Study Desk

So the king of Syria sent horses and war-wagons and an army of many soldiers there. They came during the night and gathered around the city.

When the Syrians came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, saying, "Make these people blind, I pray." So the Lord made them blind, as Elisha had said.

When they had come to Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open the eyes of these men. Let them see." So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw. They saw they were in the center of Samaria.

So he made a big supper for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away. And they went to their owner. The Syrians sent no more small groups of soldiers into the land of Israel.

Then the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, so we may eat him today. And we will eat my son tomorrow.'

So we made my son ready to eat over the fire, and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, so we may eat him.' But she has hidden her son."

Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today."

If we go into the city, there is no food there and we will die. And if we sit here, we will die also. So now come, let us go over to the tents of the Syrians. If they do not kill us, we will live. And if they kill us, we will die there."

So they got up in the evening to go to the Syrians. When they came to the tents of the Syrians, there was no one there.

For the Lord had made the Syrian army hear a sound of war-wagons and horses and an army of many soldiers. So they said to one another, "The king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to fight against us."

They said to one another, "We are not doing right. This is a day of good news, but we are keeping quiet. We will be punished if we wait until morning. So now let us go and tell those of the king's house."

So the men at the gate called out, and the news was heard in the king's house.

The king got up in the night and said to his servants, "I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. So they have left the tents to hide themselves in the field. They are saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and get into the city.'"

One of his servants said, "Let some men take five of the horses that are left. Those who are left in the city are not doing better than all those who have died. So let us send men out to see."

So they took two war-wagons with horses. And the king sent them after the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see."

So the people went out and took what the Syrians had left. Then a basket of fine flour was sold for a piece of silver. And two baskets of barley sold for a piece of silver, just as the word of the Lord had said.

So it happened to him. The people stepped on him at the gate, and he died.

So the woman got ready as the man of God had told her. She went with those of her house and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.

When the king asked the woman, she told him what had happened. So the king chose a certain captain to help her, saying, "Give her all that was hers. And give her all the food taken from the field from the day she left the land until now."

So Hazael went to meet Elisha and took with him a gift of every kind of good thing of Damascus. It took forty camels to carry it all. He came and stood in front of Elisha and said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I get better from this sickness?'"