2 Kings 6
1 One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
And the children of the Prophets saide vnto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the place where we dwell with thee, is too litle for vs.
2 Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
Let vs nowe goe to Iorden, that we may take thence euery man a beame, and make vs a place to dwell in. And he answered, Goe.
3 One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
And one said, Vouchsafe, I pray thee, to go with thy seruants, and he answered, I will goe.
4 So they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
So he went with them, and when they came to Iorden, they cut downe wood.
5 But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
And as one was felling of a tree, the yron fell into the water: then he cryed, and said, Alas master, it was but borowed.
6 Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
And the man of God saide, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. Then he cut downe a piece of wood, and cast in thither, and he caused the yron to swimme.
7 Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
Then he saide, Take it vp to thee. And he stretched out his hand, and tooke it.
8 Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
Then the King of Aram warred against Israel, and tooke counsell with his seruants, and said, In such and such a place shalbe my campe.
9 But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
Therefore the man of God sent vnto the King of Israel, saying, Beware thou goe not ouer to such a place: for there the Aramites are come downe.
10 So the king of Israel would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
So the King of Israel sent to the place which the man of God tolde him, and warned him of, and saued himselfe from thence, not once, nor twise.
11 The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
And the heart of the King of Aram was troubled for this thing: therefore he called his seruants and saide vnto them, Will ye not shewe me, which of vs bewrayeth our counsel to the king of Israel?
12 One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
Then one of his seruants saide, None, my lorde, O King, but Elisha the Prophet that is in Israel, telleth the King of Israel, euen the wordes that thou speakest in thy priuie chamber.
13 The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
And he said, Goe, and espie where he is, that I may sende and fetch him. And one tolde him, saying, Beholde, he is in Dothan.
14 So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
So he sent thither horses, and charets, and a mightie hoste: and they came by night, and compassed the citie.
15 Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to do?”
And when the seruant of the man of God arose earely to goe out, beholde, an hoste compassed the citie with horses and charets. Then his seruant sayde vnto him, Alas master, howe shall we doe?
16 Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
And he answered, Feare not: for they that be with vs, are moe then they that be with them.
17 Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
Then Elisha prayed, and saide, Lord, I beseech thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the seruant, and he looked, and beholde, the mountaine was full of horses and charets of fyre round about Elisha.
18 When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
So they came downe to him, but Elisha prayed vnto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindnesse. And he smote them with blindnes, according to the worde of Elisha.
19 Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
And Elisha said vnto them, This is not the way, neither is this the citie: follow me, and I will leade you to the man whome ye seeke. But he ledde them to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
And when they were come to Samaria, Elisha saide, Lord, open their eyes that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw, and beholde, they were in the mids of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
And the King of Israel sayde vnto Elisha when he sawe them, My father, shall I smite them, shall I smite them?
22 Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: doest thou not smite them that thou hast taken with thy sworde, and with thy bowe? but set bread and water before them, that they may eate and drinke and goe to their master.
23 So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in Israel.
And he made great preparation for them: and when they had eaten and drunken, he sent them away: and they went to their master. So ye bands of Aram came no more into the land of Israel.
24 But some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
But afterward Ben-hadad King of Aram gathered all his hoste, and went vp, and besieged Samaria.
25 Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
So there was a great famine in Samaria: for loe, they besieged it vntill an asses head was at foure score pieces of siluer, and the fourth part of a kab of doues doung at fiue pieces of siluer.
26 One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
And as the King of Israel was going vpon the wall, there cryed a woman vnto him, saying, Helpe, my lord, O King.
27 He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
And he said, Seeing the Lord doeth not succour thee, howe shoulde I helpe thee with the barne, or with the wine presse?
28 What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
Also the King said vnto her, What ayleth thee? And she answered, This woman sayde vnto me, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him to day, and we will eate my sonne to morowe,
29 So we [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden her son!”
So we sod my sonne, and did eate him: and I saide to her the day after, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him, but she hath hid her sonne.
30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
And when the King had heard the wordes of the woman, he rent his clothes, (and as he went vpon the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackecloth within vpon his flesh)
31 The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
And he saide, God doe so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the sonne of Shaphat shall stande on him this day.
32 So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
(Nowe Elisha sate in his house, and the Elders sate with him.) And the King sent a man before him: but before the messenger came to him, he saide to the Elders, See ye not howe this murtherers sonne hath sent to take away mine head? take heede when the messenger commeth, and shut the doore and handle him roughly at the doore: is not the sounde of his masters feete behinde him?
33 And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
While he yet talked with them, beholde, the messenger came downe vnto him, and saide, Behold, this euill commeth of the Lord: should I attende on the Lord any longer?
