2 Kings 6
6
An Ax Blade Floats
1The group of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look. The place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2We would like to go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some wood there. We want to build a place there for us to meet.”
Elisha said, “Go.”
3Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with us?”
“I will,” Elisha replied. 4And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan River. There they began to cut down trees. 5One of them was cutting down a tree. The iron blade of his ax fell into the water. “Oh no, master!” he cried out. “This ax was borrowed!”
6The man of God asked, “Where did the blade fall?” He showed Elisha the place. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw it there. That made the iron blade float. 7“Take it out of the water,” he said. So the man reached out and took it.
Elisha Makes the Soldiers of Aram Blind
8The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He talked things over with his officers. Then he said, “I’m going to set up my camp in a certain place.”
9Elisha, the man of God, sent a message to the king of Israel. Elisha said, “Try to stay away from that place. Aram’s army is going to be down there.” 10The king of Israel checked on the place the man of God had told him about. Time after time Elisha warned the king. So the king was on guard in those places.
11All of that made the king of Aram very angry. He sent for his officers. He said to them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12“You are my king and master,” said one of his officers. “None of us is on Israel’s side. But Elisha is a prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your own bedroom.”
13“Go and find out where he is,” the king ordered. “Then I can send my men and capture him.” The report came back. The officers said, “He’s in Dothan.” 14Then the king sent horses and chariots and a strong army there. They went at night and surrounded the city.
15The servant of the man of God got up the next morning. He went out early. He saw that an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my master!” the servant said. “What can we do?”
16“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.” Then the Lord opened his eyes. Elisha’s servant looked up and saw the hills. He saw that Elisha was surrounded by horses and chariots made of fire.
18Aram’s army came down toward Elisha. Then he prayed to the Lord, “Make these soldiers blind.” So the Lord made them blind, just as Elisha had prayed.
19Elisha told them, “This isn’t the right road. This isn’t the right city. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you are looking for.” He led them to Samaria.
20They entered the city. Then Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men. Help them see again.” Then the Lord opened their eyes. They looked around. And there they were, inside Samaria!
21The king of Israel saw them. So he asked Elisha, “Should I kill them? I need your advice. You are like a father to me. Should I kill them?”
22“Don’t kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill people you have captured with your own sword or bow? Put some food and water in front of them. Then they can eat and drink. They can go back to their master.” 23So the king of Israel prepared a great feast for them. After they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away. They returned to their master. So the groups of fighting men from Aram stopped attacking Israel’s territory.
Aram’s Army Attacks Samaria and People Go Hungry
24Some time later, Ben-Hadad gathered his entire army together. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram. His army marched up and surrounded Samaria. Then they attacked it. 25There wasn’t enough food anywhere in the city. It was surrounded for so long that people had to weigh out two pounds of silver for a donkey’s head. They had to weigh out two ounces of silver for half a pint of seed pods.
26One day the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall. A woman cried out to him, “You are my king and master. Please help me!”
27The king replied, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” 28He continued, “What’s wrong?”
She answered, “A woman said to me, ‘Give up your son. Then we can eat him today. Tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ 29So we cooked my son. Then we ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son. Then we can eat him.’ But she had hidden him.”
30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his royal robes. As he walked along the wall, the people looked up at him. They saw that under his robes he was wearing the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. 31He said, “I’ll cut the head of Shaphat’s son Elisha off his shoulders today. If I don’t, may God punish me greatly!”
32Elisha was sitting in his house. The elders were sitting there with him. The king went to see Elisha. He sent a messenger on ahead of him. Before the messenger arrived, Elisha spoke to the elders. He said, “That murderer is sending someone here to cut off my head. Can’t you see that? When the messenger comes, close the door. Hold it shut against him. Can’t you hear his master’s footsteps right behind him?” 33Elisha was still talking to the elders when the messenger came down to him.
The king also arrived. He said, “The Lord has sent this horrible trouble on us. Why should I wait any longer for him to help us?”
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2 Kings 6: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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2 Kings 6
6
The Floating Ax Head
1The sons of the prophets # 1Sm 10:5; 2Kg 2:3,5,7; 4:38 said to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision # Lit we are living before you is too small for us. 2Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.”
“Go,” he said.
3Then one said, “Please come with your servants.”
“I’ll come,” he answered.
4So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed! ” # Ex 22:14
6Then the man of God # 2Kg 4:8-9 asked, “Where did it fall? ”
When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float. # Ex 15:25; 2Kg 2:21; 4:41 7Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it.
The Aramean War
8When the king of Aram # 2Kg 8:28-29 was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”
9But the man of God # 2Kg 4:8-9 sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” 10Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly # Lit not once and not twice warned the king, so the king would be on his guard.
11The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel? ”
12One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.”
13So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.”
When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,” # Gn 37:17 14he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
15When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do? ”
16Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, # Ex 14:13 for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” # 2Ch 32:7
17Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire # 2Kg 2:11; Ps 34:7 all around Elisha.
18When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike this nation with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, # Gn 19:11 according to Elisha’s word. 19Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. # 1Kg 16:24; 2Kg 3:6 20When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes. They looked and discovered they were in Samaria.
21When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, # 2Kg 2:12; 5:13 should I kill them? I will kill them.”
22Elisha replied, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have captured with your sword or your bow? Set food and water in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their master.” # 2Ch 28:8-15; Rm 12:20
23So he prepared a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders # 2Kg 5:2; 24:2 did not come into Israel’s land again.
24Some time later, King Ben-hadad # 1Kg 20:1 of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up to besiege Samaria. 25So there was a great famine # 2Kg 4:38; 8:1 in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for 80 silver shekels, # About 2 pounds of silver and a cup # Lit a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung # Or seedpods, or wild onions sold for five silver shekels. # About 2 ounces of silver # Lv 26:26
26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “My lord the king, help! ”
27He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress? ” # Hs 9:2 28Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter? ” # 2Sm 14:4-5
She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’ # Lv 26:29; Dt 28:53,57 but she has hidden her son.”
30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. # 1Kg 21:27 Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth # Gn 37:34 under his clothes next to his skin. 31He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely # 1Kg 19:2 if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”
32Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders # Ezk 8:1; 14:1 were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer # Lk 12:31-32 has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him? ”
33While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger # Some emend to king came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer? ” # Jb 2:9; Is 8:21
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