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, even the 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 will now show 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 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 of barley 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; and the people trampled over him 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 of fine flour 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.

1 以利沙说： "你们要听耶和华的话。耶和华这样说： ‘明日大约这个时候， 在撒玛利亚的城门， 三公斤面粉只卖十一克银子， 六公斤大麦也只是卖十一克银子。’"

2 但那搀扶王的官长回答神人， 说： "即使耶和华在天上开了窗户， 也不会有这事发生。"以利沙说： "看哪， 你要亲眼看见， 却吃不着。"

3 有四个痲风病人在城门口那里， 他们彼此说： "我们为什么坐在这里等死呢？

4 我们如果说： ‘我们进城去吧！ ’城里正有饥荒， 我们就要死在那里。我们如果坐在这里， 也是要死。现在， 让我们去投降亚兰人的军队吧； 如果他们饶我们一命， 我们就可以活着； 如果他们要杀死我们， 我们就死吧。"

5 于是他们在黄昏动身去到亚兰人的军营那里； 他们来到亚兰人的军营外边， 竟看不见一个人在那里。

6 因为主使亚兰人的军队听见战车、战马和大军的声音； 他们就彼此说： "看哪， 一定是以色列王雇用了赫人的众王和埃及人的众王来攻击我们。"

7 于是他们在黄昏的时候起来逃跑， 他们丢下他们的帐幕， 他们的马匹和他们的驴子； 军营仍在那里， 他们却只顾逃命去了。

8 这些患痲风病的人来到军营的外边， 他们进入其中一座帐幕， 又吃又喝， 并且从那里取去金子、银子和衣服， 然后离去， 把东西收藏起来。他们再回去， 进入另一座帐幕， 从那里拿走财物， 去收藏起来。

9 他们彼此说： "我们这样作是不对的。今天是报好消息的日子， 我们竟不出声， 如果我们等到早上天亮， 我们就算为有罪了。现在， 来吧， 我们要去通知王家。"

10 他们就去呼喊守城门的， 告诉他们说： "我们去过亚兰人的军营那里， 看见那里一个人也没有， 也没有人声。只有马仍拴着， 驴仍拴着， 帐幕都原封不动。"

11 守城门的就喊叫起来， 又往城内给王家报信。

12 王在夜间起来， 对他的臣仆说： "我告诉你们亚兰人对我们所作的是怎么一回事。他们知道我们闹饥荒， 所以出到军营外在田野埋伏， 心里说： ‘他们必从城里出来。我们就可以活捉他们， 进入城里去了。’"

13 他的一位臣仆回答， 说： "请叫人拉五匹剩下的马来； 看哪， 它们像所有剩下在这里的以色列人， 都要像所有死去的以色列人一样； 让我们打发人去看看吧。"

14 于是他们取了两辆战车和马匹， 王差人去追踪亚兰军， 吩咐他们： "去查看吧。"

15 他们就去追踪亚兰军直到约旦河。看哪， 沿途堆满了衣物器具， 就是亚兰人在匆忙逃走时丢弃的。于是使者回去向王报告。

16 众民就出去， 抢掠亚兰人的军营。于是三公斤面粉卖十一克银子， 六公斤大麦也卖十一克银子， 好像耶和华所说的。

17 王指派那官长， 就是那搀扶他的， 在城门口镇压。众民在城门那里把他践踏在地， 他就死了， 好像神人所说的， 就是王下来到神人那里时， 他所说的。

18 这是因为当神人对王说： "明天大约这个时分， 在撒玛利亚城门口， 六公斤大麦卖十一克银子， 三公斤面粉也卖十一克银子。"

19 那官长回答神人， 说： "即使耶和华在天上开了窗户， 也不会有这事发生。"神人说： "看哪， 你要亲眼看见， 却吃不着。"

20 这事果然发生在他身上： 众民把他践踏在地， 他就死了。