2 Kings 6
1 One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
And the sons of the prophets said to Elisaie, Behold now, the place wherein we dwell before you is too narrow for us.
2 Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
Let us go, we pray you, to Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and make for ourselves a habitation there.
3 One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
And he said, Go. And one of them said gently, Come with your servants. And he said, I will go.
4 So they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
And he went with them, and they came to Jordan, and began to cut down wood.
5 But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
And behold, one was cutting down a beam, and the axe head fell into the water: and he cried out, Alas! master: and it was hidden.
6 Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
And the man of God said, Where did it fall? and he showed him the place: and he broke off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron came to the surface.
7 Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
And he said, Take it up to yourself. And he stretched out his hand, and took it.
8 Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
And the king of Syria was at war with Israel: and he consulted with his servants, saying, I will encamp in such a place.
9 But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
And Elisaie sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take heed that you pass not by that place, for the Syrians are hidden there.
10 So the king of Israel would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
And the king of Israel sent to the place which Elisaie mentioned to him, and saved himself thence not once or twice.
11 The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
And the mind of the king of Syria was very much disturbed concerning this thing; and he called his servants, and said to them, Will you not tell me who betrays me to the king of Israel?
12 One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
And one of his servants said, Nay, my Lord, O king, for Elisaie the prophet that is in Israel reports to the king of Israel all the words whatever you may say in your bedchamber.
13 The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
And he said, Go, see where this man [is], and I will send and take him. And they sent word to him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothaim.
14 So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
And he sent there horses, and chariots, and a mighty host: and they came by night, and compassed about the city.
15 Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to do?”
And the servant of Elisaie rose up early and went out; and, behold, a host compassed the city, and horses and chariots: and the servant said to him, O master, what shall we do?
16 Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
And Elisaie said, Fear not, for they who are with us [are] more than they that are with them.
17 Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
And Elisaie prayed, and said, Lord, open, I pray you, the eyes of the servant, and let him see. And the Lord opened his eyes, and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses, and there were chariots of fire round about Elisaie.
18 When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
And they came down to him; and he prayed to the Lord, and said, Strike, I pray you, this people with blindness. And he struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisaie.
19 Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
And Elisaie said to them, This [is] not the city, and this [is] not the way: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. And he led them away to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
And it came to pass when they entered into Samaria, that Elisaie said, Open, I pray you, O Lord, their eyes, and let them see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
And the king of Israel said to Elisaie, when he saw them, Shall I [not] verily strike them, [my] father?
22 Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
And he said, You shall not strike them, unless you would strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow: set bread and water before them, and let them eat and drink, and depart to their master.
23 So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in Israel.
And he set before them a great feast, and they ate and drank: and he dismissed them and they departed to their master. And the bands of Syria came no longer into the land of Israel.
24 But some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
And it came to pass after this, that the son of Ader king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was [valued] at fifty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung at five pieces of silver.
26 One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
And the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, and a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
And he said to her, Unless the Lord help you, whence shall I help you? from the corn-floor, or from the wine-press?
28 What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
And the king said to her, What is [the matter] with you? And the woman said to him, This [woman] said to me, Give your son, and we will eat him today, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
29 So we [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden her son!”
So we boiled my son, and ate him; and I said to her on the second day, Give your son, and let us eat him: and she has hidden her son.
30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel heard the words of the woman, [that] he tore his garments; and he passed by on the wall, and the people saw sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
And he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisaie shall stand upon him this day.
32 So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
And Elisaie was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and [the king] sent a man before him: before the messenger came to him, he also said to the elders, Do you see that this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? See, as soon as the messenger shall have come, shut the door, and forcibly detain him at the door: [is] not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
33 And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
While he was yet speaking with them, behold, a messenger came to him: and he said, Behold, this evil [is] of the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?
