The Axe Head Floats

1The children of the prophetes saide vnto Elisa: Beholde we pray thee, the place where we dwell with thee is to litle for vs: 2Let vs go we pray thee vnto Iordane, & take thence euery man a beame, & build vs a place to dwel in. And he aunswered, Go. 3And one saide: Be content I pray thee, and come with thy seruauntes. And he aunswered: I wyll come. 4And so he went with them: And when they came to Iordane, they cut downe wood. 5But it fortuned, that as one was felling downe of a tree, the axe head fell into the water: And he cryed, and saide, Alas maister, it was lent me. 6And the man of God saide: Where fell it? And he shewed him the place: And he cut downe a sticke, and cast it in thyther, and immediatly the iron did swymme. 7Therfore sayde he: Take it vp. And he stretched out his hand, and toke it vp.

Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans

8But the king of Syria warred against Israel, and toke counsell with his seruauntes, and sayde: In such and such a place shalbe my campe. 9And the man of God sent vnto the king of Israel, saying: Beware that thou go not ouer to such a place, for there the Syrians are lurkyng. 10Therfore the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God tolde him and warned him of, and saued him selfe from it, not once, nor twyse.

11And the heart of the king of Syria was troubled for this thing, and he called for his seruauntes, and said vnto them: Wil ye not shewe me, whiche of our men betrayght me to the king of Israel? 12And one of his seruauntes sayde, None my lorde O king: But Elisa the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel, yea euen the wordes that thou speakest in thy priuie chamber. 13He sayde: Go, and spie where he is, that I may sende and fet him. And one told him, saying: Behold, he is in Dothan. 14Therefore sent he thyther horses and charets, and a mightie hoast: and they came by night, and compassed the citie about.

15And when the seruaunt of the man of God rose vp early to go out: beholde, there was an hoast rounde about the towne with horses & charets: And his seruaunt sayde vnto him, Alas maister, what shall we do? 16He aunswered, Feare not: for they that be with vs, are mo then they that be with them. 17And Elisa prayed and sayd: Lord I besech thee open his eyes that he may see. And the Lorde opened the eyes of the young man, and he loked: and beholde the mountayne was full of horses, and charets of fire round about Elisa. 18And when they came downe to him, Elisa prayed vnto the Lord, and sayde: Smyte this people I pray thee with blindnesse. And he smote them with blindnesse, according to the worde of Elisa. 19And Elisa sayd vnto them: This is not the way, neither is this the towne: folowe me, & I will bring you to the man whom ye seke. But he led them to Samaria.

20But it fortuned that when they were come to Samaria, Elisa sayde: Lorde, open their eyes that they may see. And the Lorde opened their eyes, and they sawe, & behold they were in the middes of Samaria. 21And the king of Israel sayde vnto Elisa when he sawe them: My father, shall I smyte them, shall I smyte them? 22And he aunswered, Thou shalt not smyte them: But smyte those that thou hast taken with thine owne sworde, and with thyne owne bowe: But rather set bread and water before them, that they may eate & drinke, & go to their maister. 23And he prepared a great refection for them, and when they had eaten and drunke, he sent them away, & they went to their maister: And so the souldiours of Syria came no more into the lande of Israel.

The Siege and Famine of Samaria

24After this it chaunced, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered al his hoast and went vp, and besieged Samaria. 25But there was a great dearth in Samaria: and beholde, they besieged it, vntill an asses head was sold for fourescore siluer pence, and the fourth part of a cab of doues doung for fiue peeces of siluer. 26And as the king of Israel was goyng vpon the wal, there cryed a woman vnto him, saying: Help me my lord O king. 27He sayde: If the Lorde do not succour thee, wherwith can I helpe thee? with the barne, or with the wine presse? 28And the king sayde vnto her: What wilt thou? She aunswered: Yonder woman sayd vnto me, Bring thy sonne, that we may eate him to day, and we will eate myne to morowe. 29And so we dressed my sonne, and dyd eate him: And I sayde to her the other day, bring thy sonne, that we may eate him: And she hath hyd her sonne. 30And it came to passe, that when the king hearde the wordes of the woman, he rent his clothes, and went vp on the wall, and the people loked, and beholde he had a sackcloth vnder vpon his fleshe. 31Then he sayd: God do so & more also to me, if the head of Elisa the sonne of Saphat shall stande on him this day.

32But Elisa sate in his house (& the elders sate by him) And the king sent a man before him: but yer the messenger came to him, he sayd to the elders: haue ye not seene howe that the sonne of this murtherer hath sent to take away myne head? Be circumspect when the messenger commeth, and shut the doore, and hold him at the doore: Is not the sound of his maisters feete behynde him? 33While he yet talked with them: behold, the messenger came downe vnto him, & sayd, Behold, this euyl is of the Lorde: And what more shall I loke for of the Lorde?