2 *Kings 6

₁The prophets said to Elisha: ‘The place where we come together is too small for all of us. ₂Let us go to the Jordan River and cut down trees so that we can build a bigger place where we can sit.’ Elisha said yes ₃and then one of the prophets said to Elisha: ‘Please come with us.’ Elisha said yes, he would go with them. ₄He went with them. They went to the Jordan River and started to cut down trees. ₅While one of the prophets was cutting down a big tree, his axe fell into the water. He shouted and said: ‘Oh no, sir, it is an axe that I have borrowed from someone else.’ ₆The man of God asked him: ‘Where did the axe fall into the water?’ The prophet showed Elisha the place. Elisha cut off a stick and he threw it into the water and then the axe floated on the water. ₇Elisha said: ‘Now you can get the axe.’ The prophet put out his hand and he took the axe.

₈The king of Aram made war_against Israel. He made plans with his officers and decided on a place where he would put up his tents. ₉But the man of God told the king_of_Israel: ‘Beware that you do not go to that place because the Aramean soldiers are there.’ ₁₀The king_of_Israel sent a message to his men and he warned them not to go to that place. This happened a few times. ₁₁The king of Aram started to worry and he called his officers and said to them: ‘You must tell me which one of our men is telling the king_of_Israel what our plans are.’ ₁₂One of his officers said: ‘No, Your_Majesty, it is not one of our men. It is the prophet Elisha who is in the land_of_Israel. He knows everything. He can tell his king the things that you say in your bedroom.’ ₁₃The king of Aram said they must find out where Elisha was so that he could send men to catch him. They told the king that Elisha was in the town of Dothan. ₁₄Then the king of Aram sent horses and war-chariots and many men to Dothan. They came there in the night and the soldiers surrounded the town.

₁₅The next morning the servant of Elisha, the man of God, got up early and when he went outside he saw all the men and horses and war-chariots around the town. He said to Elisha: ‘Oh no, Sir, what can we do?’ ₁₆Elisha said to his servant: ‘Don't worry, there are more soldiers with us than there are with them.’ ₁₇Elisha prayed and said: ‘Lord, please open his eyes so that he can see.’ The Lord opened the eyes of the servant and he saw that the hills around Elisha were full of horses and war-chariots of fire.

₁₈When the Arameans came to them, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said: ‘Lord, please make these people blind.’ The Lord did what Elisha asked and all the Arameans became blind. ₁₉Elisha said to them: ‘You are on the wrong road and in the wrong town. Come with me. I will take you to the man you are looking for.’ Then Elisha took all the Arameans into the city of Samaria. ₂₀When they were in Samaria, Elisha prayed: ‘Lord, please open their eyes so that they can see.’ The Lord opened their eyes and when they looked, they saw that they were inside Samaria. ₂₁The king_of_Israel asked Elisha: ‘Sir, must I kill these Arameans?’ ₂₂But Elisha said: ‘No, don't kill them. You did not catch them in a war, so you may not kill them. Give them food and water so that they can eat and can go back to their king.’ ₂₃The king_of_Israel gave them a feast and the Arameans started to eat and drink. After that he let them go. They went back to their king and the Arameans did not attack the towns and cities in the land_of_Israel for a long time.

₂₄Later Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, called all his men and they attacked Samaria and put up their tents around the city. ₂₅They stayed there for a long time and later there was almost no more food to eat in Samaria. The food they still had became very expensive. The price of the head of a donkey was 80 shekels of silver and the price of a quarter of a cab of dove's droppings was 5 shekels.

₂₆One day the king_of_Israel was walking on the wall of the city when a woman shouted to him: ‘Your_Majesty, you must please help me.’ ₂₇The king said to her: ‘Ask the Lord to help you. I have nothing that I can give you, no wheat or wine or olive oil.’ ₂₈Then the king asked the woman: ‘But what is the problem?’ And she said: ‘This woman told me I must give my son so that we can eat him today, and tomorrow we will eat her son. ₂₉So we cooked my son and we ate him, and then the next day when I told her that she must bring her son so that we can eat him, she hid her son.’

₃₀When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes and he put on sack-cloth. He walked on the wall so that all the people could see that he was wearing sack-cloth under his other clothes. ₃₁Then the king said: ‘Today I will cut off the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat. God can punish me if I don't do it.’ The king sent someone to cut off Elisha's head. ₃₂Elisha was in his house and the leaders were sitting with him. But before the man who came from the king was at his house, Elisha said to the leaders: ‘Do you know that the king_of_Israel is a murderer and that he has sent someone to cut off my head? When he comes, you must lock the door and keep him out. They told me his king is following him.’

₃₃While Elisha was talking, the messenger came to his house and he said to Elisha: ‘It is the Lord who makes us suffer so much. I am not going to wait any longer. I know He is not going to help us.’