath done.
5 And as he told [ai]the king, how he had restored one dead to life, behold, the woman, whose son he had raised to life, called upon the king for her house and for her land. Then Gehazi said, My lord, O King, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him: so the King appointed her an Eunuch, saying, Restore thou all that are hers, and all the [aj]fruits of her land since the day she left the land, even until this time.
7 ¶ Then Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad the king of Aram was sick: and one told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go meet the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took the present in his hand, and of every [ak]good thing of Damascus, even the burden of forty camels, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-Hadad king of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
10 And Elisha said to him, Go, and say unto him, Thou shalt [al]recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me, that he shall surely die.
11 And he looked upon him steadfastly, till Hazael was ashamed, and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, because I know the evil that thou shalt do unto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their young men shalt thou slay with the sword, and shalt dash their infants against the stones, and rent in pieces their women with child.
13 Then Hazael said, What? is thy servant [am]a dog, that I should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me, that thou shalt be King of Aram.
14 ¶ So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest recover.
15 And on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipped in it water, and [an]spread it on his face, and he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 ¶ (D)Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat King of Judah, [ao]Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began [ap]to reign.
17 He was two and thirty years old, when he began to reign: and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the [aq]daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for David his servant’s sake, (E)as he had promised him to give him a light, and to his children forever.
20 ¶ In those days Edom [ar]rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and made a King over themselves.
21 Therefore Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him, and he arose by night, and smote the Edomites which were about him, with the captains of the chariots, and the people fled into their tents.
22 So Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then [as]Libnah rebelled at that same time.
23 Concerning the rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And (F)Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
25 ¶ In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab King of Israel, did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 [at]Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram in [au]Ramoth Gilead, and the Aramites smote Joram.
29 And king Joram returned to be healed in [av]Jezreel of the wounds which the Aramites had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
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