2 Kings, 6

1. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

1. Now the fellow prophets said to Elisha, "See, the place where we are gathered has become too small for us.

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.

2. Let us go to the Jordan, and let each of us get a log to build a shed where we can gather." Elisha answered, "Go."

3. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

3. Then one of them said to him, "Why do you not come along with us?"

4. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

4. So Elisha went with them. And when they arrived at the Jordan, they began to cut down the trees.

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.

5. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his axehead fell into the river, and he exclaimed, "O my master, the iron piece that you have lent me!" The man of God asked him,

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.

6. "Where did it fall?" And he showed Elisha the place. Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in there, and the iron piece floated.

7. Therefore said he, Take [it] up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

7. Elisha said, "Get it." The man reached out his hand and took it.

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.

8. At that time when the king of Aram was raiding Israel, he consulted with his officials, and told them, "Let us attack that people."

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.

9. But the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel, "Guard this place for the Arameans shall go there."

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.

10. So the king of Israel sent men to the place indicated by the man of God, and they kept watch there. And this happened several times.

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?

11. The king of Aram was worried because of these things, so he called his officials and told them, "Go and find out who is revealing our plans 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.

12. One of his officials said, "None of us has betrayed you, my king, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, makes known to his king even the words you say in your bedroom."

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.

13. The king answered them, "Go then and find out where he lives, that I may send people to arrest him." When they told him that Elisha was in Dothan,

14. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

14. he sent chariots, horses and strong troops who arrived there by night and surrounded the city.

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?

15. On the following day, when the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning, he went out and saw the Arameans surrounding the city with their chariots and horses. He said to Elisha, "O my master, what shall we do?"

16. And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them.

16. He answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

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.

17. Elisha prayed and said, "Yahweh, open his eyes that he may see." Yahweh opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw the hill full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.

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.

18. As the Arameans came down to him, Elisha again prayed to Yahweh, "Blind them." So Yahweh made them unable to see as Elisha had asked.

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.

19. Elisha told them, "This is not the way nor is this the city. Follow me and I shall bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to 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.

20. When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, "Yahweh open their eyes that they may see," and they saw they were in Samaria.

21. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?

21. When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them?"

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.

22. He answered, "If you do not kill those whom you have captured with your sword and your bow, how can you kill these men? Give them bread and water so they may eat and drink, and let them return to their master."

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.

23. So the king served them a grand banquet, and they ate and drank. Then he sent them away to their master. From that day on, the troops of Aram did not return any more to invade the territories of Israel.

24. And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

24. Afterwards Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, gathered together all his troops and went to lay siege to Samaria.

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.

25. There was great famine in Samaria; so great was the misery that the head of an ass was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a half-liter of chickpeas for five pieces of silver.

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.

26. The king of Israel was walking by upon the wall when a woman cried out to him, "Save me, my lord King!"

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?

27. The king answered, "In what way can I help you? If Yahweh does not give you bread, where shall I get it?

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.

28. What is the matter?" She answered, "That woman told me: give up your son that we may eat him today, and then we will eat my son tomorrow.

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.

29. So we cooked my son and ate him. But on the next day, when I said to her: Take your son that we may eat him, she had hidden him."

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.

30. When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. He was upon the wall, and the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth under his tunic.

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.

31. The king swore: "May the Lord punish me, if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, remains on his shoulders today." And the king sent a guard to Elisha's house.

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?

32. Elisha was seated in his house and the elders were sitting with him. Before the messenger's arrival, Elisha said to them, "Do you not know that this murderer has ordered someone to cut my head off? Well then, when the messenger comes, shut the door and do not let him in. Behind him, I hear the sound of his master's footsteps."

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?

33. He was still talking to them, when the king arrived. The king said, "If all this evil comes from Yahweh, why should I still trust him?"