2Kings 6:1 - Prayer Tents

The Recovery of the Ax Head

6One day the group of prophets that Elisha was in charge of complained to him, "The place where we live is too small!H1121H5030H559H6440H477H4725H3427H6862 2Give us permission to go to the Jordan and cut down some trees, so that we can build a place to live." "All right," Elisha answered.H3212H3383H3947H376H259H6982H6213H4725H3427H559H3212 3One of them urged him to go with them; he agreed,H259H559H2974H3212H5650H559H3212 4and they set out together. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began to work.H3212H935H3383H1504H6086 5As one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly his iron ax head fell in the water. "What shall I do, sir?" he exclaimed to Elisha. "It was a borrowed ax!"H259H5307H6982H1270H5307H4325H6817H559H162H113H7592 6"Where did it fall?" Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float.H376H430H559H575H5307H7200H4725H7094H6086H7993H1270H6687 7"Take it out," he ordered, and the man reached down and picked it up.H559H7311H7971H3027H3947

The Syrian Army Is Defeated

8The king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his officers and chose a place to set up his camp.H4428H758H3898H3478H3289H5650H559H6423H492H4725H8466 9But Elisha sent word to the king of Israel, warning him not to go near that place, because the Syrians were waiting in ambush there.H376H430H7971H4428H3478H559H8104H5674H2088H4725H758H5185 10So the king of Israel warned the people who lived in that place, and they were on guard. This happened several times.H4428H3478H7971H4725H376H430H559H2094H8104H259H8147 11The Syrian king became greatly upset over this; he called in his officers and asked them, "Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel?"H3820H4428H758H5590H1697H7121H5650H559H5046H4428H3478 12One of them answered, "No one is, Your Majesty. The prophet Elisha tells the king of Israel what you say even in the privacy of your own room."H259H5650H559H113H4428H477H5030H3478H5046H4428H3478H1697H1696H2315H4904 13"Find out where he is," the king ordered, "and I will capture him." When he was told that Elisha was in Dothan,H559H3212H7200H351H7971H3947H5046H559H1886 14he sent a large force there with horses and chariots. They reached the town at night and surrounded it.H7971H5483H7393H3515H2428H935H3915H5362H5892H5362 15Early the next morning Elisha's servant got up, went out of the house, and saw the Syrian troops with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. He went back to Elisha and exclaimed, "We are doomed, sir! What shall we do?"H8334H376H430H6965H7925H3318H2428H5437H5892H5483H7393H5288H559H162H113H6213 16"Don't be afraid," Elisha answered. "We have more on our side than they have on theirs."H559H3372H7227 17Then he prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD answered his prayer, and Elisha's servant looked up and saw the hillside covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.H477H6419H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H5288H7200H2022H4390H5483H7393H784H5439H477 18When the Syrians attacked, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, strike these men blind!" The LORD answered his prayer and struck them blind.H3381H477H6419H3068H559H5221H1471H5575H5221H5575H1697H477 19Then Elisha went to them and said, "You are on the wrong road; this is not the town you are looking for. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are after." And he led them to Samaria.H477H559H1870H2090H5892H3212H310H3212H376H1245H3212H8111 20As soon as they had entered the city, Elisha prayed, "Open their eyes, LORD, and let them see." The LORD answered his prayer; he restored their sight, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.H935H8111H477H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H7200H8432H8111 21When the king of Israel saw the Syrians, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, sir? Shall I kill them?"H4428H3478H559H477H7200H1H5221H5221 22"No," he answered. "Not even soldiers you had captured in combat would you put to death. Give them something to eat and drink, and let them return to their king."H559H5221H5221H7617H2719H7198H7760H3899H4325H6440H398H8354H3212H113 23So the king of Israel provided a great feast for them; and after they had eaten and drunk, he sent them back to the king of Syria. From then on the Syrians stopped raiding the land of Israel.H3739H1419H3740H398H8354H7971H3212H113H1416H758H935H3254H776H3478

The Siege of Samaria

24Some time later King Benhadad of Syria led his entire army against Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria.H310H1130H4428H758H6908H4264H5927H6696H8111 25As a result of the siege the food shortage in the city was so severe that a donkey's head cost eighty pieces of silver, and half a pound of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver.H1419H7458H8111H6696H2543H7218H8084H3701H7255H6894H1686H3123H2755H2568H3701 26The king of Israel was walking by on the city wall when a woman cried out, "Help me, Your Majesty!"H4428H3478H5674H2346H6817H802H559H3467H113H4428 27He replied, "If the LORD won't help you, what help can I provide? Do I have any wheat or wine?H559H3068H3467H370H3467H1637H3342 28What's your trouble?" She answered, "The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day.H4428H559H559H802H559H5414H1121H398H3117H398H1121H4279 29So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!"H1310H1121H398H559H312H3117H5414H1121H398H2244H1121 30Hearing this, the king tore his clothes in dismay, and the people who were close to the wall could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.H4428H8085H1697H802H7167H899H5674H2346H5971H7200H8242H1004H1320 31He exclaimed, "May God strike me dead if Elisha is not beheaded before the day is over!"H559H430H6213H3254H7218H477H1121H8202H5975H3117 32And he sent a messenger to get Elisha. Meanwhile Elisha was at home with some elders who were visiting him. Before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "That murderer is sending someone to kill me! Now, when he gets here, shut the door and don't let him come in. The king himself will be right behind him."H477H3427H1004H2205H3427H7971H376H6440H4397H935H559H2205H7200H1121H7523H7971H5493H7218H7200H4397H935H5462H1817H3905H1817H6963H113H7272H310 33He had hardly finished saying this, when the king arrived and said, "It's the LORD who has brought this trouble on us! Why should I wait any longer for him to do something?"H1696H4397H3381H559H7451H3068H3176H3068