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¹ And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too narrow for us.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.³ And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and 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 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 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.⁷ Therefore said he, Take [it] up to thee. And he put 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.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.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.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?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.

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.¹⁴ Therefore he sent thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and encompassed the city.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?¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not: for they that [are] with us [are] more than they that [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 around Elisha.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.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.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.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, 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.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.

²⁴ And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria.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.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.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?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.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.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.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.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?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?