Study Desk

So Gehazi ran to Naaman. Naaman saw someone running after him. He stepped down from the chariot to meet Gehazi. Naaman said, "Is everything all right?"

So Elisha went with the group of prophets. When they arrived at the Jordan River, they began to cut down some trees.

Elisha said, "So pick up the ax head." Then the man reached out and took the ax head.

Then Elisha prayed and said, " Lord , I ask you, open my servant's eyes so that he can see." The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and the servant saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. They were all around Elisha.

These horses and chariots of fire came down to Elisha. He prayed to the Lord and said, "I pray that you will cause these people to become blind." So God did what Elisha asked. He caused the Aramean army to become blind.

When they arrived at Samaria, Elisha said, " Lord , open the eyes of these men so that they can see." Then the Lord opened their eyes, and the Aramean army saw they were in the city of Samaria!

So the king prepared a big meal for the Aramean army. After they ate and drank, he sent them back home to their leader. The Arameans did not send any more soldiers into the land of Israel to make raids.

The soldiers would not let people bring food into the city, so there was a time of terrible hunger in Samaria. It was so bad in Samaria that a donkey's head was sold for 80 pieces of silver and one pint of dove's dung sold for five pieces of silver.

Then he said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.'

So we boiled my son and ate him. Then the next day, I said to this woman, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him.' But she has hidden her son!"

There is no food in Samaria. If we go into the city, we will die there. If we stay here, we will also die. So let's go to the Aramean camp. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, we will just die."

So that evening the four lepers went to the Aramean camp. When they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there!

The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. So the soldiers said to each other, "The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us."

So the lepers came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told the gatekeepers, "We went to the Aramean camp, but we did not hear anyone. No one was there, but the horses and donkeys were still tied up, and the tents were still standing."

So the men took two chariots with horses. The king sent these men after the Aramean army. He told them, "Go and see what happened."

Then the people ran out to the Aramean camp and took valuable things from there. So it happened just as the Lord had said. A person could buy a basket of fine flour or two baskets of barley for only one shekel.

There was one officer who always stayed close by the king to help him. The king sent this officer to guard the gate, but the people knocked him down and trampled him, and he died. So everything happened just as the man of God had said when the king came to Elisha's house.

So the woman did what the man of God said. She went with her family to stay in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

So Hazael went to meet Elisha. Hazael brought a gift with him. He brought all kinds of good things from Damascus. It took 40 camels to carry everything. Hazael came to Elisha and said, "Your follower, King Ben-Hadad of Aram, sent me to you. He asks if he will get well from his sickness."

So the Edomites broke away from the rule of Judah. And they have been free from the rule of Judah until today. At the same time Libnah also broke away from Judah's rule.