< 2 Kings 7 >
1 And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be [sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
Forsothe Elisee seide, Here ye the word of the Lord; the Lord seith these thingis, In this tyme to morewe a buschel of flour schal be for a stater, and twei buschels of barli for a stater, in the yate of Samarie.
2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
And oon of the duykis, on whos hond the kyng lenyde, answeride to the man of God, and seide, Thouy `also the Lord make the goteris of heuene to be openyd, whether that, that thou spekist, mai be? Which Elisee seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
Therfor foure leprouse men weren bisidis the entryng of the yate, whiche seiden togidere, What wolen we be here, til we dien?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
Whether we wolen entre in to the citee, we schulen die for hungur; whether we dwellen here, we schulen die. Therfor come ye, and fle we ouer to the castels of Sirie; if thei schulen spare vs, we schulen lyue; sotheli if thei wolen sle, netheles we schulen die.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians; and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there.
Therfor thei risiden in the euentide to come to the castels of Sirie; and whanne thei hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels of Sirie, thei founden not ony man there.
6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
Forsothe the Lord hadde maad a sown of charis, and of horsis, and of ful myche oost to be herd in the castels of Sirie; and thei seiden togidere, Lo! the kyng of Israel hath hirid bi meede ayens vs the kyngis of Etheis and of Egipcians; and thei camen on vs.
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 fled for their life.
Therfor thei risiden, and fledden in derknessis, and leften her tentis, and horsis, and mulis, and assis, in the castels; and thei fledden, couetynge to saue her lyues oonli.
8 And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
Therfor whanne thilke leprouse men hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels, thei entriden into o tabernacle, and eetun, and drunken; and thei token fro thennus siluer, and gold, and clothis; and yeden, and hidden; and eft thei turneden ayen to anothir tabernacle, and in lijk maner thei token awei fro thennus, and hidden.
9 Then they 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 the morning light, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.
And thei seiden togidere, We doen not riytfuli, for this is a dai of good message; if we holden stille, and nylen telle til the morewtid, we schulen be repreued of trespassyng; come ye, go we, and telle in the `halle of the kyng.
10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city; and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were.
And whanne thei hadden come to the yate of the citee, thei telden to hem, and seiden, We yeden to the castels of Sirie, and we founden not ony man there, no but horsis and assis tied, and tentis fastned.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s household within.
Therfor the porteris yeden, and telden in the paleis of the kyng with ynne.
12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.
Which king roos bi niyt, and seide to hise seruauntis, Y seie to you, what the men of Sirie han do to vs; thei witen, that we trauelen with hungur, therfor thei yeden out of the castels, and ben hid in the feeldis, and seien, Whanne thei schulen go out of the citee, we schulen take hem quyk, and thanne we schulen mowe entre in to the citee.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed); and let us send and see.
Forsothe oon of his seruauntis answeride, Take we fyue horsis, that leften in the citee; for tho ben oonli in al the multitude of Israel, for othere horsis ben wastid; and we sendynge moun aspie.
14 They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
Therfor thei brouyten forth twei horsis; and the kyng sente in to the castels of men of Sirie, and seide, Go ye, and se.
15 And they went after them unto the Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
Whiche yeden after hem `til to Jordan; lo! forsothe al the weie was ful of clothis, and of vessels, whiche the men of Sirie castiden forth, whanne thei weren disturblid. And the messangeris turneden ayen, and schewiden to the kyng.
16 And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was [sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah.
And the puple yede out, and rauyschide the castels of Sirie; and a buyschel of flour was maad for o stater, and twei buyschels of barli for o stater, bi the word of the Lord.
17 And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
Forsothe the kyng ordeynede at the yate that duyk, in whos hond the kyng lenyde; whom the cumpeny to-trad with her feet, and he was deed, bi the word, which the man of God spak, whanne the kyng cam doun to hym.
18 And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria;
And it was doon bi the word of the man of God, which he seide to the kyng, whanne he seide, Twei buyschels of barli shulen be for a statir, and a buyschel of wheete flour for a stater, in this same tyme to morewe in the yate of Samarie;
19 and that captain answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof:
whanne thilke duyk answeride to the man of God, and seide, Yhe, thouy the Lord schal make the goteris in heuene to be openyd, whether this that thou spekist may be? and the man of God seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.
20 it came to pass even so unto him; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died.
Therfore it bifelde to hym, as it was biforseid; and the puple to-trad hym with feet in the yate, and he was deed.