2 Kings 7

1And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

1Elisha said, 'Listen to what the LORD says: This time tomorrow, six quarts of fine flour will sell for only one silver coin, and twelve quarts of barley will sell for one silver coin at the gate of Samaria.'

2Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

2The officer who was the king's right-hand man answered the man of God, 'Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, could that actually happen?' Elisha replied, 'You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.'

3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

3Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, 'Why are we sitting here waiting to die?'

4If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

4'If we decide to go into the city, the famine is there and we will die. If we stay here, we will die too. Let’s go over to the Syrian camp and surrender. If they let us live, we live; if they kill us, we were going to die anyway.'

5And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians; and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there.

5So they got up at twilight to go to the Syrian camp. When they reached the edge of the camp, they were surprised to find that no one was there.

6For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

6The Lord had caused the Syrian army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army. They said to each other, 'Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!'

7Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

7So they got up and fled in the twilight, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp exactly as it was and ran for their lives.

8And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

8When the men with leprosy reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank. They carried off silver, gold, and clothing and hid it. Then they came back, entered another tent, took things from there, and hid them too.

9Then they said one to another, We do not well; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.

9Then they said to each other, 'What we are doing isn't right. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let’s go right now and tell the king’s palace.'

10So they came and called unto the porter of the city; and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were.

10They went and called out to the city gatekeepers, saying, 'We went to the Syrian camp and no one was there—not a single person. The horses and donkeys were still tied up, and the tents were just as they had been left.'

11And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s household within.

11The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was passed along to the king’s palace.

12And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.

12The king got up in the night and said to his officers, 'I’ll tell you what the Syrians are doing. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the fields. They are thinking, "When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city."'

13And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed); and let us send and see.

13One of his officers answered, 'Please, let some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate will be the same as the rest of the Israelites who are left here or who have already died. Let’s send them to find out what happened.'

14They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

14So they prepared two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Syrian army, commanding, 'Go and see.'

15And they went after them unto the Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

15They followed them all the way to the Jordan River. The whole road was littered with clothing and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their hurry. The messengers returned and reported this to the king.

16And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah.

16Then the people rushed out and looted the Syrian camp. So it happened that six quarts of fine flour sold for a silver coin, and twelve quarts of barley sold for a silver coin, just as the LORD had said.

17And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

17The king had put the officer who was his right-hand man in charge of the gate. But the people trampled him as they rushed through the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king came to see him.

18And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria;

18It happened just as the man of God had told the king: 'Twelve quarts of barley for a silver coin and six quarts of fine flour for a silver coin by this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.'

19and that captain answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof:

19The officer had said to the man of God, 'Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?' and Elisha had answered, 'You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.'

20it came to pass even so unto him; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died.

20And that is exactly what happened to him; the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.