2 Kings 6
1 Forsothe the sones of prophetis seiden to Elisee, Lo! the place in which we dwellen bifor thee, is streiyt to vs;
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
2 go we `til to Jordan, and ech man take of the wode `a mater for hym silf, that we bild to vs here a place to dwelle.
Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.
3 Which Elisee seide, Go ye. And oon of hem seide, Therfor `and thou come with thi seruauntis. He answeride, Y schal come. And he yede with hem.
Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied.
4 And whanne thei `hadden come to Jordan, thei hewiden trees.
So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
5 Sotheli it bifelde, that whanne `o man hadde kit doun mater, the yrun of the axe felde in to the watir; and he criede, and seide, Alas! alas! alas! my lord, and Y hadde take this same thing bi borewing.
As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
6 Sotheli the man of God seide, Where felde it? And he schewide to hym the place. Therfor he kittide doun a tree, and sente thidur; and the yrun fletide.
“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.
7 And he seide, Take thou. Which helde forth the hond, and took it.
“Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.
8 Forsothe the kyng of Syrie fauyte ayens Israel; and he took counseil with hise seruauntis, and seide, Sette we buschementis in this place and that.
Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9 Therfor the man of God sente to the kyng of Israel, and seide, Be war, lest thou passe to that place, for men of Sirie ben there in buschementis.
Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
10 Therfor the kyng of Israel sente to the place, which the man of God hadde seid to him, and bifor ocupiede it, and kepte hym silf there not onys, nether twies.
So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
11 And the herte of the kyng of Sirie was disturblid for this thing; and whanne hise seruauntis weren clepide togidere, he seide, Whi schewen ye not to me, who is my tretour anentis the kyng of Israel?
For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 And oon of hise seruauntis seide, Nay, my lord the kyng, but Elisee, the prophete, which is in Israel, schewith to the kyng of Israel alle thingis, what euer thingis thou spekist in thi closet.
But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13 And the kyng seide to hem, `Go ye, and se, where he is, that Y sende, and take hym. And thei telden to him, and seiden, Lo! he dwellith in Dothaym.
So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,”
14 And the kyng sente thidur horsis, and charis, and the strengthe of the oost; whiche, whanne thei hadden come bi nyyt, cumpassiden the citee.
the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.
15 Sotheli the mynystre of the man of God roos eerli, and yede out, and he siy an oost in the cumpas of the citee, and horsis, and charis. And he telde to the man of God, and seide, Alas! alas! alas! my lord, what schulen we do?
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
16 And he answeride, Nile thou drede; for mo ben with vs than with hem.
“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And whanne Elisee hadde preied, he seide, Lord, opene thou the iyen of this child, that he se. And the Lord openyde the iyen of the child, and he siy. And, lo! the hil ful of horsis, and of charis of fier, in the cumpas of Elisee.
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 Sotheli the enemyes camen doun to hym; forsothe Elisee preiede to the Lord, and seide, Y biseche, smyte thou this folc with blyndenesse. And the Lord smoot hem, that thei sien not, bi the word of Elisee.
As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
19 Forsothe Elisee seide to hem, This is not the weie, nether this is the citee; sue ye me, and Y schal schewe to you the man, whom ye seken. And he ledde hem into Samarie.
And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 And whanne thei hadden entrid into Samarie, Elisee seide, Lord, opene thou the iyen of these men, that thei see. And the Lord openyde her iyen, and thei siyen, that thei weren in the myddis of Samarie.
When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
21 And the kyng of Israel, whanne he hadde seyn hem, seide to Elisee, My fadir, whether Y schal smyte hem?
And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
22 And he seide, Thou schalt not smyte hem, for thou hast not take hem bi thi swerd and bouwe, that thou smyte hem; but sette thou breed and watir bifor hem, that thei ete and drynke, and go to her lord.
“Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”
23 And `greet makyng redi of metis was set forth to hem; and thei eten, and drunken. And the kyng lefte hem, and thei yeden to her lord; and theues of Sirie camen no more in to the lond of Israel.
So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
24 Forsothe it was don after these thingis, Benadab, king of Sirie, gaderide alle his oost, and stiede, and bisegide Samarie.
Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
25 And greet hungur was maad in Samarie; and so long it was bisegid, til the heed of an asse were seeld for fourescore platis of siluer, and the fourthe part of a mesure clepid cabus of the crawe of culueris was seeld for fyue platis of siluer.
So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
26 And whanne the kyng of Israel passide bi the wal, sum womman criede to hym, and seide, My lord the kyng, saue thou me.
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
27 Which seide, Nai, the Lord saue thee; wherof may Y saue thee? of cornfloor, ethir of pressour? And the kyng seide to hir, What wolt thou to thee?
He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”
28 And sche answeride, This womman seide to me, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym to dai, and we schulen ete my sone to morewe.
Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’
29 Therfor we setheden my sone, and eten him. And Y seide to hir in the tother day, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym; and she hidde hir sone.
So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”
30 And whanne the kyng hadde herd this, he to-rente hise clothis, and passide bi the wal; and al the puple siy the heire, `with which the kyng was clothid at the fleisch with ynne.
When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
31 And the kyng seide, God do to me these thingis, and adde these thingis, if the heed of Elise, sone of Saphat, schal stonde on hym to dai.
He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
32 Sotheli Elisee sat in his hows, and elde men saten with hym; `therfor he biforsente a man, and bifor that thilke messanger cam, Elisee seide to the elde men, Whether ye witen, that the sone of manquellere sente hidur, that myn heed be gird of? Therfor se ye, whanne the messanger cometh, close ye the dore, and `suffre ye not hym to entre; for, lo! the sown of the feet of his lord is bihynde hym.
Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
33 And yit `while he spak to hem, the messanger that cam to hym apperide; and the kyng seide, Lo! so greet yuel is of the Lord; sotheli what more schal Y abide of the Lord?
While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
