| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1One day the Guild of Prophets told Elisha, "Notice how the place where we are living is too small for us. | 1Some of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too cramped for us. |
| 2Let's go to the Jordan River, fashion some rafters, and build a place for us so we can live there." So he said, "Go!" | 2Let's go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there." He said, "Go." |
| 3Someone asked, "Would you be willing to come with your servants?" "I'm willing," he replied. | 3One of them said, "Please come along with your servants." He replied, "All right, I'll come." |
| 4So he accompanied them, and when they came to the Jordan River, they cut down some trees. | 4So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. |
| 5It happened that as one of them was felling a beam, his axe head fell into the water. He cried out, "Oh no! Master! The axe was on loan to me!" | 5As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He shouted, "Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!" |
| 6The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he was shown the place, he cut off a branch, tossed it there, and made the iron axe head float. | 6The prophet asked, "Where did it drop in?" When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. |
| 7Then Elisha said, "Pick it up!" So the young man reached out and picked it up. | 7He said, "Lift it out." So he reached out his hand and grabbed it. |
| 8Eventually the king of Aram went to war against Israel, taking counsel with his advisors and concluding, "In such and such a place I'll build my encampment." | 8Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, "Invade at such and such a place." |
| 9So the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel, warning him, "Keep an eye on that area, because the Arameans are going to be there!" | 9But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, "Make sure you don't pass through this place because Syria is invading there." |
| 10The king of Israel confirmed the matter about which the man of God had warned him. Having been forewarned, he was able to protect himself there on more than one or two occasions. | 10So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions. |
| 11The king of Aram flew into a rage over this, so he called in his advisors and asked them, "Will you please tell me which of us has joined the king of Israel?" | 11This made the king of Syria upset. So he summoned his advisers and said to them, "One of us must be helping the king of Israel." |
| 12"No, your majesty," one of his servants said. "Elisha the prophet, who lives in Israel, tells the king of Israel what you talk about in your bedroom!" | 12One of his advisers said, "No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom." |
| 13So the king ordered, "Go and discover where he is, so I may send men to take him into custody." Later somebody told him, "Look! He's in Dothan!" | 13The king ordered, "Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him." The king was told, "He is in Dothan." |
| 14So the king of Aram sent out horses, chariots, and an elite force, and they arrived during the night and surrounded the city. | 14So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. They arrived during the night and surrounded the city. |
| 15Meanwhile, the attendant to the man of God got up early in the morning and went outside, and there were the elite forces, surrounding the city, accompanied by horses and chariots! So Elisha's attendant cried out to him, "Oh no! Master! What will we do!?" | 15The prophet's attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, "Oh no, my master! What will we do?" |
| 16Elisha replied, "Stop being afraid, because there are more with us than with them!" | 16He replied, "Don't be afraid, for our side outnumbers them." |
| 17Then Elisha prayed, asking the LORD, "Please make him able to really see!" And so when the LORD enabled the young man to see, he looked, and there was the mountain, filled with horses and fiery chariots surrounding Elisha! | 17Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he can see." The LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. |
| 18When the army approached him, Elisha spoke to the LORD, asking him, "LORD, I'm asking you please to afflict this group of people with blindness!" So he afflicted them with blindness, just as Elisha had asked. | 18As they approached him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." The LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha requested. |
| 19Then Elisha told the army, "This isn't the way, and this isn't the city! Follow me, and I'll bring you to the man you're seeking. Then he led them to Samaria. | 19Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you're looking for." He led them to Samaria. |
| 20When they arrived in Samaria, Elisha asked the LORD, "Enable them to see again." So the LORD did so, and there they were—right in the middle of Samaria! | 20When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open their eyes, so they can see." The LORD opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. |
| 21When the king of Israel saw Elisha, he asked him, "Shall I execute them, my father?" | 21When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Should I strike them down, my master?" |
| 22But he replied, "No! You're not to kill them! Would you execute those whom you've taken captive at the point of a sword or with your bow? Give them food and water so they can eat and drink. Then send them back to their master!" | 22He replied, "Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master." |
| 23So he prepared a large festival for them, and when they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them back to their master, and marauding gangs of Arameans never came into the territory of Israel again. | 23So he threw a big banquet for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel. |
| 24Some time later, King Ben-hadad from Aram mustered his army, invaded the land, and attacked Samaria | 24Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria. |
| 25until there was a great famine throughout Samaria. The siege lasted until a donkey's head cost 80 silver coins and one quarter of a unit of dove's dung cost five silver coins. | 25Samaria's food supply ran out. They laid siege to it so long that a donkey's head was selling for eighty shekels of silver and a quarter of a kab of dove's droppings for five shekels of silver. |
| 26While the king of Israel was walking along the city wall, a woman cried out to him. "Help me, your majesty!" she said. | 26While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him, "Help us, my master, O king!" |
| 27He replied, "No! Since the LORD won't give you victory, how will I be able to deliver you? From the threshing floor? From the wine press?" | 27He replied, "No, let the LORD help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty." |
| 28Then the king asked her, "What's bothering you?" She said, "This woman told me, 'Give up your son, and we'll eat him today, and we'll eat your son tomorrow.'" | 28Then the king asked her, "What's your problem?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Hand over your son; we'll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.' |
| 29So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day, I told her, 'Give me your son so we can eat him!' But she has hidden her son!" | 29So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, 'Hand over your son and we'll eat him.' But she hid her son!" |
| 30When the king heard what the woman said, he ripped his garments as he continued walking along the city wall. As the people watched, all of a sudden they noticed he was wearing sackcloth underneath his clothes, inside next to his flesh! | 30When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. |
| 31He said, "May God do to me—and more also!—if the head of Shaphat's son Elisha remains on his shoulders today!" | 31Then he said, "May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!" |
| 32Meanwhile, Elisha was sitting in his house, along with the elders, when the king sent a man to kill him, but before the messenger arrived, Elisha told the elders, "Are you watching how this descendant of murderers has ordered my head be cut off? Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it to shut them out! Don't you hear the sound of his master's feet right behind him?" | 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. The king sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders, "Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?" Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him." |
| 33While he was still talking with them, the messenger arrived to see him and delivered the king's message to Elisha, "Look! This evil has come from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD anymore?" | 33He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said, "Look, the LORD is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the LORD to help?" |
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