2 Kings 7

1 Then Elisha said: “Listen to the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Tomorrow, at this time, one measure of fine wheat flour will be one silver coin, and two measures of barley will be one silver coin, at the gate of Samaria.”

Then said Elisha—Hear ye the word of Yahweh, —Thus, saith Yahweh—About this time to-morrow, a measure of fine meal for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2 And one of the leaders, upon whose hand the king leaned, responding to the man of God, said, “Even if the Lord will open the floodgates of heaven, how can what you say possibly be?” And he said, “You will see it with your own eyes, and you will not eat from it.”

Then the officer on whose hand the king leaned responded to the man of God, and said, Even if Yahweh were making windows in the heavens, could this thing, come to pass? And he said—Lo! thou, art about to see it with thine own eyes, but, thereof, shalt thou not eat!

3 Now there were four lepers beside the entrance of the gate. And they said one to another: “Should we choose to stay here until we die?

Now there were, four men, lepers, at the entrance of the gate, —and they said one to another—Why are, we, sitting here until we are dead?

4 If we choose to enter the city, we will die from the famine. And if we remain here, we also will die. Therefore, come and let us flee over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare us, we will live. But if they choose to kill us, we will die anyway.”

If we say—Let us enter into the city, Then, the famine, is in the city, and we shall die there, and, if we remain here, then shall we die. Now, therefore, let us fall away unto the camp of the Syrians, if they save us alive, we shall live, and, if they put us to death, we shall die.

5 Therefore, they rose up in the evening, so that they might go to the camp of the Syrians. And when they had arrived at the beginning of the camp of the Syrians, they found no one in that place.

So they rose up in the twilight, to enter into the camp of the Syrians, —and, when they entered the outskirts of the camp of the Syrians, lo! there was not there, a man.

6 For indeed, the Lord had caused them to hear, in the camp of Syria, the sound of chariots and horses, and a very numerous army. And they said one to another: “Behold, the king of Israel has paid wages to the kings of the Hittites and of the Egyptians against us. And they will overwhelm us.”

Now, the Lord, had caused the camp of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, noise of horses, a 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 against us.

7 Therefore, they rose up and fled away in the dark. And they left behind their tents and horses and donkeys in the camp. And they fled, desiring to save so much as their own lives.

So they arose, and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, —the camp, just as it was, —and fled for their lives.

8 And so, when these lepers had arrived at the beginning of the camp, they entered one tent, and they ate and drank. And they took from there silver, and gold, and clothing. And they went away and hid it. And they returned again to another tent, and similarly, carrying away from there, they hid it.

When, therefore, these lepers came in as far as the outskirts of the camp, they entered into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried from thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went away and hid them, —and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried from thence—and went and hid them.

9 Then they said one to another: “We are not doing the right thing. For this is a day of good news. If we remain silent and refuse to report it until morning, we will be charged with a crime. Come, let us go and report it in the court of the king.”

Then said they one to another—Not a right thing, are, we, doing. This day, is, a day of good tidings, and, we, are holding our peace, if we tarry until the light of the morning, there will come upon us, some misfortune, —Now, therefore, come and let us go in, and tell the household of the king.

10 And when they had arrived at the gate of the city, they explained to them, saying: “We went into the camp of the Syrians, and we found no one in that place, except horses and donkeys tied, and the tents still standing.”

So they came in and called unto the gate of the city, and told them, saying, We entered into the camp of the Syrians, and lo! there was not there, a man, nor sound of human being, —only horses tied, and asses tied, and their tents, just as they were!

11 Therefore, the gatekeepers went and reported it in the palace of the king.

And the watchers of the gate called and told it to the household of the king, within.

12 And he rose up in the night, and he said to his servants: “I tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are suffering from famine, and therefore they have gone out from the camp, and they lie hidden in the fields, saying: ‘When they will have gone out from the city, we will capture them alive, and then we will be able to enter the city.’”

Then arose the king by night, and said unto his servants, Let me tell you, I pray you, what the Syrians have done to us, —they knew that we were, famished, so they have gone forth out of the camp, to hide in the field, saying, When they come forth out of the city, then shall we take them alive, and, into the city, will we enter.

13 But one of his servants responded: “Let us take the five horses that remain in the city (for there were no more amid the entire multitude of Israel, since the rest had been consumed), and sending, we will be able to explore.”

Then responded one of his servants, and said—Let there be taken, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which have been left therein, there they are, according to all the multitude of Israel who have been left therein, there they are, according to all the multitude of Israel, who have been consumed, —and let us send and see!

14 Therefore, they brought two horses. And the king sent them into the camp of the Syrians, saying, “Go, and see.”

So they took two chariots and horses, —and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see!

15 And they went away after them, as far as the Jordan. But behold, the entire way was filled with clothing and vessels, which the Syrians had thrown aside when they were disturbed. And the messengers returned and told the king.

And they followed them as far as the Jordan, and lo! all the way, was full of garments, and utensils, which the Syrians had cast away in their fright, —and the messengers returned, and told the king.

16 And the people, going out, pillaged the camp of the Syrians. And one measure of fine wheat flour went for one silver coin, and two measures of barley went for one silver coin, in accord with the word of the Lord.

Then went the people forth and spoiled the camp of the Syrians, —and so there came to be—a measure of fine meal for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of Yahweh.

17 Then the king stationed that leader, on whose hand he leaned, at the gate. And the crowd trampled him at the entrance of the gate. And he died, in accord with what the man of God had said when the king had descended to him.

Now, the king, had set the officer on whose hand he leaned, in charge over the gate, and the people trode upon him in the gate, that he died, —as spake the man of God, who said it when the messenger came down to him.

18 And this happened in accord with the word of the man of God, which he had spoken to the king, when he said: “Two measures of barley will be one silver coin, and one measure of fine wheat flour will be one silver coin, at this same time tomorrow, at the gate of Samaria.”

Yea it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken unto the messenger, saying, —Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine meal for a shekel, shall there be about this time to-morrow, in the gate of Samaria:

19 Then that leader had responded to the man of God, and he had said, “Even if the Lord will open the floodgates of heaven, how can what you say possibly happen?” And he said to him, “You will see it with your own eyes, and you will not eat from it.”

And when the officer responded to the man of God, and said, Lo! then, if Yahweh were making windows in the heavens, could it be according to this word? And he said, —Lo! thou art about to see it with thine own eyes, but, thereof, shalt thou not eat.

20 Therefore, it happened to him just as it had been predicted. For the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.

Yea it fell out to him, thus, —and the people trode upon him in the gate, that he died.