The Axe Head Floats 1 ULT And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha,“Behold, please, the place where we are sitting there to your face is too narrow for us. BSB BSB: Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
2 ULT Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let us take from there, a man one beam, and let us make for ourselves there a place to sit there.” And he said,“Go.” BSB BSB: Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.
3 ULT And the one said,“Please be willing and go with your servants.” And he said,“I, I will go.” BSB BSB: Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied.
4 ULT And he went with them. And they came to the Jordan, and they cut down trees. BSB BSB: So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
5 ULT And it happened, one was felling a beam, and the iron fell into the water. And he cried out and said,“Alas, my lord, for it was lent!” BSB BSB: As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
6 ULT And the man of God said,“Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place, and he cut off a stick, and he threw{ it} to there, and the iron floated. BSB BSB: “Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.
7 ULT And he said,“Lift{ it} up for yourself.” And he stretched out his hand and took it. BSB BSB: “Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.
Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans 8 ULT Now the king of Aram was fighting with Israel. And he consulted with his servants, saying,“At such and such a place my camp{ shall be}.” BSB BSB: Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9 ULT And the man of God sent to the king of Israel saying,“Guard yourself from passing by that place, for Aram is coming down there.” BSB BSB: Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful not to pass by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
10 ULT And the king of Israel sent to the place that the man of God had said to him and warned him, and he guarded himself there, not once and not twice. BSB BSB: So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
11 ULT And the heart of the king of Aram was enraged about this matter. And he called to his servants, and he said to them,“Will you not declare to me who from us{ is} for the king of Israel?” BSB BSB: For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 ULT And one from his servants said,“No, my lord the king, but Elisha, the prophet who{ is} in Israel, declares to the king of Israel the things that you speak in the room of your bed.” BSB BSB: But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13 ULT And he said,“Go and see where he{ is}, and I will send, and I will take him.” And it was declared to him, saying,“Behold, in Dothan.” BSB BSB: So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,”
14 ULT And he sent horses and chariotry and a heavy army to there, and they came{ at} night, and they surrounded around the city. BSB BSB: the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.
15 ULT And the servant of the man of God arose early to arise, and he went out, and behold, an army surrounding the city, and horse and chariot. And his servant said to him,“Alas, my lord! What shall we do?” BSB BSB: When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, behold, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
16 ULT And he said,“Do not fear, for those who{ are} with us{ are} more numerous than those who{ are} with them.” BSB BSB: “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 ULT And Elisha prayed and said,“Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” And Yahweh opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and behold, the hill was full{ of} horses and chariotry of fire around Elisha. BSB BSB: Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 ULT And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said,“Please strike this nation with blindness.” And he struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. BSB BSB: As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
19 ULT And Elisha said to them,“This{ is} not the way, and this{ is} not the city. Go after me, and let me lead you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria. BSB BSB: And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 ULT And it happened when they entered Samaria that Elisha said,“Yahweh, open the eyes of these, that they may see.” And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold,{ they were} in the midst of Samaria. BSB BSB: When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
21 ULT And the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them,“Shall I strike{ them}? Shall I strike{ them}, my father?” BSB BSB: And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
22 ULT And he said,“Do not strike{ them}. Are you striking those whom you capture with your sword and with your bow? Put bread and water to their faces that they may eat and drink, and let them go to their master.” BSB BSB: “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”
23 ULT And he provided a great provision for them, and they ate and they drank, and he sent them, and they went to their master. And the raiding bands of Aram did not continue any longer to come into the land of Israel. BSB BSB: So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
The Siege and Famine of Samaria 24 ULT And it happened after this that Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, gathered all of his camp, and he went up and besieged against Samaria. BSB BSB: Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
25 ULT And a great famine was in Samaria, and behold,{ they were} besieging against it, until the head of a donkey was at 80 silver, and a fourth of a kab of dung of doves{ was} at 5 silver. BSB BSB: So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
26 ULT And it happened, the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, and a woman cried out to him, saying,“Save, my lord the king!” BSB BSB: As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
27 ULT And he said,“No, let Yahweh save you. From where will I save you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” BSB BSB: He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”
28 ULT And the king said to her,“What to you?” And she said,“This woman said to me,‘Give your son, and we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ BSB BSB: Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’
29 ULT So we boiled my son, and we ate him. And I said to her on the next day,‘Give your son, and we will eat him.’ But she hid her son.” BSB BSB: So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”
30 ULT And it happened when the king heard the words of the woman that he tore his clothes. And he was passing by on the wall, and the people saw, and behold, sackcloth{ was} on his flesh, from beneath. BSB BSB: When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
31 ULT And he said,“Thus may God do to me, and thus may he add, if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, remains on him today.” BSB BSB: He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
32 ULT And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And he sent a man from his face. Before the messenger came to him, then he, he said to the elders,“Do you see that this son of a murderer has sent to remove my head? See, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and you shall press him with the door.{ Is} the sound of the feet of his master not behind him?” BSB BSB: Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
33 ULT He was still speaking with them, and behold, the messenger was coming down to him. And he said,“Behold, this calamity{ is} from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?” BSB BSB: While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
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