1 E disseram os filhos dos profetas a Eliseu: Eis que o lugar em que habitamos diante da tua face, nos é estreito.

2 Vamos, pois, até ao Jordão e tomemos de lá, cada um de nós, uma viga, e façamo-nos ali um lugar para habitar. E disse ele: Ide.

3 E disse um: Serve-te de ires com os teus servos. E disse: Eu irei.

4 E foi com eles; e, chegando eles ao Jordão, cortaram madeira.

5 E sucedeu que, derrubando um deles uma viga, o ferro caiu na água; e clamou, e disse: Ai, meu senhor! ele era emprestado.

6 E disse o homem de Deus: Onde caiu? E mostrando-lhe ele o lugar, cortou um pau, e o lançou ali, e fez flutuar o ferro.

7 E disse: Levanta-o. Então ele estendeu a sua mão e o tomou.

8 E o rei da Síria fazia guerra a Israel; e consultou com os seus servos, dizendo: Em tal e tal lugar estará o meu acampamento.

9 Mas o homem de Deus enviou ao rei de Israel, dizendo: Guarda-te de passares por tal lugar; porque os sírios desceram ali.

10 Por isso o rei de Israel enviou àquele lugar, de que o homem de Deus lhe dissera, e de que o tinha avisado, e se guardou ali, não uma nem duas vezes.

11 Então se turbou com este incidente o coração do rei da Síria, chamou os seus servos, e lhes disse: Não me fareis saber quem dos nossos é pelo rei de Israel?

12 E disse um dos servos: Não, ó rei meu senhor; mas o profeta Eliseu, que está em Israel, faz saber ao rei de Israel as palavras que tu falas no teu quarto de dormir.

13 E ele disse: Vai, e vê onde ele está, para que envie, e mande trazê-lo. E fizeram-lhe saber, dizendo: Eis que está em Dotã.

14 Então enviou para lá cavalos, e carros, e um grande exército, os quais chegaram de noite, e cercaram a cidade.

15 E o servo do homem de Deus se levantou muito cedo e saiu, e eis que um exército tinha cercado a cidade com cavalos e carros; então o seu servo lhe disse: Ai, meu senhor! Que faremos?

16 E ele disse: Não temas; porque mais são os que estão conosco do que os que estão com eles.

17 E orou Eliseu, e disse: Senhor, peço-te que lhe abras os olhos, para que veja. E o Senhor abriu os olhos do moço, e viu; e eis que o monte estava cheio de cavalos e carros de fogo, em redor de Eliseu.

18 E, como desceram a ele, Eliseu orou ao Senhor e disse: Fere, peço-te, esta gente de cegueira. E feriu-a de cegueira, conforme a palavra de Eliseu.

19 Então Eliseu lhes disse: Não é este o caminho, nem é esta a cidade; segui-me, e guiar-vos-ei ao homem que buscais. E os guiou a Samaria.

20 E sucedeu que, chegando eles a Samaria, disse Eliseu: Ó Senhor, abre a estes os olhos para que vejam. O Senhor lhes abriu os olhos, para que vissem, e eis que estavam no meio de Samaria.

21 E, quando o rei de Israel os viu, disse a Eliseu: Feri-los-ei, feri-los-ei, meu pai?

22 Mas ele disse: Não os ferirás; feririas tu os que tomasses prisioneiros com a tua espada e com o teu arco? Põe-lhes diante pão e água, para que comam e bebam, e se vão para seu senhor.

23 E apresentou-lhes um grande banquete, e comeram e beberam; e os despediu e foram para seu senhor; e não entraram mais tropas de sírios na terra de Israel.

24 E sucedeu, depois disto, que Ben-Hadade, rei da Síria, ajuntou todo o seu exército; e subiu e cercou a Samaria.

25 E houve grande fome em Samaria, porque eis que a cercaram, até que se vendeu uma cabeça de um jumento por oitenta peças de prata, e a quarta parte de um cabo de esterco de pombas por cinco peças de prata.

26 E sucedeu que, passando o rei pelo muro, uma mulher lhe bradou, dizendo: Acode-me, ó rei meu senhor.

27 E ele lhe disse: Se o Senhor te não acode, donde te acudirei eu? Da eira ou do lagar?

28 Disse-lhe mais o rei: Que tens? E disse ela: Esta mulher me disse: Dá cá o teu filho, para que hoje o comamos, e amanhã comeremos o meu filho.

29 Cozemos, pois, o meu filho, e o comemos; mas dizendo-lhe eu ao outro dia: Dá cá o teu filho, para que o comamos; escondeu o seu filho.

30 E sucedeu que, ouvindo o rei as palavras desta mulher, rasgou as suas vestes, e ia passando pelo muro; e o povo viu que o rei trazia cilício por dentro, sobre a sua carne,

31 E disse: Assim me faça Deus, e outro tanto, se a cabeça de Eliseu, filho de Safate, hoje ficar sobre ele.

32 Estava então Eliseu assentado em sua casa, e também os anciãos estavam assentados com ele. E enviou o rei um homem adiante de si; mas, antes que o mensageiro viesse a ele, disse ele aos anciãos: Vistes como o filho do homicida mandou tirar-me a cabeça? Olhai pois que, quando vier o mensageiro, fechai-lhe a porta, e empurrai-o para fora com a porta; porventura não vem, após ele, o ruído dos pés de seu senhor?

33 E, estando ele ainda falando com eles, eis que o mensageiro descia a ele; e disse: Eis que este mal vem do Senhor, que mais, pois, esperaria do Senhor?

1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, There is not room enough for us in the place where we are living under your care;

2 So let us go to Jordan, and let everyone get to work cutting boards, and we will make a living-place for ourselves there. And he said to them, Go, then.

3 And one of them said, Be pleased to go with your servants. And he said, I will go.

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they got to work cutting down trees.

5 But one of them, while cutting a board, let the head of his axe go into the water; and he gave a cry, and said, This is a bad business, my master, for it is another's.

6 And the man of God said, Where did it go in? and when he saw the place where it had gone into the water, cutting a stick, he put it into the water, and the iron came up to the top of the water.

7 Then he said, Take it up. So he put out his hand and took it.

8 At that time the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he had a meeting with the chiefs of his army and said, I will be waiting in secret in some named place.

9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take care to keep away from that place, for the Aramaeans are waiting there in secret.

10 So the king of Israel sent to the place where the man of God had said there was danger, and kept clear of it more than once.

11 And at this, the mind of the king of Aram was greatly troubled, and he sent for his servants and said to them, Will you not make clear to me which of us is helping the king of Israel?

12 And one of them said, Not one of us, my lord king; but Elisha, the prophet in Israel, gives the king of Israel news of the words you say even in your bedroom.

13 Then he said, Go and see where he is, so that I may send and get him. And news came to him that he was in Dothan.

14 So he sent there horses and carriages and a great army; and they came by night, circling the town.

15 Now the servant of the man of God, having got up early and gone out, saw an army with horses and carriages of war all round the town. And the servant said to him, O my master, what are we to do?

16 And he said in answer, Have no fear; those who are with us are more than those who are with them.

17 Then Elisha made a prayer to the Lord, saying, Lord, let his eyes be open so that he may see. And the Lord made the young man's eyes open; and he saw that all the mountain was full of horses and carriages of fire round Elisha.

18 Now when the Aramaeans came down to Elisha, he made a prayer to the Lord saying, Lord, make this people blind. And he made them blind at Elisha's request.

19 And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, and this is not the town: come after me so that I may take you to the man you are searching for. And he took them to Samaria.

20 And when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, let the eyes of these men be open so that they may see. And the Lord made their eyes open, and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.

21 And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?

22 But he said in answer, You are not to put them to death; have you any right to put to death those whom you have not taken prisoner with your sword and your bow? put bread and water before them, so that they may have food and drink and go to their master.

23 So he made ready a great feast for them, and when they had had food and drink, he sent them away and they went back to their master. And no more bands of Aramaeans came into the land of Israel.

24 Now after this, Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got together all his army and went up to make an attack on Samaria, shutting the town in on all sides with his forces.

25 And they became very short of food in Samaria; for they kept it shut in till the price of an ass's head was eighty shekels of silver, and a small measure of doves' droppings was five shekels of silver.

26 And when the king of Israel was going by on the wall, a woman came crying out to him, and said, Help! my lord king.

27 And he said, If the Lord does not give you help, where am I to get help for you? from the grain-floor or the grape-crusher?

28 And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she said in answer, This woman said to me, Give your son to be our food today, and we will have my son tomorrow.

29 So, boiling my son, we had a meal of him; and on the day after I said to her, Now give your son for our food; but she has put her son in a secret place.

30 Then the king, hearing what the woman said, took his robes in his hands, violently parting them; and, while he was walking on the wall, the people, looking, saw that under his robe he had haircloth on his flesh.

31 Then he said, May God's punishment come on me if Elisha, the son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his body after this day.

32 But Elisha was in his house, and the responsible men were seated there with him; and before the king got there, Elisha said to those who were with him, Do you see how this cruel and violent man has sent to take away my life?

33 While he was still talking to them, the king came down and said, This evil is from the Lord; why am I to go on waiting any longer for the Lord?