1 Then Elisha said, Hear you the word of the LORD; Thus said the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall to the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6 For the LORD had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, See, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come on us.
7 Why they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried there silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come on us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king' household.
10 So they came and called to the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king' house within.
12 And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray you, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them to Jordan: and, see, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people stepped on him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:
19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat thereof.
20 And so it fell out to him: for the people stepped on him in the gate, and he died.
1 Then Elisha said, Hear the Word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah: Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.
2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah would make windows in the heavens, could this thing be? And he said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, Why are we sitting here until we will have died?
4 If we say, We will enter the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we are also dead. Now therefore, come, let us fall to the camp of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall have died.
5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the edge of the Syrian camp, behold, no one was there.
6 For Jehovah had caused the camp of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses, the sound of a great army; so 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 come upon us!
7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp; their tents, their horses, and their donkeys; and they fled for their lives.
8 And when the lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we are remaining silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the kings household.
10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and reported to them, saying, We went to the Syrian camp, and behold, no one was there, no voice of man; only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they reported it to the kings household inside.
12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, Let me now tell you what the 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 catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Behold, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or behold, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.
14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them after the Syrian camp, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and reported to the king.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. And a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the Word of Jehovah.
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had spoken, who had spoken when the king came down to him.
18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.
19 And that officer had answered the man of God, and said, Now behold, if Jehovah would make windows in the heavens, could such a thing be? And he had said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.
20 Thus it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.