Read the Bible

¹ And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Look now, the place where we dwell before you is too strait for us.² Let us go, we pray you, to the Jordan, and take from there every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go.³ And one said, Be pleased, I pray you, to go with your slaves. And he answered, I will go.⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.⁵ But as one was felling a beam, the ax-head fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! for it was borrowed.⁶ And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in there, and made the iron to swim.⁷ And he said, Take it up to you. So he put out his hand, and took it.

⁸ Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his slaves, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.⁹ And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass such a place; for the Syrians are coming down there.¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice.¹¹ And the heart of the king of Syria was very troubled for this thing; and he called his slaves, and said to them, Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?¹² And one of his slaves said, No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber.

¹³ And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Look, he is in Dothan.¹⁴ Therefore he sent there horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.¹⁵ And when the minister of the man of God had risen early, and gone forth, look, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And servant said to him, Alas, my master! what shall we do?¹⁶ And he answered, Don't be afraid; for those that are with us are more than those that are with them.¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, Yahweh, I pray you, open his eyes, that he may see. And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, look, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, Smite this people, I pray you, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.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 you seek. And he led them to Samaria.²⁰ And it came to pass, when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and, look, they were in the midst of Samaria.²¹ And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?²² And he answered, You shall not smite them: would you smite those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.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. And the bands of Syria did not come into the land of Israel anymore.

²⁴ And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.²⁵ And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, look, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for 80 [pieces] of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five [pieces] of silver.²⁶ And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.²⁷ And he said, If Yahweh does not help you, from where shall I help you? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the wine press?²⁸ And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.²⁹ So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; and she has hid her son.³⁰ And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes (now he was passing by on the wall); and the people looked and saw that he had sackcloth inside on his flesh.³¹ Then 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 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and [the king] sent a man from before him: but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him: isn't the sound of his master's feet behind him?³³ And while he was yet talking with them, look, the king came down to him: and he said, Look, this evil is of Yahweh; why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?