2 Kings 6

¹And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place where we are dwelling there to your face is too tight for us.

²Let us go, please, to the Jordan, and let take from there each man one beam, and let us make to us there a place where we may dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.”

³And the one said, “Be resolved, please, and go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.”

⁴And he went with them, and they came to the Jordan, and they cut down the trees.

⁵And it came to pass, the one was cutting down a tree and the iron fell into the water. And he cried out and said, “Alas, master! And it was borrowed.”

⁶And the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place, and he cut off a stick and threw it in there; and the iron he made float.

⁷And he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” And he stretched out his hand, and he took it.

⁸And the king of Aram had been making war against Israel, and he counseled with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place My camp will be.”

⁹And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware of passing over this place. For there Aram is coming down.”

¹⁰And the king of Israel sent one to the place of which the man of God had told him; and he warned him, and he was watchful there—not once and not twice.

¹¹And the heart of the king of Aram was greatly troubled by this thing, and he called to his servants and said to them, “Will you not show to me who of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹²And one of his servants said, “None, my lord the king, but Elisha the prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told to him, saying, “Behold, in Dothan.”

¹⁴And he sent there horses and chariot and a great army, and they came by night and went around against the city.

¹⁵And the servant of the man of God rising, arose early, and he went out, and there was an army surrounding the city, and horse and chariot. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

¹⁶And he answered, “Fear not, for more are those who are with us than those who are with them.”

¹⁷And Elisha prayed and said, “O YHWH, open, please, his eyes, that he may see.” And YHWH opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

¹⁸And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to YHWH and said, “Strike, please, this people with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

¹⁹And 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 led them to Samaria.

²⁰And it came to pass, when they came to Samaria, that Elisha said, “O YHWH, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And YHWH opened their eyes, and they saw. And behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

²¹And the king of Israel said to Elisha at his seeing them, “Shall I strike? Shall I strike, My father?”

²²And he answered, “You shall not strike. Those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow, would you kill? Set food and water before their faces, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

²³And he prepared for them a great feast, and they ate and drank, and he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands from Aram added not again to come into the land of Israel.

²⁴And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his camp, and he went up and laid siege against Samaria.

²⁵And there was a great famine in Samaria. And behold, they lay siege against it until the head of a donkey was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a forth of a cab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.

²⁶And it came to pass that the king of Israel passing by on the wall, and a woman cried out to him, saying, “Save me, my lord the king.”

²⁷And he said, “YHWH does not save you—from where do I save you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?”

²⁸And the king said to her, “What is troubling you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him today, and my son we will eat tomorrow.’

²⁹And we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ And she has hidden her son.”

³⁰And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, sackcloth was on his flesh within.

³¹And he said, “Thus may God do to me, and thus He does add, if remains the head of Elisha son of Shaphat on him today.”

³²And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And he sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, at the coming in of the messenger, shut the door and hold him fast at the door. Is there not the sound of the feet of his master behind him?”

³³And while he was speaking with them, behold, the messenger was coming down to him, and he said, “Behold, this evil is from YHWH. Why should I wait for YHWH any longer?”