7
1 Elisha
said, “Hear the
LORD’s word. The
LORD says, ‘Tomorrow
about this time
a seah
of fine flour
will be sold for
a shekel,
and two seahs of
barley for a
shekel, in the
gate of Samaria.’ ”
2 Then
the captain on
whose hand the
king leaned
answered the man
of God, and
said, “Behold, if
the LORD
made windows in
heaven, could this
thing be?”
He said, “Behold,
you will see
it with your
eyes, but will
not eat of it.”
3 Now
there were four
leprous men at the
entrance of the
gate. They said to
one another, “Why
do we sit
here until we
die?
4 If we say, ‘We
will enter into
the city,’ then
the famine is
in the city,
and we will
die there. If we
sit still here,
we also die.
Now therefore come,
and let’s surrender
to the army
of the Syrians. If
they save us
alive, we will
live; and if they
kill us, we
will only die.”
5 They
rose up in
the twilight to
go to the
camp of
the Syrians. When
they had come
to the outermost
part of the
camp of
the Syrians, behold,
no man was there.
6 For
the Lord
had made the
army of the Syrians
to hear the
sound of chariots
and the sound
of horses, even
the noise of
a great army;
and they said
to one another, “Behold, the king of
Israel has hired
against us the
kings of the
Hittites and the
kings of the
Egyptians to attack
us.”
7 Therefore
they arose and
fled in the
twilight, and left
their tents, their
horses, and their
donkeys, even the
camp as it
was, and fled
for their life.
8 When these
lepers came to
the outermost part
of the camp,
they went into
one tent, and ate
and drank, then
carried away
silver, gold,
and clothing and
went and hid
it. Then they
came back, and
entered into another tent
and carried things
from there also,
and went and
hid them.
9 Then
they said to
one another, “We
aren’t doing right.
Today is a
day of good news,
and we keep
silent. If we
wait until the
morning light, punishment
will overtake us.
Now therefore come,
let’s go and
tell the king’s
household.”
10 So
they came and
called to the
city gatekeepers;
and they told
them, “We came to
the camp of
the Syrians, and,
behold, there
was no man there,
not even a man’s
voice, but the
horses tied, and
the donkeys tied,
and the tents
as they were.”
11 Then
the gatekeepers
called out and
told it to
the king’s
household within.
12 The
king arose in
the night, and
said to his
servants, “I will
now show you
what the Syrians
have done to
us. They know
that we are
hungry. Therefore
they have gone
out of the
camp to hide
themselves in the
field, saying, ‘When
they come out
of the city,
we shall take
them alive, and
get into the
city.’ ”
13 One
of his servants
answered, “Please
let some people
take five of
the horses that
remain, which are
left in the city.
Behold, they are
like all the
multitude of
Israel who are
left in it.
Behold, they are
like all the
multitude of
Israel who are
consumed. Let’s
send and see.”
14 Therefore
they took two
chariots with
horses; and the
king sent them
out to the Syrian
army, saying, “Go
and see.”
15 They
went after them
to the Jordan;
and behold, all
the path was
full of garments
and equipment
which the Syrians
had cast away
in their haste.
The messengers
returned and told
the king.
16 The
people went out
and plundered the
camp of
the Syrians. So
a seah
of fine flour
was sold for
a shekel, and two
measures of barley
for a shekel,
according to the
LORD’s word.
17 The
king had appointed
the captain on
whose hand he
leaned to be
in charge of
the gate; and
the people
trampled over him
in the gate,
and he died
as the man
of God had
said, who spoke
when the king
came down to
him.
18 It
happened as the
man of God had
spoken to the
king, saying, “Two
seahs
of barley for
a shekel,
and a seah of
fine flour for
a shekel, shall
be tomorrow about
this time in
the gate of
Samaria;”
19 and
that captain
answered the man
of God, and
said, “Now, behold,
if the LORD
made windows in
heaven, might such
a thing be?”
and he said, “Behold, you will see
it with your
eyes, but will
not eat of it.”
20 It
happened like that
to him, for
the people
trampled over him
in the gate,
and he died.