II Kings 6 · מלכים ב

And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too small for us.

Let us go, we pray thee, to the Yarden, and take from there every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go.

And one said, Be pleased to go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

So he went with them, And when they came to the Yarden, they cut down wood.

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and made the iron float.

Then he said, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Then the king of Aram warred against Yisra᾽el, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

And the man of God sent to the king of Yisra᾽el, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for there Aram are hidden.

And the king of Yisra᾽el sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

Therefore the heart of the king of Aram was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said to them, Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Yisra᾽el?

And one of his servants said, No, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Yisra᾽el, tells the king of Yisra᾽el the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dotan.

Therefore he sent there horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and surrounded the city.

And the servant of the man of God rose early, and went out, and behold, an army surrounded the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! what shall we do?

And he answered, Fear not: for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord 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.

And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

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 you seek. But he led them to Shomeron.

And it came to pass, when they were come to Shomeron, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Shomeron.

And the king of Yisra᾽el said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldst 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.

And he prepared a great feast for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Aram came no more into the land of Yisra᾽el.

And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Shomeron.

And there was a great famine in Shomeron: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a qav of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

And as the king of Yisra᾽el was passing by upon the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?

And the king said to her, What ails thee? And she answered, 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 boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said to her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she has hid her son.

And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shafat, shall stand on him this day.

But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at 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 he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?