2 Kings 7

1 And Elisha saith, 'Hear ye a word of Jehovah: thus said Jehovah, About this time to-morrow, a measure of fine flour [is] at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'

Elisha replied, “Listen to the message from the Lord. This is what the Lord says: Around this time tomorrow a seah of the best flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

2 And the captain whom the king hath, by whose hand he hath been supported, answereth the man of God and saith, 'Lo, Jehovah is making windows in the heavens — shall this thing be?' and he saith, 'Lo, thou art seeing it with thine eyes, and thereof thou dost not eat.'

The officer who was the king's assistant said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord opened windows in heaven what you say couldn't happen!” Elisha replied, “You'll see it with your own eyes, but you won't get to eat any of it.”

3 And four men have been leprous, at the opening of the gate, and they say one unto another, 'What — we are sitting here till we have died;

There happened to be four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why are we sitting around here until we die?

4 if we have said, We go in to the city, then the famine [is] in the city, and we have died there; and if we have sat here, then we have died; and now, come and we fall unto the camp of Aram; if they keep us alive, we live, and if they put us to death — we have died.'

If we say, ‘Let's go into the city,’ we'll die because of the famine there; but if we go on sitting here, we'll die too. So come on, let's go to the camp of the Arameans and surrender to them. If they let us live, we'll live; if they kill us, we'll die.”

5 And they rise in the twilight, to go in unto the camp of Aram, and they come in unto the extremity of the camp of Aram, and lo, there is not a man there,

So they set off when it was getting dark and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they arrived at the edge of the camp, nobody was there!

6 seeing Jehovah hath caused the camp of Aram to hear a noise of chariot and a noise of horse — a noise of great force, and they say one unto another, 'Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Egypt, to come against us.'

For the Lord had made the Arameans hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army approaching, so they said to each other, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come and attack us.”

7 And they rise and flee in the twilight, and forsake their tents, and their horses, and their asses — the camp as it [is] — and flee for their life.

So they jumped up and ran away into the night, leaving behind their tents, their horses, and their donkeys. In fact the camp was left just as it was when they ran for their lives.

8 And these lepers come in unto the extremity of the camp, and come in unto one tent, and eat, and drink, and lift up thence silver, and gold, and garments, and go and hide; and they turn back and go in unto another tent, and lift up thence, and go and hide.

When the lepers got to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank. Then they took the silver, gold, and clothes, and hid them. After that they went back to another tent, took some things from there, and hid them.

9 And they say one unto another, 'We are not doing right this day; a day of tidings it [is], and we are keeping silent; and — we have waited till the light of the morning, then hath punishment found us; and now, come and we go in and declare to the house of the king.'

Then they said to each other, “It's not right what we're doing. This is a day of good news, and if we keep quiet about it and wait until it gets light, we're sure to be punished. So let's go right away and let them know at the king's palace.”

10 And they come in, and call unto the gatekeeper of the city, and declare for themselves, saying, 'We have come in unto the camp of Aram, and lo, there is not there a man, or sound of man, but the bound horse, and the bound ass, and tents as they [are].'

They went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, “We went over to the Aramean camp and no one was there, not a sound of anybody! There were just horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents just as they were.”

11 and he calleth the gatekeepers, and they declare to the house of the king within.

The gatekeepers shouted out the news, and reports reached the royal palace.

12 And the king riseth by night, and saith unto his servants, 'Let me declare, I pray you, to you that which the Aramaeans have done to us; they have known that we are famished, and they are gone out from the camp to be hidden in the field, saying, When they come out from the city, then we catch them alive, and unto the city we enter.'

The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “Let me tell you the trick the Arameans are trying to play on us. They know we're starving, so they have left the camp and hidden in the field, thinking, ‘When they leave the city, we'll take them alive and be able to enter the city.’”

13 And one of his servants answereth and saith, 'Then let them take, I pray thee, five of the horses that are left, that have been left in it — lo, they [are] as all the multitude of Israel who have been left in it; lo, they are as all the multitude of Israel who have been consumed — and we send and see.'

One of his officers suggested, “Have some men take five of the remaining horses in the city. What happens to them will be the same as that of all the Israelites left here, All the Israelites here are doomed. Let's send them to find out what's going on.”

14 And they take two chariot-horses, and the king sendeth after the camp of Aram, saying, 'Go, and see.'

So they got two chariots ready with their horses, and the king sent them out to the Aramean camp, telling them “Go and take a look.”

15 And they go after them unto the Jordan, and lo, all the way is full of garments and vessels that the Aramaeans have cast away in their haste, and the messengers turn back and declare to the king.

They went after them as far as the Jordan, and the whole way was full of clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown aside as they ran away. The messengers returned and reported to the king.

16 And the people go out and spoil the camp of Aram, and there is a measure of fine flour at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah.

Then the people went out and looted the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the best flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, just as the Lord had predicted.

17 And the king hath appointed the captain, by whose hand he is supported, over the gate, and the people tread him down in the gate, and he dieth, as the man of God spake, which he spake in the coming down of the king unto him,

The king had put the officer who was his assistant in charge of the gate. In their rush the people trampled him in the gateway and he died, just as the man of God had said when the king visited him.

18 yea, it cometh to pass, according to the speaking of the man of God unto the king, saying, 'Two measures of barley at a shekel, and a measure of fine flour at a shekel are, at this time to-morrow, in the gate of Samaria;'

What the man of God had told the king also came true when he said, “Around this time tomorrow a seah of the best flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

19 and the captain answereth the man of God, and saith, 'And lo, Jehovah is making windows in the heavens — it is according to this word?' and he saith, 'Lo, thou art seeing with thine eyes, and thereof thou dost not eat;'

Also the officer who was the king's assistant had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord opened windows in heaven what you say couldn't happen!” Elisha had replied, “You'll see it with your own eyes, but you won't get to eat any of it.”

20 and it cometh to him so, and the people tread him down in the gate, and he dieth.

This is what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway and he died.