2 Kings 6

Revised Geneva Translation

6 And the children of the Prophets said to Elisha, “If you please, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.

² “Let us now go to Jordan, so that every man may take a beam from there and make us a place to dwell.” And he answered, “Go.”

³ And one said, “Please agree to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.”

⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

⁵ And as one was cutting down a tree, the iron fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas master, for it was borrowed!”

⁶ And the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. Then he cut down a piece of wood and cast it in there. And he caused the iron to float.

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

⁸ Then the king of Aram warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, and said, “In (such and such a place) shall be my camp.”

⁹ Therefore, the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not go over to such a place. For the Aramites have come down there.”

¹⁰ So, the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him, and warned him of, and saved himself from there, not just once or twice.

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

¹² Then one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king. But Elisha the Prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your private chamber.”

¹³ And he said, “Go and spy out where he is, so that I may send and fetch him.” And one told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”

¹⁴ So he sent horses there, and chariots, and a mighty army. And they came by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early to go out, behold, an army surrounded the city with horses and chariots. Then his servant said to him, “Alas, master, what shall we do?”

¹⁶ And he answered, “Do not fear. For those who are with us, are more than those who are with them.”

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant. And he looked, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire, all around Elisha.

¹⁸ So they came down to him. But Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness, according to the Word of Elisha.

¹⁹ And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.

²⁰ And when they had come to Samaria, Elisha said, “LORD, open their eyes so that they may see.” And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw. And behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

²¹ And the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, “My father, shall I beat them? Shall I beat them?”

²² And he answered, “You shall not beat them. Do you beat those whom you have taken with your sword, and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

²³ And he made great preparation for them. And when they ate and drank, he sent them away. And they went to their master. So, the bands of Aram no longer came into the land of Israel.

²⁴ But afterward, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria.

²⁵ So, there was a great famine in Samaria. For lo, they besieged it until a donkey’s head was at eighty pieces of silver, and a twenty-fourth of a seah of dove’s dung at five pieces of silver.

²⁶ And as the king of Israel was going upon the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

²⁷ And he said, “The LORD does not help you. How could I help you with the barn or with the wine press?

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

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

³⁰ And when the king had heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he went upon the wall, the people looked. And behold, he had sackcloth underneath, upon his flesh.

³¹ And he said, “God do so to me and more also if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, shall stay on him this day.”

³² Now Elisha sat in his house. And the elders sat with him. And the king sent a man before him. But before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you not see how this murderer’s son has sent to take away my head? Take heed when the messenger comes. Shut the door and handle him roughly at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

³³ While he still talked with them, behold, the messenger came down to him, and said, “Behold, this misery comes from the LORD. Should I wait on the LORD any longer?”