2 Kings 6

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 The brotherhood of prophets said to Elisha, 'Look, the place where we are living with you is too smal forus.	1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2 Let us go to the Jordan, then, and each of us cut a beam there, and we will make our living quartersthere.' He replied, 'Go.'	2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 'Be good enough to go with your servants,' one of them said. 'I wil go,' he replied,	3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 and went with them. On reaching the Jordan they began cutting down timber.	4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 But, as one of them was felling his beam, the iron axehead fel into the water. 'Alas, my lord,' heexclaimed, 'and it was a borrowed one too!'	5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 'Where did it fal ?' the man of God asked; and he showed him the spot. Then, cutting a stick, Elisha threw it in at that point and made the iron axehead float.	6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 'Lift it out,' he said; and the man stretched out his hand and took it.	7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
8 The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He conferred with his officers and said, 'You must attack atsuch and such a place.'	8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 Elisha, however, sent word to the king of Israel, 'Be on your guard about such and such a place,because the Aramaeans are going to attack it.'	9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 The king of Israel accordingly sent men to the place which Elisha had named. And he kept warning theking, and the king stayed on the alert; and this happened more than once or twice.	10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 The king of Aram grew very much disturbed over this. He summoned his officers, and said, 'Tel mewhich of you is betraying us to the king of Israel.'	11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 'No one, my lord king,' one of his officers replied. 'It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel. The words you utterin your bedchamber, he reveals to the king of Israel.'	12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 'Go and find out where he is,' the king said, 'so that I can send people to capture him.' Word wasbrought to him, 'He is now in Dothan.'	13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 So he sent horses and chariots there, and a large force; and these, arriving during the night,surrounded the town.	14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 Next day, Elisha got up early and went out; and there surrounding the town was an armed force withhorses and chariots. 'Oh, my lord,' his servant said, 'what are we to do?'	15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 'Do not be afraid,' he replied, 'for there are more on our side than on theirs.'	16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed. 'Yahweh,' he said, 'open his eyes and make him see.' Yahweh opened theservant's eyes, and he saw the mountain covered in fiery horses and chariots surrounding Elisha.	17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 As the Aramaeans came down towards him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, 'I beg you to strike these peoplesun-blind.' And, at Elisha's word, he struck them sun-blind.	18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 Then Elisha said to them, 'This is not the road, nor is this the town. Follow me; I shal lead you to theman you are looking for.' But he led them to Samaria.	19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 As they entered Samaria, Elisha said, 'Yahweh, open these people's eyes, and let them see.' Yahwehopened their eyes and they saw; they were inside Samaria.	20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'Shal I kil them, father?'	21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 'Do not kil them,' he replied. 'Do you kil your own prisoners with sword and bow? Offer them food andwater, so that they can eat and drink, and then let them go back to their master.'	22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 So the king provided a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them off andthey went back to their master. Aramaean raiding parties never invaded the territory of Israel again.	23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
24 It happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Aram, mustering his whole army, marched on and laidsiege to Samaria.	24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 In Samaria there was great famine, and so strict was the siege that the head of a donkey sold foreighty shekels of silver, and one quarter-kab of wild onions for five shekels of silver.	25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
26 Now as the king was passing along the city wal , a woman shouted, 'Help, my lord king!'	26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 'If Yahweh does not help you,' he retorted, 'where can I find help for you? From the threshing-floor?From the winepress?'	27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
28 Then the king asked, 'What is the matter?' 'This woman here', she answered, 'said to me, "Give upyour son; we will eat him today, and eat my son tomorrow."	28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
29 So we cooked my son and ate him. Next day, I said to her, "Give up your son for us to eat." But shehas hidden her son.'	29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
30 On hearing the woman's words, the king tore his clothes; the king was walking on the wal , and thepeople saw that underneath he was wearing sackcloth next his body.	30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 'May God bring unnameable ills on me, and worse il s, too,' he said, 'if the head of Elisha son ofShaphat remains on his shoulders today!'	31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger aheadbut, before the man arrived, Elisha had said to the elders, 'Do you see how this son of a murderer has givenorders to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door; hold the door against him. Isn't thatthe sound of his master's step behind him?'	32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
33 He was stil actually speaking, when the king arrived and said, 'This misery plainly comes fromYahweh. Why should I stil trust in Yahweh?'	33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?