2 Kings 7-8
King James Version
7 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, 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.
2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If 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.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6 For 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.
7 Wherefore 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.
8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost 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 came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
9 Then 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, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.
10 So 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 horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.
12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be 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 catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And 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, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them unto 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.
16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents 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 the Lord.
17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
18 And 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:
19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord 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.
20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.
8 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
10 And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.
15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Je hoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
21 So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.
22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
23 And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
2 Kings 7-8
1599 Geneva Bible
7 1 Elisha prophesieth plenty of vittles, and other things to Samaria. 6 The Syrians run away and have no man following them. 17 The prince that would not believe the word of Elisha, is trodden to death.
1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord, [a]Tomorrow this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.
2 Then a prince, on whose hand the king [b]leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Though the Lord would make [c]windows in the heaven, could this thing come to pass? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not [d]eat thereof.
3 Now there were four leprous men at the [e]entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall into the camp of the Aramites: if they save our lives, we shall live: and if they kill us, we are but dead.
5 So they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Aramites: and when they were come to the utmost part of the camp of the Aramites, lo, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had caused the camp of the Aramites to hear a [f]noise of chariots and a noise of horses, and a noise of a great army, so that they said one to another, Behold, the King of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us.
7 Wherefore they arose, and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and [g]fled for their lives.
8 And when these lepers came to the utmost part of the camp, they entered into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it: after, they returned, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
9 Then 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 daylight, some [h]mischief will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go, and tell the king’s household.
10 So they came and called unto the porters of the city, and told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Aramites, and lo, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied and asses tied: and the tents are as they were.
11 And the porters cried and declared to the king’s house within.
12 Then the King arose in the night, and said unto his servants, [i]I will show you now, what the Aramites have done unto us. They know that we are famished, therefore they are gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered, and said, Let me take now five of the horses that remain, and are left in the city, (behold, they are even as all the [j]multitude of Israel that are left therein: behold, I say, they are as the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed) and we will send to see.
14 So they took [k]two chariots of horses, and the king sent after the host of the Aramites, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them unto Jordan, and lo, all the way was full of clothes and vessels which the Aramites had cast from them in their haste: and the messengers returned, and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and spoiled the camp of the Aramites: so a measure of fine flour was at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel [l]according to the word of the Lord.
17 And the king gave the prince (on whose hand he leaned) the charge of the gate, and the people [m]trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, which spake it, when the king came down to him.
18 And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the King, saying, Two measures of barley at a shekel, and a measure of fine flour shall be at a shekel, tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.
19 But the prince had answered the man of God, and said, Though the Lord would make windows in the heaven, could it come so to pass? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat thereof.
20 And so it came unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.
8 1 Elisha prophesieth unto the Shunammite the dearth of seven years. 12 He prophesieth to Hazael, that he shall be king of Syria. 15 He reigneth after Ben-Hadad. 16 Jehoram reigneth over Judah. 20 Edom falleth from Judah. 25 Ahaziah succeedeth Jehoram.
1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, (A)whose son he had restored to life, saying, Up, and go, thou, and thine house, and sojourn where thou [n]canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine, and it cometh also upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God, and went both she and her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 ¶ And at the seven year’s end, the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines, and went out [o]to call upon the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the King talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great acts, that Elisha hath done.
5 And as he told [p]the king, how he had restored one dead to life, behold, the woman, whose son he had raised to life, called upon the king for her house and for her land. Then Gehazi said, My lord, O King, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him: so the King appointed her an Eunuch, saying, Restore thou all that are hers, and all the [q]fruits of her land since the day she left the land, even until this time.
7 ¶ Then Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad the king of Aram was sick: and one told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go meet the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took the present in his hand, and of every [r]good thing of Damascus, even the burden of forty camels, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-Hadad king of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
10 And Elisha said to him, Go, and say unto him, Thou shalt [s]recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me, that he shall surely die.
11 And he looked upon him steadfastly, till Hazael was ashamed, and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, because I know the evil that thou shalt do unto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their young men shalt thou slay with the sword, and shalt dash their infants against the stones, and rent in pieces their women with child.
13 Then Hazael said, What? is thy servant [t]a dog, that I should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me, that thou shalt be King of Aram.
14 ¶ So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest recover.
15 And on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipped in it water, and [u]spread it on his face, and he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 ¶ (B)Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat King of Judah, [v]Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began [w]to reign.
17 He was two and thirty years old, when he began to reign: and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the [x]daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for David his servant’s sake, (C)as he had promised him to give him a light, and to his children forever.
20 ¶ In those days Edom [y]rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and made a King over themselves.
21 Therefore Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him, and he arose by night, and smote the Edomites which were about him, with the captains of the chariots, and the people fled into their tents.
22 So Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then [z]Libnah rebelled at that same time.
23 Concerning the rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And (D)Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
25 ¶ In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab King of Israel, did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 [aa]Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram in [ab]Ramoth Gilead, and the Aramites smote Joram.
29 And king Joram returned to be healed in [ac]Jezreel of the wounds which the Aramites had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 7:1 The godly are ever assured of God’s help in their necessities, but the times and hours are only revealed by God’s Spirit.
- 2 Kings 7:2 To whom the king gave the charge and oversight of things, as verse 17.
- 2 Kings 7:2 He mocked at the Prophet’s words, saying, that if God rained down corn from heaven, yet this could not come to pass.
- 2 Kings 7:2 Thy infidelity shall be punished herein when thou shalt see this miracle, and yet not be partaker thereof.
- 2 Kings 7:3 For it was commanded in the law that they should dwell apart, and not among their brethren, Lev. 13:46.
- 2 Kings 7:6 Thus God needeth no great preparation to destroy the wicked, though they be never so many: for he can scatter them with a small noise, or shaking of a leaf.
- 2 Kings 7:7 The wicked need no greater enemy than their own conscience to pursue them.
- 2 Kings 7:9 Or, we shall be punished for our faults.
- 2 Kings 7:12 He mistrusted the Prophet’s words, and therefore could believe nothing, as they which are more politic than godly ever cast more perils than needeth.
- 2 Kings 7:13 There are no more left, but they, or the rest are consumed with the famine, as the rest of the people.
- 2 Kings 7:14 Or, two horses of the chariot, which were accustomed to draw in the chariot.
- 2 Kings 7:16 Which he spake by the mouth of Elisha, verse 1.
- 2 Kings 7:17 As the people preased out of the gate to run to the Syrian’s tents, where they had heard was meat, and great spoil left.
- 2 Kings 8:1 Where thou canst find a commodious place to dwell, where as is plenty.
- 2 Kings 8:3 That is, to complain on them which had taken her possessions while she was absent.
- 2 Kings 8:5 God’s wonderful providence appeareth in this, that he caused the King to be desirous to hear of him, whom before he contemned, and also hereby prepared an entrance to the poor widow’s suit.
- 2 Kings 8:6 The King caused that to be justly restored, which was wrongfully holden from her.
- 2 Kings 8:9 Of all the chiefest and precious things of the country.
- 2 Kings 8:10 Meaning, that he should recover of this disease: but he knew that this messenger Hazael should slay him to obtain the kingdom.
- 2 Kings 8:13 That I should be without all humanity and pity.
- 2 Kings 8:15 Under pretence to refresh or ease him, he stifled him with his cloth.
- 2 Kings 8:16 Read 2 Kings 1:17.
- 2 Kings 8:16 He was confirmed in his kingdom after his father’s death.
- 2 Kings 8:18 The holy Ghost showeth hereby what danger it is to join with infidels.
- 2 Kings 8:20 Which had been subject from David’s time, until this time of Jehoram.
- 2 Kings 8:22 This was a city in Judah given to the Levites, Josh. 21:13, and after turned from King Jehoram, because of his idolatry.
- 2 Kings 8:26 Which is to be understood, that he was made king when his father reigned, but after his father’s death he was confirmed king when he was forty-two years old, as 2 Chron. 22:2.
- 2 Kings 8:28 Which was a city in the tribe of Gad beyond Jordan.
- 2 Kings 8:29 This is a city belonging to the tribe of Issachar.
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