2 Kings 6

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The brotherhood of prophets said to Elisha, 'Look, the place where we are living with you is too smal forus.	1 The guild prophets once said to Elisha: "There is not enough room for us to continue to live here with you.
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 to the Jordan, where by getting one beam apiece we can build ourselves a place to live." "Go," Elisha said.
3 'Be good enough to go with your servants,' one of them said. 'I wil go,' he replied,	3 "Please agree to accompany your servants," one of them requested. "Yes, I will come," he replied.
4 and went with them. On reaching the Jordan they began cutting down timber.	4 So he went with them, and when they arrived at the Jordan they began to fell trees.
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 While one of them was felling a tree trunk, the iron axhead slipped into the water. "O master," he cried out, "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 "Where did it fall?" asked the man of God. When he pointed out the spot, Elisha cut off a stick, threw it into the water, and brought the iron to the surface.
7 'Lift it out,' he said; and the man stretched out his hand and took it.	7 "Pick it up," he said. And the man reached down and grasped 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 When the king of Aram was waging war on Israel, he would make plans with his servants to attack a particular place.
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 But the man of God would send word to the king of Israel, "Be careful! Do not pass by this place, for Aram will attack there."
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 So the king of Israel would send word to the place which the man of God had indicated, and alert it; then they would be on guard. This happened several times.
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 Greatly disturbed over this, the king of Aram called together his officers. "Will you not tell me," he asked them, "who among 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 "No one, my lord king," answered one of the officers. "The Israelite prophet Elisha can tell the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom."
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 "Go, find out where he is," he said, "so that I may take him captive." Informed that Elisha was in Dothan,
14 So he sent horses and chariots there, and a large force; and these, arriving during the night,surrounded the town.	14 he sent there a strong force with horses and chariots. They arrived by night and surrounded the city.
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 Early the next morning, when the attendant of the man of God arose and went out, he saw the force with its horses and chariots surrounding the city. "Alas!" he said to Elisha. "What shall we do, my lord?"
16 'Do not be afraid,' he replied, 'for there are more on our side than on theirs.'	16 "Do not be afraid," Elisha answered. "Our side outnumbers theirs."
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 Then he prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes, that he may see." And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, so that he saw the mountainside filled with horses and fiery chariots around 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 When the Arameans came down to get him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike this people blind, I pray you." And in answer to the prophet's prayer the LORD struck them blind.
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 Then Elisha said to them: "This is the wrong road, and this is the wrong city. Follow me! I will take you to the man you want." And 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 When they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open their eyes that they may see." The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'Shal I kil them, father?'	21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked, "Shall I kill them, my father?"
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 "You must not kill them," replied Elisha. "Do you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword or bow? Serve them bread and water. Let them eat and drink, and then go back 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 The king spread a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went back to their master. No more Aramean raiders came 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 After this, Ben-hadad, king of Aram, mustered his whole army and laid siege to 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 Because of the siege the famine in Samaria was so severe that an ass's head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a fourth of a kab of wild onion for five pieces of silver.
26 Now as the king was passing along the city wal , a woman shouted, 'Help, my lord king!'	26 One day, as the king of Israel was walking on the city wall, a woman cried out to him, "Help, my lord 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 "No," he replied, "the LORD help you! Where could I find help for you: from the threshing floor or 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 Then the king asked her, "What is your trouble?" She replied: "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son that we may eat him today; then tomorrow we will eat my son.'
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 ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Now give up your son that we may eat him.' But she 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 When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his garments. And as he was walking on the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath, next to his skin.
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 "May God do thus and so to me," the king exclaimed, "if the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, stays on him today!"
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 Meanwhile, Elisha was sitting in his house in conference with the elders. The king had sent a man ahead before he himself should come to him. Elisha had said to the elders: "Do you know that this son of a murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? When the messenger comes, see that you close the door and hold it fast against him. His master's footsteps are echoing 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 While Elisha was still speaking, the king came down to him and said, "This evil is from the LORD. Why should I trust in the LORD any longer?"