6:1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the
place where we dwell with thee is too narrow for us.
6:2 Let us go, we pray thee, to 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.
6:3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy
servants. And he answered, I will go.
6:4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut
down wood.
6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the
water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was
borrowed.
6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him
the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast [it] in thither;
and the iron floated.
6:7 Therefore said he, Take [it] up to thee. And he put out his
hand, and took it.
6:8 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.
6:9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying,
Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians
have come down.
6:10 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.
6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly
troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said
to them, Will ye not show me which of us [is] for the king of
Israel?
6:12 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 bed-chamber.
6:13 And he said, Go, and spy where he [is], that I may send and
bring him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in
Dothan.
6:14 Therefore he sent thither horses, and chariots, and a great
host: and they came by night, and encompassed the city.
6:15 And when the servant of the man of God had risen early, and
gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses
and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! how
shall we do?
6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that [are] with us
[are] more than they that [are] with them.
6:17 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 around Elisha.
6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD,
and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And
he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
6:19 And Elisha said to 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.
6:20 And it came to pass, when they had 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.
6:21 And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My
father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?
6:22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldst 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.
6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had
eaten and drank, he sent them away, and they went to their
master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of
Israel.
6:24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of
Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
6:25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and behold, they
besieged it, until an ass's head was [sold] for eighty [pieces]
of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five
[pieces] of silver.
6:26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall,
there cried a woman to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
6:27 And he said, If the LORD doth not help thee, whence shall I
help thee? out of the barn-floor, or out of the wine-press?
6:28 And the king said to her, What aileth thee? and she
answered, This woman said to me, Give thy son, that we may eat
him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
6:29 So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the
next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid
her son.
6:30 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.
6:31 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.
6:32 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 my 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?
6:33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger
came down to him: and he said, Behold, this evil [is] from the
LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?
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