II Kings Chapter 6

II Kings Chapter 6
1 And the children of the prophets said
unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the
place where we dwell with thee, is too
little for us.
2 Let us now go to Jordan, that we may
take thence every man a beam, and make
us a place to dwell in. And he answered,
Go.
3 And one said, Vouchsafe, I pray thee,
to go with thy servants, and he
answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them, and when they
came to Jordan, they cut down wood. 5
And as one was felling of a tree, the iron
fell into the water: then he cried, and
said, Alas master, it was but borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell
it? And he showed him the place. Then
he cut down a piece of wood, and cast in
thither, and he caused the iron to swim.
7 Then he said, Take it up to thee. And
he stretched out his hand, and took it. 8
Then the king of Aram [Syria] warred
against Israel, and took counsel with his
servants, and said, In such and such a
place shall be my camp. 9 Therefore the
man of God sent unto the king of Israel,
saying, Beware thou go not over to such
a place: for there the Aramites [Syrians]
are come down. 10 So the king of Israel
sent to the place which the man of God
told him, and warned him of, and saved
himself from thence, not once, nor twice.
11 And the heart of the king of Aram
[Syria] was troubled for this thing:
therefore he called his servants and said
unto them, Will ye not show me, which
of us betrayeth our counsel to the king
of Israel?
12 Then one of his servants said, None,
my lord, O king, but Elisha the prophet
that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel,
even the words that thou speakest in thy
privy chamber.
13 And he said, Go, and spy where he
is, that I may send and fetch him. And
one told him, saying, Behold, he is in
Dothan.
14 So he sent thither horses, and
chariots, and a mighty host: and they
came by night, and compassed the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of
God arose early to go out, behold, an
host compassed the city with horses and
chariots. Then his servant said unto him,
Alas master, how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they
that be with us, are more than they that
be with them.
17 Then Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I
beseech thee, open his eyes, that he may
see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the
servant, and he looked, and behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots
of fire round about Elisha.
18 So they came down to him, but 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.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is
not the way, neither is this the city:
follow me, and I will lead you to the
man whom ye seek. But he led them to
Samaria.
20 And when they were come to
Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, open their
eyes that they may see. And the Lord
opened their eyes, and they saw, and
behold, they were in the midst of
Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto
Elisha when he saw them, My father,
shall I smite them, shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not
smite them: dost thou not smite them that
thou hast taken with thy sword, and with
thy bow? But set bread and water before
them, that they may eat and drink and go
to their master. 23 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 the
bands of Aram [Syria] came no more
into the land of Israel.
24 But afterward Ben-hadad king of
Aram [Syria] gathered all his host, and
went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 So there was a great famine in
Samaria: for lo, they besieged it until an
ass's head was at fourscore pieces of
silver, and the fourth part of a cab of
dove's dung at five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was going
upon the wall, there cried a woman unto
him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 And he said, Seeing the Lord doth not
succor thee, how should I help thee with
the barn, or with the wine press?
28 Also the king said unto her, What
aileth thee? And she answered, This
woman said unto me, Give thy son, that
we may eat him today, and we will eat
my son tomorrow,
29 So we sod my son, and did eat him:
and I said to her the day after, Give thy
son, that we may eat him, but she hath
hid her son.
30 And when the king had heard the
words of the woman, he rent his clothes,
(and as he went upon the wall, the
people looked, and behold, he had
sackcloth within upon his flesh)
31 And he said, God do so to me and
more also, if the head of Elisha the son
of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 (Now Elisha sat in his house, and the
elders sat with him.) And the king sent a
man before him: but before the
messenger came to him, he said to the
elders, See ye not how this murderer's
son hath sent to take away mine head?
Take heed when the messenger cometh,
and shut the door and handle him
roughly at the door: is not the sound of
his master's feet behind him?
33 While he yet talked with them,
behold, the messenger came down unto
him, and said, Behold, this evil cometh
of the Lord: should I attend on the Lord
any longer?