2 Kings 7

1 Elisha said, “Hear the word of Yahweh. This is what Yahweh says: 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'”

Then Elisha said, Give ear to the word of the Lord: the Lord says, Tomorrow, about this time, a measure of good meal will be offered for the price of a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the market-place of Samaria.

2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?” Elisha replied, “See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

Then the captain whose arm was supporting the king said to the man of God, Even if the Lord made windows in heaven, would such a thing be possible? And he said, Your eyes will see it, but you will not have a taste of the food.

3 Now there were four men with leprosy right outside the city gate. They said one to another, “Why should we sit here until we die?

Now there were four lepers seated at the doorway into the town: and they said to one another, Why are we waiting here for death?

4 If we say that we should go into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we will die there. But if we still sit here, we will still die. Now then, come, let us go to the army of the Arameans. If they keep us alive, we will live, and if they kill us, we will only die.”

If we say, We will go into the town, there is no food in the town, and we will come to our end there; and if we go on waiting here, death will come to us. Come then, let us give ourselves up to the army of Aram: if they let us go on living, then life will be ours; and if they put us to death, then death will be ours.

5 So they rose up at twilight to go into the Aramean camp; when they arrived at the outermost part of the camp, there was no one there.

So in the half light they got up to go to the tents of Aram; but when they came to the outer line of tents, there was no one there.

6 For the Lord had made the Aramean army hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses—the noise of another large army, and they said to each other, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us.”

For the Lord had made the sound of carriages and horses, and the noise of a great army, come to the ears of the Aramaeans, so that they said to one another, Truly, the king of Israel has got the kings of the Hittites and of the Egyptians for a price to make an attack on us.

7 So the soldiers arose and fled in the twilight; they left their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and the camp as it was, and fled for their lives.

So they got up and went in flight, in the half light, without their tents or their horses or their asses or any of their goods; they went in flight, fearing for their lives.

8 When the men with leprosy came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them. They came back and entered into another tent and carried plunder away from there also, and went and hid it.

And when those lepers came to the outer line of tents, they went into one tent, and had food and drink, and took from it silver and gold and clothing, which they put in a secret place; then they came back and went into another tent from which they took more goods, which they put away in a secret place.

9 Then they said each other, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping quiet about it. If we wait until daybreak, punishment will overtake us. Now then, come, let us go and tell the king's household.”

Then they said to one another, We are not doing right. Today is a day of good news, and we say nothing: if we go on waiting here till the morning, punishment will come to us. So let us go and give the news to those of the king's house.

10 So they went and called the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, saying, “We went to the camp of the Arameans, but there was no one there, not the sound of anyone, but there were the horses tied, and the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.”

So they came in, and, crying out to the door-keepers of the town, they gave them the news, saying, We came to the tents of the Aramaeans, and there was no one there and no voice of man, only the horses and the asses in their places, and the tents as they were.

11 Then the gatekeepers shouted out the news, and then it was told inside the king's household.

Then the door-keepers, crying out, gave the news to those inside the king's house.

12 Then the king arose at night and said to his servants, “I will tell you now what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry, so they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the fields. They are saying, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive, and get into the city.'”

Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, This is my idea of what the Aramaeans have done to us. They have knowledge that we are without food; and so they have gone out of their tents, and are waiting secretly in the open country, saying, When they come out of the town, we will take them living and get into the town.

13 One of the king's servants answered and said, “I beg you, let some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. They are like all the rest of the population of Israel who are left—most are now dead; let us send them and see.”

And one of his servants said in answer, Send men and let them take five of the horses which we still have in the town; if they keep their lives they will be the same as those of Israel who are still living here; if they come to their death they will be the same as all those of Israel who have gone to destruction: let us send and see.

14 So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

So they took two horsemen; and the king sent them after the army of the Aramaeans, saying, Go and see.

15 They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was full of clothes and equipment that the Arameans had cast away in their hurry. So the messengers returned and told the king.

And they went after them as far as Jordan; and all the road was covered with clothing and vessels dropped by the Aramaeans in their flight. So those who were sent went back and gave the news to the king.

16 The people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, just as the word of Yahweh had said.

Then the people went out and took the goods from the tents of the Aramaeans. So a measure of good meal was to be had for the price of a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, as the Lord had said.

17 The king had ordered the captain on whose hand he had leaned to be in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him down in the gateway. He died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king had come down to him.

And the king gave authority to that captain, on whose arm he was supported, to have control over the doorway into the town; but he was crushed to death there under the feet of the people, as the man of God had said when the king went down to him.

18 So it happened as the man of God had said to the king, saying, “About this time in the gate of Samaria, two measures of barley will be available for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel.”

So the words of the man of God came true, which he said to the king: Two measures of barley will be offered for the price of a shekel and a measure of good meal for a shekel, tomorrow about this time in the market-place of Samaria.

19 That captain had answered the man of God and said, “See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?” Elisha had said, “See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

And that captain said to the man of God, Even if the Lord made windows in heaven, would such a thing be possible? And he said to him, Your eyes will see it, but you will not have a taste of the food.

20 That is what exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

And such was his fate; for he was crushed to death under the feet of the people, in the doorway into the town.