The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 07
1 Elisha said, “Hear Yahweh’s word. Yahweh says, ‘Tomorrow about this time a
seah† of fine flour will be sold for a shekel,‡
and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the
gate of Samaria.’ ”
2 Then the captain on whose hand the
king leaned answered the man of God, and
said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in
heaven, could this thing be?”
He said, “Behold, you will see it with
your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
3 Now there were four leprous men at
the entrance of the gate. They said to one
another, “Why do we sit here until we die?
4 If we say, ‘We will enter into the city,’
then the famine is in the city, and we will
die there. If we sit still here, we also die.
Now therefore come, and let’s surrender
to the army of the Syrians. If they save us
alive, we will live; and if they kill us, we
will only die.”
5 They rose up in the twilight to go to the
camp of the Syrians. When they had come
to the outermost part of the camp of the
Syrians, behold, no man was there.
6 For the Lord§ had made the army of
the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots
and the sound of horses, even the noise
of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired
against us the kings of the Hittites and the
kings of the Egyptians to attack us.”
7 Therefore they arose and fled in the
twilight, and left their tents, their horses,
and their donkeys, eventhe camp as it was,
and fled for their life.
8 When these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one
tent, and ate and drank, then carried away
silver, gold, and clothing and went and hid
it. Then they came back, and entered into
another tent and carried things from there
also, and went and hid them.
9 Then they said to one another, “We
aren’t doing right. Today is a day of good
news, and we keep silent. If we wait until
the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let’s go and
tell the king’s household.”
10 So they came and called to the city
gatekeepers; and they told them, “We
came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, not even a
man’s voice, but the horses tied, and the
donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.”
11 Then the gatekeepers called out and
told it to the king’s household within.
12 The king arose in the night, and said to
his servants, “I willnow show you whatthe
Syrians have done to us. They know that
we are hungry. Therefore they have gone
out of the camp to hide themselves in the
field, saying, ‘When they come out of the
city, we shall take them alive, and get into
the city.’ ”
13 One of his servants answered, “Please
let some people take five of the horses that
remain, which are left in the city. Behold,
they are like all the multitude of Israel
who are left in it. Behold, they are like all
the multitude of Israel who are consumed.
Let’s send and see.”
14 Therefore they took two chariots with
horses; and the king sent them out to the
Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.”
15 They went after them to the Jordan;
and behold, all the path was full of garments and equipment which the Syrians
had cast away in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.
16 The people went out and plundered
the camp of the Syrians. So a seah† of
fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two
measures ofbarley for a shekel,‡ according
to Yahweh’s word.
17 The king had appointed the captain on
whose hand he leaned to be in charge of
the gate; andthe people trampledoverhim
in the gate, and he died as the man of God
had said, who spoke when the king came
down to him.
18 It happened as the man of God had
spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs§ of
barley for a shekel,† and a seah offineflour
for a shekel, shall be tomorrow about this
time in the gate of Samaria;”
19 and that captain answered the man
of God, and said, “Now, behold, if Yahweh
made windows in heaven, might such a
thing be?” and he said, “Behold, you will
see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
20 It happened like that to him, for the
people trampled over him in the gate, and
he died.