2 Kings 6
1 The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we live with you is too small for us all.
And sons of the prophet say unto Elisha, 'Lo, we pray thee, the place where we are dwelling before thee is too strait for us;
2 Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man cut down a tree there, and let us build us a place there where we may live.” Elisha answered, “You may go ahead.”
let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and we take thence each one beam, and we make for ourselves there a place to dwell there;' and he saith, 'Go.'
3 One of them said, “Please go with your servants.” Elisha answered, “I will go.”
And the one saith, 'Be pleased, I pray thee, and go with thy servants;' and he saith, 'I — I go.'
4 So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down trees.
And he goeth with them, and they come in to the Jordan, and cut down the trees,
5 But as one was chopping, the ax head fell into the water; he cried out and said, “Oh no, my master, it was borrowed!”
and it cometh to pass, the one is felling the beam, and the iron hath fallen into the water, and he crieth and saith, 'Alas! my lord, and it asked!'
6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” The man showed Elisha the place. He then cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the iron float.
And the man of God saith, 'Whither hath it fallen?' and he sheweth him the place, and he cutteth a stick, and casteth thither, and causeth the iron to swim,
7 Elisha said, “Pick it up.” So the man reached out his hand and grabbed it.
and saith, 'Raise to thee;' and he putteth forth his hand and taketh it.
8 Now the king of Aram was waging war against Israel. He consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
And the king of Aram hath been fighting against Israel, and taketh counsel with his servants, saying, 'At such and such a place [is] my encamping.'
9 So the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful not to pass that place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
And the man of God sendeth unto the king of Israel, saying, 'Take heed of passing by this place, for thither are the Aramaeans coming down;
10 The king of Israel sent a message to the place about which the man of God had spoken and warned him. More than once or twice, when the king went there, he was on his guard.
and the king of Israel sendeth unto the place of which the man of God spake to him, and warned him, and he is preserved there not once nor twice.
11 The king of Aram was enraged about these warnings, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me who among us is for the king of Israel?”
And the heart of the king of Aram is tossed about concerning this thing, and he calleth unto his servants, and saith unto them, 'Do ye not declare to me who of us [is] for the king of Israel?'
12 So one of his servants said, “No, my master, king, for Elisha the prophet in Israel tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your own bedroom!”
And one of his servants saith, 'Nay, my lord, O king, for Elisha the prophet, who [is] in Israel, declareth to the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in the inner part of thy bed-chamber.'
13 The king replied, “Go and see where Elisha is so I may send men and capture him.” It was told him, “See, he is in Dothan.”
And he saith, 'Go ye and see where he [is], and I send and take him;' and it is declared to him, saying, 'Lo — in Dothan.'
14 So the king sent to Dothan horses, chariots, and a large army. They came by night and surrounded the city.
And he sendeth thither horses and chariot, and a heavy force, and they come in by night, and go round against the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God had risen early and gone outside, behold, a large army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. His servant said to him, “Oh, my master! What will we do?”
And the servant of the man of God riseth early, and goeth out, and lo, a force is surrounding the city, and horse and chariot, and his young man saith unto him, 'Alas! my lord, how do we do?'
16 Elisha answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And he saith, 'Fear not, for more [are] they who [are] with us than they who [are] with them.'
17 Elisha prayed and said, “Yahweh, I beg that you will open his eyes that he may see.” Then Yahweh opened the servant's eyes, and he saw. Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha!
And Elisha prayeth, and saith, 'Jehovah, open, I pray Thee, his eyes, and he doth see;' and Jehovah openeth the eyes of the young man, and he seeth, and lo, the hill is full of horses and chariots of fire, round about Elisha.
18 When the Arameans came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Strike these people blind, I ask you.” So Yahweh made them blind, just as Elisha had asked.
And they come down unto it, and Elisha prayeth unto Jehovah, and saith, 'Smite, I pray Thee, this nation with blindness;' and He smiteth them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
19 Then Elisha told the Arameans, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you are looking for.” Then he led them to Samaria.
And Elisha saith unto them, 'This [is] not the way, nor [is] this the city; come after me, and I lead you unto the man whom ye seek;' and he leadeth them to Samaria.
20 It came about that when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “Yahweh, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the middle of the city of Samaria.
And it cometh to pass, at their coming in to Samaria, that Elisha saith, 'Jehovah, open the eyes of these, and they see;' and Jehovah openeth their eyes, and they see, and lo, in the midst of Samaria!
21 The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”
And the king of Israel saith unto Elisha, at his seeing them, 'Do I smite — do I smite — my father?'
22 Elisha answered, “You must not kill them. Would you kill those whom you had taken captive with your sword and bow? Put bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.”
And he saith, 'Thou dost not smite; those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow art thou smiting? set bread and water before them, and they eat, and drink, and go unto their lord.'
23 So the king prepared much food for them, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went back to their master. Those bands of Aramean soldiers did not return for a long time into the land of Israel.
And he prepareth for them great provision, and they eat and drink, and he sendeth them away, and they go unto their lord: and troops of Aram have not added any more to come in to the land of Israel.
24 Later after this Ben Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and attacked Samaria and besieged it.
And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathereth all his camp, and goeth up, and layeth siege to Samaria,
25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
and there is a great famine in Samaria, and lo, they are laying siege to it, till the head of an ass is at eighty silverlings, and a forth of the cab of dovesdung at five silverlings.
26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my master, king.”
And it cometh to pass, the king of Israel is passing by on the wall, and a woman hath cried unto him, saying, 'Save, my lord, O king.'
27 He said, “If Yahweh does not help you, how can I help you? Is there anything coming from the threshing floor or winepress?”
And he saith, 'Jehovah doth not save thee — whence do I save thee? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the wine-vat?'
28 The king continued, “What is troubling you?” She answered, “This woman said to me, 'Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'”
And the king saith to her, 'What — to thee?' and she saith, 'This woman said unto me, Give thy son, and we eat him to-day, and my son we eat to-morrow;
29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, “Give your son that we may eat him, but she has hidden her son.”
and we boil my son and eat him, and I say unto her on the next day, Give thy son, and we eat him; and she hideth her son.'
30 So when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes (now he was passing by on the wall), and the people looked and saw that he had sackcloth underneath, against his skin.
And it cometh to pass, at the king's hearing the words of the woman, that he rendeth his garments, and he is passing by on the wall, and the people see, and lo, the sackcloth [is] on his flesh within.
31 Then he said, “May God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on him today.”
And he saith, 'Thus doth God do to me, and thus He doth add — if it remain — the head of Elisha son of Shaphat — upon him this day.'
32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man from before him, but when the messenger came to Elisha, he said to the elders, “See how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?”
And Elisha is sitting in his house, and the elders are sitting with him, and [the king] sendeth a man from before him; before the messenger doth come unto him, even he himself said unto the elders, 'Have ye seen that this son of the murderer hath sent to turn aside my head? see, at the coming in of the messenger, shut the door, and ye have held him fast at the door, is not the sound of the feet of his lord behind him?'
33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. The king had said, “Behold, this trouble comes from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”
He is yet speaking with them, and lo, the messenger is coming down unto him, and he saith, 'Lo, this [is] the evil from Jehovah: what — do I wait for Jehovah any more?'
