2 Kings 7

1 Elisha replied to the king, “Listen to what Yahweh says: ‘He says that by this time tomorrow, at the marketplace here in Samaria, you will be able to buy (ten pounds/five kg.) of fine wheat or (20 pounds/ten kg.) of barley for [only] one piece of silver.’”

Forsothe Elisee seide, Here ye the word of the Lord; the Lord seith these thingis, In this tyme to morewe a buschel of flour schal be for a stater, and twei buschels of barli for a stater, in the yate of Samarie.

2 The king’s officer said to Elijah, “That cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the windows of the sky [and send grain down to us], that certainly could not [RHQ] happen!” Elisha replied, “[Because you said that, ] you [SYN] will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!”

And oon of the duykis, on whos hond the kyng lenyde, answeride to the man of God, and seide, Thouy `also the Lord make the goteris of heuene to be openyd, whether that, that thou spekist, mai be? Which Elisee seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.

3 That day there were four men who had (leprosy/a dreaded skin disease) who were sitting outside the gate of Samaria [city. They said to each other, “(Why should we] wait here until we die?/[It is ridiculous for us to] wait here until we die.) [RHQ]

Therfor foure leprouse men weren bisidis the entryng of the yate, whiche seiden togidere, What wolen we be here, til we dien?

4 If we go into the city, we will die there, because there is no food there. If we remain sitting here, we will die here. So let’s go to where the army of Syria has set up their tents. If they kill us, we will die. But if they allow us to remain alive, we will not die.”

Whether we wolen entre in to the citee, we schulen die for hungur; whether we dwellen here, we schulen die. Therfor come ye, and fle we ouer to the castels of Sirie; if thei schulen spare vs, we schulen lyue; sotheli if thei wolen sle, netheles we schulen die.

5 So when it was getting dark, those four men went to the camp where the army of Syria had set up their tents. But when they reached the camp, they saw that there was no one there!

Therfor thei risiden in the euentide to come to the castels of Sirie; and whanne thei hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels of Sirie, thei founden not ony man there.

6 What had happened was that Yahweh had caused the army of Syria to hear something that sounded like a large army marching with chariots and horses. So they said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel has hired the kings of Egypt and the Heth people-group [and their armies], and they have come to attack us!”

Forsothe the Lord hadde maad a sown of charis, and of horsis, and of ful myche oost to be herd in the castels of Sirie; and thei seiden togidere, Lo! the kyng of Israel hath hirid bi meede ayens vs the kyngis of Etheis and of Egipcians; and thei camen on vs.

7 So they all ran away that evening and left their tents and their horses and donkeys there, because [they were afraid that] they would be killed [if they stayed there].

Therfor thei risiden, and fledden in derknessis, and leften her tentis, and horsis, and mulis, and assis, in the castels; and thei fledden, couetynge to saue her lyues oonli.

8 When those four lepers came to the edge of the area where the soldiers of Syria had set up their tents, they went into one tent, [and saw all the things that had been left there]. So they ate and drank what was there, and they took the silver and the gold and clothes. Then they went [outside the tent] and hid those things. Then they entered another tent, and took things from there, and then went outside and hid them, also.

Therfor whanne thilke leprouse men hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels, thei entriden into o tabernacle, and eetun, and drunken; and thei token fro thennus siluer, and gold, and clothis; and yeden, and hidden; and eft thei turneden ayen to anothir tabernacle, and in lijk maner thei token awei fro thennus, and hidden.

9 But then they said to each other, “We are not doing what is right. We have good news [to tell others] today. If we do not tell it to anyone now, and if we wait until morning to tell it, we will certainly be punished [by Yahweh]. So let’s go right now to the palace and tell it to the king’s officials!”

And thei seiden togidere, We doen not riytfuli, for this is a dai of good message; if we holden stille, and nylen telle til the morewtid, we schulen be repreued of trespassyng; come ye, go we, and telle in the `halle of the kyng.

10 So they went to the guards at the city gates and called out to them, “We went to where the army of Syria had set up their tents, but we did not see or hear anyone there. Their horses and donkeys were still tied up, but their tents were all deserted/abandoned!”

And whanne thei hadden come to the yate of the citee, thei telden to hem, and seiden, We yeden to the castels of Sirie, and we founden not ony man there, no but horsis and assis tied, and tentis fastned.

11 The guards shouted the news, and some people [who heard it] went to the palace and reported it there.

Therfor the porteris yeden, and telden in the paleis of the kyng with ynne.

12 [When] the king [heard it, he] got up out of his bed and said to his officials, “I will tell you what the army of Syria is planning to do. They know that we have no food here, so they have left their tents and are hiding in the fields. They think that we will leave the city [to find some food], and then they will capture us and capture the city.”

Which king roos bi niyt, and seide to hise seruauntis, Y seie to you, what the men of Sirie han do to vs; thei witen, that we trauelen with hungur, therfor thei yeden out of the castels, and ben hid in the feeldis, and seien, Whanne thei schulen go out of the citee, we schulen take hem quyk, and thanne we schulen mowe entre in to the citee.

13 But one of his officials said, “Many of our Israeli people have already died [from (hunger/not having anything to eat]). If those of us who are still alive all stay here, we also will die anyway. So let’s send some men with five of our horses that are still alive to go and see [what has really happened].”

Forsothe oon of his seruauntis answeride, Take we fyue horsis, that leften in the citee; for tho ben oonli in al the multitude of Israel, for othere horsis ben wastid; and we sendynge moun aspie.

14 So they chose some men and told them to go in a chariot and find out what had happened to the army of Syria.

Therfor thei brouyten forth twei horsis; and the kyng sente in to the castels of men of Sirie, and seide, Go ye, and se.

15 They went as far as the Jordan [River]. All along the road they saw clothes and equipment that the soldiers from Syria had thrown away while they were running away very quickly. So the men returned to the king and reported [what they had seen].

Whiche yeden after hem `til to Jordan; lo! forsothe al the weie was ful of clothis, and of vessels, whiche the men of Sirie castiden forth, whanne thei weren disturblid. And the messangeris turneden ayen, and schewiden to the kyng.

16 Then many of the people of Samaria also went [out of the city and went] to where the army of Syria had previously set up their tents. They entered all the tents and took everything. [So there was now plenty of everything!] As a result people could buy ten pounds of fine wheat or 20 pounds of barley for only one piece of silver, which was what Yahweh had said would happen!

And the puple yede out, and rauyschide the castels of Sirie; and a buyschel of flour was maad for o stater, and twei buyschels of barli for o stater, bi the word of the Lord.

17 The king of Israel had appointed the officer who was his assistant to supervise what was happening at the marketplace. But as he was standing near the gate, all the people [who were rushing outside the city] trampled on him, and he died, which was what Elisha had said would happen to him when Elisha previously went to talk to the king.

Forsothe the kyng ordeynede at the yate that duyk, in whos hond the kyng lenyde; whom the cumpeny to-trad with her feet, and he was deed, bi the word, which the man of God spak, whanne the kyng cam doun to hym.

18 Elisha had told him that by the next day there would be plenty of food, with the result that anyone could buy ten pounds of fine wheat or 20 pounds of barley for only one piece of silver.

And it was doon bi the word of the man of God, which he seide to the kyng, whanne he seide, Twei buyschels of barli shulen be for a statir, and a buyschel of wheete flour for a stater, in this same tyme to morewe in the yate of Samarie;

19 And the officer had answered, “That certainly cannot [RHQ] happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the sky and send down some grain, that could not happen.” And Elisha had replied, “[Because you said that, ] you [SYN] will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!”

whanne thilke duyk answeride to the man of God, and seide, Yhe, thouy the Lord schal make the goteris in heuene to be openyd, whether this that thou spekist may be? and the man of God seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.

20 And that is what happened to him. The people [who were rushing out of] the city gate trampled on him, and he died.

Therfore it bifelde to hym, as it was biforseid; and the puple to-trad hym with feet in the yate, and he was deed.