| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. | 1Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us. |
| 2Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.” “All right,” he told them, “go ahead.” | 2Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha. |
| 3“Please come with us,” someone suggested. “I will,” he said. | 3Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied. |
| 4So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. | 4So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees. |
| 5But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!” | 5As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!” |
| 6“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. | 6“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float. |
| 7“Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it. Elisha Traps the Arameans | 7“Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it. |
| 8When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.” | 8Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” |
| 9But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” | 9Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” |
| 10So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there. | 10So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. |
| 11The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?” | 11For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” |
| 12“It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” | 12But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” |
| 13“Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.” And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” | 13So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” |
| 14So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. | 14the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city. |
| 15When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. | 15When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” |
| 16“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” | 16“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” |
| 17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. | 17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. |
| 18As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” So the LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. | 18As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. |
| 19Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria. | 19And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria. |
| 20As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the LORD opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria. | 20When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria. |
| 21When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” | 21And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” |
| 22“Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.” | 22“Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.” |
| 23So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel. Ben-Hadad Besieges Samaria | 23So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again. |
| 24Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria. | 24Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria. |
| 25As a result, there was a great famine in the city. The siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver. | 25So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver. |
| 26One day as the king of Israel was walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him, “Please help me, my lord the king!” | 26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” |
| 27He answered, “If the LORD doesn’t help you, what can I do? I have neither food from the threshing floor nor wine from the press to give you.” | 27He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” |
| 28But then the king asked, “What is the matter?” She replied, “This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ | 28Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ |
| 29So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.” | 29So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” |
| 30When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall, the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin. | 30When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin. |
| 31“May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders this very day,” the king vowed. | 31He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!” |
| 32Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his master’s steps following him.” | 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” |
| 33While Elisha was still saying this, the messenger arrived. And the king said, “All this misery is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” | 33While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” |
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