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The Second Book of Kings 7

7 Elisha replied to the king, “Listen to what Yahweh says: ‘He says that by this time tomorrow, at the marketplace here in Samaria, you will be able to buy seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver, and fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver.’”

2 The officer accompanying the king said to Elijah, “That cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the windows of the sky and send grain down to us, that certainly could not happen!” Elisha replied, “Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!”

3 That day there were four men who had leprosy who were sitting outside the gate of the city of Samaria. They said to each other, “Why should we wait here until we die? 4 If we go into the city, we will die there, because there is no food there. If we remain sitting here, we will die here. So let us go to where the army of Aram has set up their tents. If they kill us, we will die. But if they allow us to remain alive, we will not die.” 5 So when it was getting dark, those four men went to the camp where the army of Aram had set up their tents. But when they reached the camp, they saw that there was no one there.

6 What had happened was that Yahweh had caused the army of Aram to hear something that sounded like a large army marching with chariots and horses. So the soldiers said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel has hired the kings of Egypt and the Hittites and their armies, and they have come to attack us!” 7 So they all ran away that evening at sundown and left their tents and their horses and donkeys there, because they were afraid that they would die if they stayed there.

8 When those four men with leprosy came to the edge of the area where the soldiers of Aram had set up their tents, they went into one tent and saw all the things that had been left there. So they ate and drank what was there, and they took the silver and the gold and clothes. Then they went outside the tent and hid those things. Then they entered another tent and took things from there, and then went outside and hid them, also.

9 But then they said to each other, “We are not doing what is right. We have good news to tell others today. If we do not tell it to anyone now, and if we wait until morning to tell it, the people will certainly punish us. So let us go right now to the palace and tell it to the king’s officials!”

10 So they went to the guards at the city gates and called out to them, “We went to where the army of Aram had set up their tents, but we did not see or hear anyone there. Their horses and donkeys were still tied up, but their tents were all deserted!” 11 The guards shouted the news, and some people who heard it went to the palace and reported it there.

12 It was in the night that the king heard this news. He got up out of his bed and said to his officials, “I will tell you what the army of Aram is planning to do. They know that we have no food here, so they have left their tents and are hiding in the fields. They think that we will leave the city to find some food, and then they will capture us and capture the city.”

13 But one of his officials said, “Many of our people have already died from hunger. If those of us who are still alive all stay here, we also will die anyway. So let us send some men with five of our horses that are still alive to go and see what has really happened.”

14 So they chose some men and told them to go in two chariots and find out what had happened to the army of Aram. 15 They went as far as the Jordan River. All along the road they saw clothes and equipment that the soldiers from Aram had thrown away while they were running away. So the men returned to the king and reported what they had seen. 16 Then many of the people of Samaria also went out of the city and went to where the army of Aram had set up their tents. They entered all the tents and took everything. So there was now plenty of everything! As a result people could buy seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver, and fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver, which was what Yahweh had said would happen!

17 The king of Israel had ordered his assistant, the one who had spoken with Elisha, to supervise what was happening at the city gate. But as he was standing at the gate, all the people who were rushing outside the city trampled on him, and he died, which was what Elisha had said would happen to him. 18 Elisha had told to the king that by the next day there would be plenty of food, with the result that anyone could buy fourteen liters of barley for one piece of silver, and seven liters of the best flour for one piece of silver.

19 That officer had answered, “That certainly cannot happen! Even if Yahweh himself would open the sky and send down some grain, that could not happen.” And Elisha had replied, “Because you said that, you will see it happen, but you will not be able to eat any of the food!” 20 And that is what happened to him. The people who were rushing out of the city gate trampled on him, and he died.

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