6One day the Guild of Prophets said to Elisha, "Notice how the place where we are living is too small for us.H1121H5030H559H6440H477H4725H3427H6862 2Let's go to the Jordan River, fashion some rafters, and build a place for us so we can live there." So he said, "Go!"H3212H3383H3947H376H259H6982H6213H4725H3427H559H3212 3Someone said "Would you be willing to come with your servants?" "I'm willing," he repliedH259H559H2974H3212H5650H559H3212 4So he accompanied them, and when they came to the Jordan River they cut down some trees.H3212H935H3383H1504H6086 5It happened that as one of them was felling a beam, his axe head fell into the water. He cried out, "Oh no! Master! The axe was on loan to me!"H259H5307H6982H1270H5307H4325H6817H559H162H113H7592 6The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he was shown the place, he cut off a branch, tossed it there, and made the iron axe head float.H376H430H559H575H5307H7200H4725H7094H6086H7993H1270H6687 7Then Elisha said, "Pick it up!" So the young man reached out and picked it up.H559H7311H7971H3027H3947 8Eventually the king of Aram went to war against Israel, taking counsel with his advisors and concluding, "In such and such a place I'll build my encampment."H4428H758H3898H3478H3289H5650H559H6423H492H4725H8466 9So the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel, warning him, "Keep an eye on that area, because the Arameans are going to be there!"H376H430H7971H4428H3478H559H8104H5674H2088H4725H758H5185 10The king of Israel confirmed the matter about which the man of God had warned him. Having been forewarned, he was able to protect himself there on more than one or two occasions.9H4428H3478H7971H4725H376H430H559H2094H8104H259H8147 11The king of Aram flew into a rage over this, so he called in his advisors and asked them, "Will you please tell me which of us has joined the king of Israel?"H3820H4428H758H5590H1697H7121H5650H559H5046H4428H3478 12"No, your majesty!" One of his servants said. "Elisha the prophet, who lives in Israel, tells the king of Israel what you talk about in your bedroom!"H259H5650H559H113H4428H477H5030H3478H5046H4428H3478H1697H1696H2315H4904 13So the king ordered, "Go and discover where he is, so I may send men to take him into custody." Later somebody told him, "Look! He's in Dothan!"H559H3212H7200H351H7971H3947H5046H559H1886 14So the king of Aram sent out horses, chariots, and an elite force, and they arrived during the night and surrounded the city.H7971H5483H7393H3515H2428H935H3915H5362H5892H5362 15Meanwhile, the attendant to the man of God got up early in the morning and went outside, and there were the elite forces, surrounding the city, accompanied by horses and chariots! So Elisha's attendant cried out to him, "Oh no! Master! What shall we do!?"H8334H376H430H6965H7925H3318H2428H5437H5892H5483H7393H5288H559H162H113H6213 16Elisha replied, "Stop being afraid, because there are more with us than with them!"H559H3372H7227 17Then Elisha prayed, asking the Lord, "Please make him able to really see!" And so when the Lord enabled the young man to see, and he looked, and there was the mountain, filled with horses and fiery chariots surrounding Elisha!H477H6419H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H5288H7200H2022H4390H5483H7393H784H5439H477 18When the army approached him, Elisha spoke to the Lord, asking him, "Lord, I'm asking you please to afflict this group of people with blindness!" So he afflicted them with blindness, just as Elisha had asked.H3381H477H6419H3068H559H5221H1471H5575H5221H5575H1697H477 19Then Elisha told the army, "This isn't the way, and this isn't the city! Follow me, and I'll bring you to the man you're seeking. Then he led them to Samaria.H477H559H1870H2090H5892H3212H310H3212H376H1245H3212H8111 20When they arrived in Samaria, Elisha asked the Lord, "Enable them to see again." So the Lord did so, and there they were - right in the middle of Samaria!H935H8111H477H559H3068H6491H5869H7200H3068H6491H5869H7200H8432H8111 21When the king of Israel saw Elisha, he asked him "Shall I execute them, my father!"H4428H3478H559H477H7200H1H5221H5221 22But he replied, "No! You're not to kill them! Would you execute those whom you've taken captive at the point of a sword or with your bow?Give them food and water so they can eat and drink. Then send them back to their master!"H559H5221H5221H7617H2719H7198H7760H3899H4325H6440H398H8354H3212H113 23So he prepared a large feast for them, and when they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them back to their master, and marauding gangs of Arameans never came into the territory of Israel again.H3739H1419H3740H398H8354H7971H3212H113H1416H758H935H3254H776H3478 24Some time later, King Ben-hadad from Aram mustered his army, invaded the land, and attacked SamariaH310H1130H4428H758H6908H4264H5927H6696H8111 25until there was a great famine throughout Samaria. The siege lasted until a donkey's head cost 80 silver coins and one quarter of a unit of dove's dung cost five silver coins.H1419H7458H8111H6696H2543H7218H8084H3701H7255H6894H1686H3123H2755H2568H3701 26While the king of Israel was walking along the city wall, a woman cried out to him. "Help me, your majesty!" she said.H4428H3478H5674H2346H6817H802H559H3467H113H4428 27He replied, "No! Since the Lord won't give you victory, how will I be able to deliver you?From the threshing floor?From the wine press?"H559H3068H3467H370H3467H1637H3342 28Then the king asked her, "What's bothering you?" She said, "This woman told me, 'Give up your son, and we'll eat him today, and we'll eat your son tomorrow.'"H4428H559H559H802H559H5414H1121H398H3117H398H1121H4279 29So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day, I told her, 'Give me your son so we can eat him!' But she has hidden her son!"H1310H1121H398H559H312H3117H5414H1121H398H2244H1121 30When the king heard what the woman said, he ripped his garments as he continued walking along the city wall. As the people watched, all of a sudden they noticed he was wearing sackcloth underneath his clothes, inside next to his flesh!H4428H8085H1697H802H7167H899H5674H2346H5971H7200H8242H1004H1320 31He said, "May God do to me - and more also! - if the head of Shaphat's son Elisha remains on his shoulders today!"H559H430H6213H3254H7218H477H1121H8202H5975H3117 32Meanwhile, Elisha was sitting in his house, along with the elders, when the king sent a man to kill him, but before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Are you watching how this descendant of murderers has ordered my head be cut off?Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it to shut them out! Don't you hear the sound of his master's feet right behind him?"H477H3427H1004H2205H3427H7971H376H6440H4397H935H559H2205H7200H1121H7523H7971H5493H7218H7200H4397H935H5462H1817H3905H1817H6963H113H7272H310 33While he was still talking with them, the messenger arrived to see him and delivered the king's message to Elisha, "Look! This evil has come from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any more?"H1696H4397H3381H559H7451H3068H3176H3068
Unknown
