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The Floating Ax Head
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small.
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small.
The Axe Head Floats
And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us.
And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us.
Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.”
“All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”
“All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”
Let us go, we pray thee, to the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he said, Go.
“Please come with us,” someone suggested.
“I will,” he said.
“I will,” he said.
And one said, Consent, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he said, I will go.
So he went with them.
When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees.
When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees.
And he went with them. And they came to the Jordan and cut down the trees.
But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”
And it came to pass as one was felling a beam, that the iron fell into the water; and he cried and said, Alas, master, and it was borrowed!
“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface.
And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim.
“Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.
And he said, Take [it] up to thee. And he put out his hand and took it.
Elisha Traps the Arameans
When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”
Elisha Captures Blinded Syrians
And the king of Syria warred against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp.
And the king of Syria warred against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp.
But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.”
And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place, for thither the Syrians are come down.
So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.
And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and he was on his guard there. [That took place] not once, nor twice.
The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”
And the heart of the king of Syria was troubled because of this thing; and he called his servants, and said to them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
“It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
“Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.”
And he said, Go and see where he is, and I will send and fetch him. And it was told him saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
And he sent thither horses and chariots, and a great host, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
And when the attendant of the man of God rose early and went forth, behold, an army surrounded the city, with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”
And he said, Fear not, for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
And Elisha prayed and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” So the LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
And they came down to him; and Elisha prayed to Jehovah and said, Smite this nation, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria.
And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria.
As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the LORD opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.
And it came to pass when they entered into Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these [men] that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite? shall I smite [them]?
“Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.”
And he said, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.
And he prepared a great repast for them, and they ate and drank; and he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Ben-Hadad Besieges Samaria
Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria.
The Siege and Famine of Samaria
And it came to pass after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
And it came to pass after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
And there was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was worth eighty silver-pieces, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung five silver-pieces.
One day as the king of Israel was walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him, “Please help me, my lord the king!”
And it came to pass as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman to him saying, Help, my lord O king!
He answered, “If the LORD doesn’t help you, what can I do? I have neither food from the threshing floor nor wine from the press to give you.”
And he said, If Jehovah do not help thee, whence should I help thee? Out of the threshing-floor, or out of the winepress?
But then the king asked, “What is the matter?”
She replied, “This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.’
She replied, “This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.’
And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, This woman said to me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.”
And we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she has hidden her son.
When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall, the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin.
And it came to pass when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his garments; and he was passing by upon the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
“May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders this very day,” the king vowed.
And he said, God do so, and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall remain on him this day!
Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his master’s steps following him.”
And Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him. And [the king] sent a man before him. Before the messenger came to him, he himself said to the elders, Do ye see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? See, when the messenger comes; shut the door, and keep him off with the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. And [the king] said, Behold, this evil is of Jehovah: why should I wait for Jehovah any longer?