³ Now four men with a skin disease^[a] were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?^{[b] 4} If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation,^[c] and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect^[d] to the Syrian camp! If they spare us,^[e] we’ll live; if they kill us—well, we were going to die anyway.”^{[f] 5} So they started toward^[g] the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. ⁶ The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” ⁷ So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. ⁸ When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal.^[h] They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all.^[i] Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it^[j] and went and hid what they had taken. ⁹ Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone.^[k] If we wait until dawn,^[l] we’ll be punished.^[m] So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” ¹⁰ So they went and called out to the gatekeepers^[n] of the city. They told them, “We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice.^[o] But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.”^{[p] 11} The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.^[q]

¹² The king got up in the night and said to his advisers,^[r] “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’” ¹³ One of his advisers replied, “Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people—we’re all going to die!)^[s] Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.”^{[t] 14} So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army.^[u] He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.”^{[v] 15} So they tracked them^[w] as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste.^[x] The scouts^[y] went back and told the king. ¹⁶ Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah^[z] of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as in the Lord’s message.

¹⁷ Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man^[aa] at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate.^[ab] This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him.^{[ac] 18} The prophet had told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ But the officer had replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?”^[ad] Elisha^[ae] had said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”^{[af] 20} This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.

Elisha Meets with Hazael

⁷ Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king^[a] was told, “The prophet^[b] has come here.” ⁸ So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift^[c] and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him,^[d] ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to visit Elisha.^[e] He took along a gift,^[f] as well as^[g] forty camel-loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son,^[h] King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question,^[i] ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ¹⁰ Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’^[j] but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” ¹¹ Elisha^[k] just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable.^[l] Then the prophet started crying. ¹² Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my master?” He replied, “Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women.” ¹³ Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?”^[m] Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.”^{[n] 14} He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad^[o] asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael^[p] replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” ¹⁵ The next day Hazael^[q] took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s^[r] face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.

Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy

¹⁴ Now Elisha had a terminal illness.^[a] King Jehoash of Israel went down to visit him.^[b] He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot^[c] and horsemen of Israel!”^{[d] 15} Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.^{[e] 16} Then Elisha^[f] told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.”^[g] He did so,^[h] and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ Elisha^[i] said, “Open the east window,” and he did so.^[j] Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he did so.^[k] Elisha^[l] said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria.^[m] You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!”^{[n] 18} Then Elisha^[o] said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so.^[p] He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The prophet^[q] got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria!^[r] But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died and was buried.^[s] Moabite raiding parties invaded^[t] the land at the beginning of the year.^{[u] 21} One day some men^[v] were burying a man when they spotted^[w] a raiding party. So they threw the dead man^[x] into Elisha’s tomb. When the body^[y] touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man^[z] came to life and stood on his feet.

²⁴ When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. ²⁵ Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from^[a] Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Jehoash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities.

¹² The rest of the events of Jehoash’s^[a] reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[b] 13} Jehoash passed away^[c] and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne.^[d] Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁵ The rest of the events of Jehoash’s^[a] reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[b] 16} Jehoash passed away^[c] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.

Jeroboam II’s Reign over Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria.

¹⁷ King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. ¹⁸ The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.^{[a] 19} Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem,^[b] so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him,^[c] and they killed him there. ²⁰ His body was carried back by horses,^[d] and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.

²⁵ King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. ²⁶ The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.^{[a] 27} From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem,^[b] so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him^[c] and they killed him there. ²⁸ His body was carried back by horses,^[d] and he was buried with his ancestors^[e] in the City of David.^[f]