2 Kings 6

One day representatives of the group of prophets {in Jericho} came to Elisha, and one of them said on their behalf, “Listen, {our community has grown, so} this hall where we meet with you is now too small to hold all of us.

Allow us to go to the forest in the Jordan River valley and cut down some trees. Then each of us will carry some of the wood to a site where we can build a new meeting hall.” And Elisha told them, “Very well, you may go and do that.”

The one who was speaking on behalf of all of the prophets told Elisha, “Please agree to come with us.” Elisha replied, “Very well, I will come with you.” \*

So they went together to the Jordan River valley. The prophets began cutting down trees.

But while one of them was cutting down a tree, the axe head {that he had secured to a wooden handle came loose and} fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “This is terrible! I had to borrow that axe head{, and it will be very difficult for me to afford to replace it}.” \*

Elisha replied, “Where did the axe head fall into the water?” The man showed him the place, and then Elisha cut off a stick and threw it into the water at that place. The axe head rose to the surface of the water.

Elisha said, “There is your axe head. You can pull it out of the water.” And the man reached out and pulled the axe head out of the water. \*

At this time the king of Aram was planning to attack Israel. After discussing various possibilities with his officers, he told them to have his soldiers set up their tents in a certain place.

But Elisha sent messengers to tell the king of Israel, “The Aramean soldiers are going to set up their tents there, so stay away from that place.” \*

The king of Israel sent soldiers to the place that Elisha had warned him about. {The soldiers discovered that the Arameans were there,} so the king stayed away from there. This happened repeatedly.

The king of Aram became very angry about this. He summoned his army officers and told them, “I demand to know which one of you is revealing our plans to the king of Israel!” \*

One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not any of us. Instead, there is a prophet whose name is Elisha who lives in Israel. He tells the king of Israel even our most secret plans {because God reveals them to him}.”

The king of Aram replied, “Go and find out where he is. When you do, I will send some men there to capture him.” Someone told him, “We know that he is in the city of Dothan.” \*

So the king sent a large group of soldiers to Dothan with their horses and chariots. They came at night {so that no one would know they had come} and surrounded the city {so that no one could escape}.

Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw that Aramean soldiers with their horses and chariots were surrounding the city. The servant {went back inside the house and} exclaimed to Elisha, “Oh, no! Sir, they have trapped us!”

Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! There are many more soldiers defending us than there are attacking us.” \*

Then Elisha prayed, “God, please enable my servant to see {the spiritual army that is defending us}!” So God enabled the servant to see spiritual realities. When he looked out, he saw that a great number of fiery horses and chariots were protecting Elisha by surrounding the hill on which people had built the city of Dothan.

The Aramean soldiers started to advance toward him. So Elisha prayed, “God, please make all these soldiers blind!” God answered his prayer and made them blind.

Then Elisha told them, “You have taken the wrong road, and so you have come to the wrong city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are searching for.” But he led them to the city of Samaria. \*

Once they got inside the city, Elisha prayed, “God, please enable these soldiers to see again!” And God enabled them to see again. When they looked around, they realized that they were inside Samaria.

When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Sir, should I order my soldiers to kill them all?” \*

Elisha replied, “No, do not kill them. If your army captured enemy soldiers in a battle, you would not kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”

So the king of Israel told his servants to serve a big feast to them. Once they had eaten and drunk all they wanted, he sent them back home. They returned to the king of Aram {and told him what had happened}. So after that, groups of Aramean soldiers stopped going on raids into the land of Israel. \*

However, some time later, Ben Hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and led it to the city of Samaria. His soldiers surrounded the city {and did not let anyone go into or out of it}.

As a result, soon there was almost no food in the city. People were paying nearly a kilogram of silver for a donkey’s head. They were even paying 55 grams of silver for about a cup of dove’s dung.

One day the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall. A woman cried up to him, “Your Majesty, please help me!” \*

He replied, “God will have to help you. I certainly can not help you. We have no grain or wine left in the city!”

But then he asked, “What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman over there told me that {because we had no other food,} I should give up my baby boy so that we could kill and eat him. She promised that if I agreed to that, we could kill and eat her baby boy the next day.

So we {killed my son and} boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I told her to give up her son so that we could kill and eat him. But she hid her son {so that we would not do that}.” \*

When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe {to show that he was very upset}. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to look up and see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe {to show God how sorry he was for his sins and those of the people}.

The king exclaimed, “I am going to order my soldiers to execute Elisha today by cutting off his head! If I do not do that, may God kill me instead and do other terrible things to me!” \*

So the king sent a soldier to execute Elisha. Elisha was sitting in his house with some of the elders of Samaria. Before the soldier arrived, Elisha spoke to the elders. He told them, “God has shown me that {the king of Israel,} that violent person, has sent a soldier here to kill me. Listen, when the soldier arrives, do not open the door. Instead, hold the door shut to keep him out. The king will be arriving shortly after that soldier.”

While he was still speaking, the soldier arrived{, and the king arrived right after him}. The king told Elisha, “Listen, God has caused us to have this trouble. So I am not going to wait any longer for him to help us.” \*