2 Kings 6

The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us.

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us.

Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet.”

And he said, “Go.”

Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live.” So he said, “Go.”

Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?”

“I will,” Elisha replied.

Then one said, “Please be willing to go with your servants.” And he ^[a]answered, “I shall go.”

And he went with them.

They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.

So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.

As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”

But as one was felling a beam, ^[b]the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.”

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.

Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

“Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.

Elisha Traps Blinded Arameans

He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it.

The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha

Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he ^[c]counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.”

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.”

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.”

So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, ^[d]more than once or twice.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”

So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.” And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”

Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! ^[e]What shall we do?”

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

So he ^[f]answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this ^[g]people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.

Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”

Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I ^[h]kill them? Shall I ^[i]kill them?”

“Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.”

He ^[j]answered, “You shall not ^[k]kill them. Would you ^[l]kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.

Famine in Besieged Samaria

So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism

Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.

Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria.

There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels^[a] of silver, and a quarter of a cab^[b] of seed pods^[c] for five shekels.^[d]

There was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[m]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.

As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?”

He said, “^[n]If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?”

Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?”

She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’

And the king said to her, “What ^[o]is the matter with you?” And she ^[p]answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’

So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”

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.”

When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body.

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 behold, he had sackcloth ^[q]beneath on his ^[r]body.

He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”

Then he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[s]remains on him today.”

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, “Don’t you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”

Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ^[t]hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him.

The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”