6One day the guild of prophets came to Elisha and said, "You can see that this place where we're living under your leadership is getting cramped—we have no elbow room.H1121H5030H559H6440H477H4725H3427H68622Give us permission to go down to the Jordan where each of us will get a log. We'll build a roomier place." Elisha said, "Go ahead."H3212H3383H3947H376H259H6982H6213H4725H3427H559H32123One of them then said, "Please! Come along with us!" He said, "Certainly."H259H559H2974H3212H5650H559H32124He went with them. They came to the Jordan and started chopping down trees.H3212H935H3383H1504H60865As one of them was felling a timber, his axhead flew off and sank in the river. "Oh no, master!" he cried out. "And it was borrowed!"H259H5307H6982H1270H5307H4325H6817H559H162H113H75926The Holy Man said, "Where did it sink?" The man showed him the place. He cut off a branch and tossed it at the spot. The axhead floated up.H376H430H559H575H5307H7200H4725H7094H6086H7993H1270H66877"Grab it," he said. The man reached out and took it.H559H7311H7971H3027H39478One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after consulting with his officers, he said, "At such and such a place I want an ambush set."H4428H758H3898H3478H3289H5650H559H6423H492H4725H84669The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: "Watch out when you're passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there."H376H430H7971H4428H3478H559H8104H5674H2088H4725H758H518510So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him. This kind of thing happened all the time.H4428H3478H7971H4725H376H430H559H2094H8104H259H814711The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, "Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?"H3820H4428H758H5590H1697H7121H5650H559H5046H4428H347812But one of his men said, "No, my master, dear king. It's not any of us. It's Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom."H259H5650H559H113H4428H477H5030H3478H5046H4428H3478H1697H1696H2315H490413The king said, "Go and find out where he is. I'll send someone and capture him." The report came back, "He's in Dothan."H559H3212H7200H351H7971H3947H5046H559H188614Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city.H7971H5483H7393H3515H2428H935H3915H5362H5892H536215Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, "Oh, master! What shall we do?"H8334H376H430H6965H7925H3318H2428H5437H5892H5483H7393H5288H559H162H113H621316He said, "Don't worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side."H559H3372H722717Then Elisha prayed, "O GOD, open his eyes and let him see." The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!H477H6419H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H5288H7200H2022H4390H5483H7393H784H5439H47718When the Arameans attacked, Elisha prayed to GOD, "Strike these people blind!" And GOD struck them blind, just as Elisha said.H3381H477H6419H3068H559H5221H1471H5575H5221H5575H1697H47719Then Elisha called out to them, "Not that way! Not this city! Follow me and I'll lead you to the man you're looking for." And he led them into Samaria.H477H559H1870H2090H5892H3212H310H3212H376H1245H3212H811120As they entered the city, Elisha prayed, "O GOD, open their eyes so they can see where they are." GOD opened their eyes. They looked around—they were trapped in Samaria!H935H8111H477H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H7200H8432H811121When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I massacre the lot?"H4428H3478H559H477H7200H1H5221H522122"Not on your life!" said Elisha. "You didn't lift a hand to capture them, and now you're going to kill them? No sir, make a feast for them and send them back to their master."H559H5221H5221H7617H2719H7198H7760H3899H4325H6440H398H8354H3212H11323So he prepared a huge feast for them. After they ate and drank their fill he dismissed them. Then they returned home to their master. The raiding bands of Aram didn't bother Israel anymore.H3739H1419H3740H398H8354H7971H3212H113H1416H758H935H3254H776H347824At a later time, this: Ben-Hadad king of Aram pulled together his troops and launched a siege on Samaria.H310H1130H4428H758H6908H4264H5927H6696H811125This brought on a terrible famine, so bad that food prices soared astronomically. Eighty shekels for a donkey's head! Five shekels for a bowl of field greens!H1419H7458H8111H6696H2543H7218H8084H3701H7255H6894H1686H3123H2755H2568H370126One day the king of Israel was walking along the city wall. A woman cried out, "Help! Your majesty!"H4428H3478H5674H2346H6817H802H559H3467H113H442827He answered, "If GOD won't help you, where on earth can I go for help? To the granary? To the dairy?"H559H3068H3467H370H3467H1637H334228The king continued, "Tell me your story." She said, "This woman came to me and said, 'Give up your son and we'll have him for today's supper; tomorrow we'll eat my son.'H4428H559H559H802H559H5414H1121H398H3117H398H1121H427929So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her, 'Your turn—bring your son so we can have him for supper.' But she had hidden her son away."H1310H1121H398H559H312H3117H5414H1121H398H2244H112130When the king heard the woman's story he ripped apart his robe. Since he was walking on the city wall, everyone saw that next to his skin he was wearing coarse burlap.H4428H8085H1697H802H7167H899H5674H2346H5971H7200H8242H1004H132031And he called out, "God do his worst to me—and more—if Elisha son of Shaphat still has a head on his shoulders at this day's end."H559H430H6213H3254H7218H477H1121H8202H5975H311732Elisha was sitting at home, the elders sitting with him. The king had already dispatched an executioner, but before the man arrived Elisha spoke to the elders: "Do you know that this murderer has just now sent a man to take off my head? Look, when the executioner arrives, shut the door and lock it. Don't I even now hear the footsteps of his master behind him?"H477H3427H1004H2205H3427H7971H376H6440H4397H935H559H2205H7200H1121H7523H7971H5493H7218H7200H4397H935H5462H1817H3905H1817H6963H113H7272H31033While he was giving his instructions, the king showed up, accusing, "This trouble is directly from GOD! And what's next? I'm fed up with GOD!"H1696H4397H3381H559H7451H3068H3176H3068