| Holy
Bible - King James Version
of 1611
The Old Testament - The
Fourth book of Kings |
1:1
Then Moab rebelled
against Israel after the death of
Ahab.
1:2
And Ahaziah fell
down through a lattice in his upper
chamber that was in Samaria,
and was sick: and he sent
messengers, and said unto them, Go,
enquire of Baal-zebub the god of
Ekron whether I shall recover of
this disease.
1:3
But the angel of the
LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,
Arise, go up to meet the messengers
of the king of Samaria, and say unto
them, Is it not because
there is not a God in Israel,
that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub
the god of Ekron?
1:4
Now therefore thus
saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come
down from that bed on which thou art
gone up, but shalt surely die. And
Elijah departed.
1:5
And when the
messengers turned back unto him, he
said unto them, Why are ye now
turned back?
1:6
And they said unto
him, There came a man up to meet us,
and said unto us, Go, turn again
unto the king that sent you, and say
unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is
it not because there is
not a God in Israel, that
thou sendest to enquire of Baal-zebub
the god of Ekron? therefore thou
shalt not come down from that bed on
which thou art gone up, but shalt
surely die.
1:7
And he said unto
them, What manner of man was he
which came up to meet you, and told
you these words?
1:8
And they answered
him, He was an hairy man, and
girt with a girdle of leather about
his loins. And he said, It is
Elijah the Tishbite.
1:9
Then the king sent
unto him a captain of fifty with his
fifty. And he went up to him: and,
behold, he sat on the top of an
hill. And he spake unto him, Thou
man of God, the king hath said, Come
down.
1:10 And Elijah
answered and said to the captain of
fifty, If I be a man of God,
then let fire come down from heaven,
and consume thee and thy fifty. And
there came down fire from heaven,
and consumed him and his fifty.
1:11
Again also he sent
unto him another captain of fifty
with his fifty. And he answered and
said unto him, O man of God, thus
hath the king said, Come down
quickly.
1:12
And Elijah answered
and said unto them, If I be a
man of God, let fire come down from
heaven, and consume thee and thy
fifty. And the fire of God came down
from heaven, and consumed him and
his fifty.
1:13
And he sent again a
captain of the third fifty with his
fifty. And the third captain of
fifty went up, and came and fell on
his knees before Elijah, and
besought him, and said unto him, O
man of God, I pray thee, let my
life, and the life of these fifty
thy servants, be precious in thy
sight.
1:14 Behold,
there came fire down from heaven,
and burnt up the two captains of the
former fifties with their fifties:
therefore let my life now be
precious in thy sight.
1:15
And the angel of the
LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with
him: be not afraid of him. And he
arose, and went down with him unto
the king.
1:16
And he said unto him,
Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as
thou hast sent messengers to enquire
of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron,
is it not because there is
no God in Israel to enquire of his
word? therefore thou shalt not come
down off that bed on which thou art
gone up, but shalt surely die.
1:17
So he died according
to the word of the LORD which Elijah
had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in
his stead in the second year of
Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king
of Judah; because he had no son.
1:18
Now the rest of the
acts of Ahaziah which he did, are
they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
2:1
And it came to pass,
when the LORD would take up Elijah
into heaven by a whirlwind, that
Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2:2
And Elijah said unto
Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for
the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And
Elisha said unto him, As the
LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
I will not leave thee. So they went
down to Bethel.
2:3
And the sons of the
prophets that were at Bethel
came forth to Elisha, and said unto
him, Knowest thou that the LORD will
take away thy master from thy head
to day? And he said, Yea, I know
it; hold ye your peace.
2:4
And Elijah said unto
him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray
thee; for the LORD hath sent me to
Jericho. And he said, As the
LORD liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee. So
they came to Jericho.
2:5
And the sons of the
prophets that were at Jericho
came to Elisha, and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the LORD will take
away thy master from thy head to
day? And he answered, Yea, I know
it; hold ye your peace.
2:6
And Elijah said unto
him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for
the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And
he said, As the LORD liveth,
and as thy soul liveth, I
will not leave thee. And they two
went on.
2:7
And fifty men of the
sons of the prophets went, and stood
to view afar off: and they two stood
by Jordan.
2:8
And Elijah took his
mantle, and wrapped it
together, and smote the waters, and
they were divided hither and
thither, so that they two went over
on dry ground.
2:9
And it came to pass,
when they were gone over, that
Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I
shall do for thee, before I be taken
away from thee. And Elisha said, I
pray thee, let a double portion of
thy spirit be upon me.
2:10 And he
said, Thou hast asked a hard thing:
nevertheless, if thou see me
when I am taken from thee, it
shall be so unto thee; but if not,
it shall not be so.
2:11
And it came to pass,
as they still went on, and talked,
that, behold, there appeared
a chariot of fire, and horses of
fire, and parted them both asunder;
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven.
2:12
And Elisha saw
it, and he cried, My father, my
father, the chariot of Israel, and
the horsemen thereof. And he saw him
no more: and he took hold of his own
clothes, and rent them in two
pieces.
2:13
He took up also the
mantle of Elijah that fell from him,
and went back, and stood by the bank
of Jordan;
2:14
And he took the
mantle of Elijah that fell from him,
and smote the waters, and said,
Where is the LORD God of
Elijah? and when he also had smitten
the waters, they parted hither and
thither: and Elisha went over.
2:15
And when the sons of
the prophets which were to
view at Jericho saw him, they said,
The spirit of Elijah doth rest on
Elisha. And they came to meet him,
and bowed themselves to the ground
before him.
2:16
And they said unto
him, Behold now, there be with thy
servants fifty strong men; let them
go, we pray thee, and seek thy
master: lest peradventure the Spirit
of the LORD hath taken him up, and
cast him upon some mountain, or into
some valley. And he said, Ye shall
not send.
2:17
And when they urged
him till he was ashamed, he said,
Send. They sent therefore fifty men;
and they sought three days, but
found him not.
2:18
And when they came
again to him, (for he tarried at
Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I
not say unto you, Go not?
2:19
And the men of the
city said unto Elisha, Behold, I
pray thee, the situation of this
city is pleasant, as my lord
seeth: but the water is
naught, and the ground barren.
2:20
And he said, Bring
me a new cruse, and put salt
therein. And they bring it to
him.
2:21 And he went
forth unto the spring of the waters,
and cast the salt in there, and
said, Thus saith the LORD, I have
healed these waters; there shall not
be from thence any more death or
barren land.
2:22
So the waters were
healed unto this day, according to
the saying of Elisha which he spake.
2:23
And he went up from
thence unto Bethel: and as he was
going up by the way, there came
forth little children out of the
city, and mocked him, and said unto
him, Go up, thou bald head; go up,
thou bald head.
2:24
And he turned back,
and looked on them, and cursed them
in the name of the LORD. And there
came forth two she bears out of the
wood, and tare forty and two
children of them.
2:25
And he went from
thence to mount Carmel, and from
thence he returned to Samaria.
3:1
Now Jehoram the son
of Ahab began to reign over Israel
in Samaria the eighteenth year of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and
reigned twelve years.
3:2
And he wrought evil
in the sight of the LORD; but not
like his father, and like his
mother: for he put away the image of
Baal that his father had made.
3:3
Nevertheless he
cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, which made Israel
to sin; he departed not therefrom.
3:4
And Mesha king of
Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered
unto the king of Israel an hundred
thousand lambs, and an hundred
thousand rams, with the wool.
3:5
But it came to pass,
when Ahab was dead, that the king of
Moab rebelled against the king of
Israel.
3:6
And king Jehoram
went out of Samaria the same time,
and numbered all Israel.
3:7
And he went and sent
to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah,
saying, The king of Moab hath
rebelled against me: wilt thou go
with me against Moab to battle? And
he said, I will go up: I am
as thou art, my people as thy
people, and my horses as thy
horses.
3:8
And he said, Which
way shall we go up? And he answered,
The way through the wilderness of
Edom.
3:9
So the king of
Israel went, and the king of Judah,
and the king of Edom: and they
fetched a compass of seven days’
journey: and there was no water for
the host, and for the cattle that
followed them.
3:10
And the king of
Israel said, Alas! that the LORD
hath called these three kings
together, to deliver them into the
hand of Moab!
3:11
But Jehoshaphat
said, Is there not here a
prophet of the LORD, that we may
enquire of the LORD by him? And one
of the king of Israel’s servants
answered and said, Here is
Elisha the son of Shaphat, which
poured water on the hands of Elijah.
3:12
And Jehoshaphat
said, The word of the LORD is with
him. So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom
went down to him.
3:13
And Elisha said unto
the king of Israel, What have I to
do with thee? get thee to the
prophets of thy father, and to the
prophets of thy mother. And the king
of Israel said unto him, Nay: for
the LORD hath called these three
kings together, to deliver them into
the hand of Moab.
3:14
And Elisha said,
As the LORD of hosts liveth,
before whom I stand, surely, were it
not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I
would not look toward thee, nor see
thee.
3:15
But now bring me a
minstrel. And it came to pass, when
the minstrel played, that the hand
of the LORD came upon him.
3:16
And he said, Thus
saith the LORD, Make this valley
full of ditches.
3:17
For thus saith the
LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither
shall ye see rain; yet that valley
shall be filled with water, that ye
may drink, both ye, and your cattle,
and your beasts.
3:18
And this is but
a light thing in the sight of the
LORD: he will deliver the Moabites
also into your hand.
3:19
And ye shall smite
every fenced city, and every choice
city, and shall fell every good
tree, and stop all wells of water,
and mar every good piece of land
with stones.
3:20
And it came to pass
in the morning, when the meat
offering was offered, that, behold,
there came water by the way of Edom,
and the country was filled with
water.
3:21
And when all the
Moabites heard that the kings were
come up to fight against them, they
gathered all that were able to put
on armour, and upward, and stood in
the border.
3:22
And they rose up
early in the morning, and the sun
shone upon the water, and the
Moabites saw the water on the other
side as red as blood:
3:23 And they
said, This is blood: the
kings are surely slain, and they
have smitten one another: now
therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
3:24
And when they came
to the camp of Israel, the
Israelites rose up and smote the
Moabites, so that they fled before
them: but they went forward smiting
the Moabites, even in their
country.
3:25
And they beat down
the cities, and on every good piece
of land cast every man his stone,
and filled it; and they stopped all
the wells of water, and felled all
the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth
left they the stones thereof;
howbeit the slingers went about
it, and smote it.
3:26
And when the king of
Moab saw that the battle was too
sore for him, he took with him seven
hundred men that drew swords, to
break through even unto the
king of Edom: but they could not.
3:27
Then he took his
eldest son that should have reigned
in his stead, and offered him for
a burnt offering upon the wall. And
there was great indignation against
Israel: and they departed from him,
and returned to their own
land.
4:1
Now there cried a
certain woman of the wives of the
sons of the prophets unto Elisha,
saying, Thy servant my husband is
dead; and thou knowest that thy
servant did fear the LORD: and the
creditor is come to take unto him my
two sons to be bondmen.
4:2
And Elisha said unto
her, What shall I do for thee? tell
me, what hast thou in the house? And
she said, Thine handmaid hath not
any thing in the house, save a pot
of oil.
4:3
Then he said, Go,
borrow thee vessels abroad of all
thy neighbours, even empty
vessels; borrow not a few.
4:4
And when thou art
come in, thou shalt shut the door
upon thee and upon thy sons, and
shalt pour out into all those
vessels, and thou shalt set aside
that which is full.
4:5
So she went from
him, and shut the door upon her and
upon her sons, who brought the
vessels to her; and she poured
out.
4:6
And it came to pass,
when the vessels were full, that she
said unto her son, Bring me yet a
vessel. And he said unto her,
There is not a vessel more. And
the oil stayed.
4:7
Then she came and
told the man of God. And he said,
Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt,
and live thou and thy children of
the rest.
4:8
And it fell on a
day, that Elisha passed to Shunem,
where was a great woman; and
she constrained him to eat bread.
And so it was, that as oft as
he passed by, he turned in thither
to eat bread.
4:9
And she said unto
her husband, Behold now, I perceive
that this is an holy man of
God, which passeth by us
continually.
4:10
Let us make a little
chamber, I pray thee, on the wall;
and let us set for him there a bed,
and a table, and a stool, and a
candlestick: and it shall be, when
he cometh to us, that he shall turn
in thither.
4:11
And it fell on a
day, that he came thither, and he
turned into the chamber, and lay
there.
4:12
And he said to
Gehazi his servant, Call this
Shunammite. And when he had called
her, she stood before him.
4:13
And he said unto
him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou
hast been careful for us with all
this care; what is to be done
for thee? wouldest thou be spoken
for to the king, or to the captain
of the host? And she answered, I
dwell among mine own people.
4:14
And he said, What
then is to be done for her?
And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath
no child, and her husband is old.
4:15
And he said, Call
her. And when he had called her, she
stood in the door.
4:16
And he said, About
this season, according to the time
of life, thou shalt embrace a son.
And she said, Nay, my lord, thou
man of God, do not lie unto thine
handmaid.
4:17
And the woman
conceived, and bare a son at that
season that Elisha had said unto
her, according to the time of life.
4:18
And when the child
was grown, it fell on a day, that he
went out to his father to the
reapers.
4:19
And he said unto his
father, My head, my head. And he
said to a lad, Carry him to his
mother.
4:20
And when he had
taken him, and brought him to his
mother, he sat on her knees till
noon, and then died.
4:21
And she went up, and
laid him on the bed of the man of
God, and shut the door upon
him, and went out.
4:22
And she called unto
her husband, and said, Send me, I
pray thee, one of the young men, and
one of the asses, that I may run to
the man of God, and come again.
4:23
And he said,
Wherefore wilt thou go to him to
day? it is neither new moon,
nor sabbath. And she said, It
shall be well.
4:24
Then she saddled an
ass, and said to her servant, Drive,
and go forward; slack not thy
riding for me, except I bid thee.
4:25 So she went
and came unto the man of God to
mount Carmel. And it came to pass,
when the man of God saw her afar
off, that he said to Gehazi his
servant, Behold, yonder is
that Shunammite:
4:26
Run now, I pray
thee, to meet her, and say unto her,
Is it well with thee? is
it well with thy husband? is
it well with the child? And she
answered, It is well.
4:27
And when she came to
the man of God to the hill, she
caught him by the feet: but Gehazi
came near to thrust her away. And
the man of God said, Let her alone;
for her soul is vexed within
her: and the LORD hath hid it
from me, and hath not told me.
4:28
Then she said, Did I
desire a son of my lord? did I not
say, Do not deceive me?
4:29
Then he said to
Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take
my staff in thine hand, and go thy
way: if thou meet any man, salute
him not; and if any salute thee,
answer him not again: and lay my
staff upon the face of the child.
4:30
And the mother of
the child said, As the LORD
liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee. And
he arose, and followed her.
4:31
And Gehazi passed on
before them, and laid the staff upon
the face of the child; but there
was neither voice, nor hearing.
Wherefore he went again to meet him,
and told him, saying, The child is
not awaked.
4:32 And when
Elisha was come into the house,
behold, the child was dead, and
laid upon his bed.
4:33
He went in
therefore, and shut the door upon
them twain, and prayed unto the
LORD.
4:34
And he went up, and
lay upon the child, and put his
mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes
upon his eyes, and his hands upon
his hands: and he stretched himself
upon the child; and the flesh of the
child waxed warm.
4:35 Then he
returned, and walked in the house to
and fro; and went up, and stretched
himself upon him: and the child
sneezed seven times, and the child
opened his eyes.
4:36 And he
called Gehazi, and said, Call this
Shunammite. So he called her. And
when she was come in unto him, he
said, Take up thy son.
4:37
Then she went in, and
fell at his feet, and bowed herself
to the ground, and took up her son,
and went out.
4:38
And Elisha came
again to Gilgal: and there was
a dearth in the land; and the sons
of the prophets were sitting
before him: and he said unto his
servant, Set on the great pot, and
seethe pottage for the sons of the
prophets.
4:39
And one went out
into the field to gather herbs, and
found a wild vine, and gathered
thereof wild gourds his lap full,
and came and shred them into
the pot of pottage: for they knew
them not.
4:40
So they poured out
for the men to eat. And it came to
pass, as they were eating of the
pottage, that they cried out, and
said, O thou man of God,
there is death in the pot. And
they could not eat thereof.
4:41
But he said, Then
bring meal. And he cast it
into the pot; and he said, Pour out
for the people, that they may eat.
And there was no harm in the pot.
4:42
And there came a man
from Baal-shalisha, and brought the
man of God bread of the firstfruits,
twenty loaves of barley, and full
ears of corn in the husk thereof.
And he said, Give unto the people,
that they may eat.
4:43 And his
servitor said, What, should I set
this before an hundred men? He said
again, Give the people, that they
may eat: for thus saith the LORD,
They shall eat, and shall leave
thereof.
4:44
So he set it
before them, and they did eat, and
left thereof, according to
the word of the LORD.
5:1
Now Naaman, captain
of the host of the king of Syria,
was a great man with his master, and
honourable, because by him the LORD
had given deliverance unto Syria: he
was also a mighty man in valour,
but he was a leper.
5:2
And the Syrians had
gone out by companies, and had
brought away captive out of the land
of Israel a little maid; and she
waited on Naaman’s wife.
5:3
And she said unto
her mistress, Would God my lord
were with the prophet that is
in Samaria! for he would recover him
of his leprosy.
5:4
And one went
in, and told his lord, saying, Thus
and thus said the maid that is
of the land of Israel.
5:5
And the king of
Syria said, Go to, go, and I will
send a letter unto the king of
Israel. And he departed, and took
with him ten talents of silver, and
six thousand pieces of gold,
and ten changes of raiment.
5:6
And he brought the
letter to the king of Israel,
saying, Now when this letter is come
unto thee, behold, I have
therewith sent Naaman my servant
to thee, that thou mayest recover
him of his leprosy.
5:7
And it came to pass,
when the king of Israel had read the
letter, that he rent his clothes,
and said, Am I God, to kill
and to make alive, that this man
doth send unto me to recover a man
of his leprosy? wherefore consider,
I pray you, and see how he seeketh a
quarrel against me.
5:8
And it was so,
when Elisha the man of God had heard
that the king of Israel had rent his
clothes, that he sent to the king,
saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy
clothes? let him come now to me, and
he shall know that there is a
prophet in Israel.
5:9
So Naaman came with
his horses and with his chariot, and
stood at the door of the house of
Elisha.
5:10 And Elisha
sent a messenger unto him, saying,
Go and wash in the Jordan seven
times, and thy flesh shall come
again to thee, and thou shalt be
clean.
5:11
But Naaman was
wroth, and went away, and said,
Behold, I thought, He will surely
come out to me, and stand, and call
on the name of the LORD his God, and
strike his hand over the place, and
recover the leper.
5:12 Are
not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of
Damascus, better than all the waters
of Israel? may I not wash in them,
and be clean? So he turned and went
away in a rage.
5:13
And his servants
came near, and spake unto him, and
said, My father, if the
prophet had bid thee do some
great thing, wouldest thou not have
done it? how much rather
then, when he saith to thee, Wash,
and be clean?
5:14
Then went he down,
and dipped himself seven times in
Jordan, according to the saying of
the man of God: and his flesh came
again like unto the flesh of a
little child, and he was clean.
5:15
And he returned to
the man of God, he and all his
company, and came, and stood before
him: and he said, Behold, now I know
that there is no God in all
earth, but in Israel: now therefore,
I pray thee, take a blessing of thy
servant.
5:16
But he said, As
the LORD liveth, before whom I
stand, I will receive none. And he
urged him to take it; but he
refused.
5:17
And Naaman said,
Shall there not then, I pray thee,
be given to thy servant two mules’
burden of earth? for thy servant
will henceforth offer neither burnt
offering nor sacrifice unto other
gods, but unto the LORD.
5:18 In this
thing the LORD pardon thy servant,
that when my master goeth
into the house of Rimmon to worship
there, and he leaneth on my hand,
and I bow myself in the house of
Rimmon: when I bow down myself in
the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon
thy servant in this thing.
5:19
And he said unto him,
Go in peace. So he departed from him
a little way.
5:20
But Gehazi, the
servant of Elisha the man of God,
said, Behold, my master hath spared
Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving
at his hands that which he brought:
but, as the LORD liveth, I
will run after him, and take
somewhat of him.
5:21
So Gehazi followed
after Naaman. And when Naaman saw
him running after him, he
lighted down from the chariot to
meet him, and said, Is all
well?
5:22
And he said, All
is well. My master hath sent me,
saying, Behold, even now there be
come to me from mount Ephraim two
young men of the sons of the
prophets: give them, I pray thee, a
talent of silver, and two changes of
garments.
5:23 And Naaman
said, Be content, take two talents.
And he urged him, and bound two
talents of silver in two bags, with
two changes of garments, and laid
them upon two of his servants;
and they bare them before
him.
5:24
And when he came to
the tower, he took them from
their hand, and bestowed them
in the house: and he let the men go,
and they departed.
5:25
But he went in, and
stood before his master. And Elisha
said unto him, Whence comest
thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy
servant went no whither.
5:26 And he said
unto him, Went not mine heart
with thee, when the man turned
again from his chariot to meet thee?
Is it a time to receive
money, and to receive garments, and
oliveyards, and vineyards, and
sheep, and oxen, and menservants,
and maidservants?
5:27
The leprosy therefore
of Naaman shall cleave unto thee,
and unto thy seed for ever. And he
went out from his presence a leper
as white as snow.
6:1
And the sons of the
prophets said unto Elisha, Behold
now, the place where we dwell with
thee is too strait for us.
6:2
Let us go, we pray
thee, unto Jordan, and take thence
every man a beam, and let us make us
a place there, where we may dwell.
And he answered, Go ye.
6:3
And one said, Be
content, I pray thee, and go with
thy servants. And he answered, I
will go.
6:4
So he went with
them. And when they came to Jordan,
they cut down wood.
6:5
But as one was
felling a beam, the axe head fell
into the water: and he cried, and
said, Alas, master! for it was
borrowed.
6:6
And the man of God
said, Where fell it? And he shewed
him the place. And he cut down a
stick, and cast it in
thither; and the iron did swim.
6:7
Therefore said he,
Take it up to thee. And he
put out his hand, and took it.
6:8
Then the king of
Syria warred against Israel, and
took counsel with his servants,
saying, In such and such a place
shall be my camp.
6:9
And the man of God
sent unto the king of Israel,
saying, Beware that thou pass not
such a place; for thither the
Syrians are come down.
6:10 And the
king of Israel sent to the place
which the man of God told him and
warned him of, and saved himself
there, not once nor twice.
6:11
Therefore the heart
of the king of Syria was sore
troubled for this thing; and he
called his servants, and said unto
them, Will ye not shew me which of
us is for the king of Israel?
6:12
And one of his
servants said, None, my lord, O
king: but Elisha, the prophet that
is in Israel, telleth the
king of Israel the words that thou
speakest in thy bedchamber.
6:13
And he said, Go and
spy where he is, that I may
send and fetch him. And it was told
him, saying, Behold, he is in
Dothan.
6:14
Therefore sent he
thither horses, and chariots, and a
great host: and they came by night,
and compassed the city about.
6:15 And when
the servant of the man of God was
risen early, and gone forth, behold,
an host compassed the city both with
horses and chariots. And his servant
said unto him, Alas, my master! how
shall we do?
6:16
And he answered,
Fear not: for they that be
with us are more than they
that be with them.
6:17
And Elisha prayed,
and said, LORD, I pray thee, open
his eyes, that he may see. And the
LORD opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the
mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire round about
Elisha.
6:18
And when they came
down to him, Elisha prayed unto the
LORD, and said, Smite this people, I
pray thee, with blindness. And he
smote them with blindness according
to the word of Elisha.
6:19
And Elisha said unto
them, This is not the way,
neither is this the city:
follow me, and I will bring you to
the man whom ye seek. But he led
them to Samaria.
6:20 And it came
to pass, when they were come into
Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD,
open the eyes of these men,
that they may see. And the LORD
opened their eyes, and they saw;
and, behold, they were in the
midst of Samaria.
6:21
And the king of
Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw
them, My father, shall I smite
them? shall I smite them?
6:22
And he answered,
Thou shalt not smite them:
wouldest thou smite those whom thou
hast taken captive with thy sword
and with thy bow? set bread and
water before them, that they may eat
and drink, and go to their master.
6:23
And he prepared great
provision for them: and when they
had eaten and drunk, he sent them
away, and they went to their master.
So the bands of Syria came no more
into the land of Israel.
6:24
And it came to pass
after this, that Ben-hadad king of
Syria gathered all his host, and
went up, and besieged Samaria.
6:25 And there
was a great famine in Samaria: and,
behold, they besieged it, until an
ass’s head was sold for
fourscore pieces of silver,
and the fourth part of a cab of
dove’s dung for five pieces
of silver.
6:26
And as the king of
Israel was passing by upon the wall,
there cried a woman unto him,
saying, Help, my lord, O king.
6:27 And he
said, If the LORD do not help thee,
whence shall I help thee? out of the
barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
6:28
And the king said
unto her, What aileth thee? And she
answered, This woman said unto me,
Give thy son, that we may eat him to
day, and we will eat my son to
morrow.
6:29
So we boiled my son,
and did eat him: and I said unto her
on the next day, Give thy son, that
we may eat him: and she hath hid her
son.
6:30
And it came to pass,
when the king heard the words of the
woman, that he rent his clothes; and
he passed by upon the wall, and the
people looked, and, behold, he
had sackcloth within upon his
flesh.
6:31
Then he said, God do
so and more also to me, if the head
of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall
stand on him this day.
6:32
But Elisha sat in
his house, and the elders sat with
him; and the king sent a man
from before him: but ere the
messenger came to him, he said to
the elders, See ye how this son of a
murderer hath sent to take away mine
head? look, when the messenger
cometh, shut the door, and hold him
fast at the door: is not the
sound of his master’s feet behind
him?
6:33
And while he yet
talked with them, behold, the
messenger came down unto him: and he
said, Behold, this evil is of
the LORD; what should I wait for the
LORD any longer?
7:1
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.
7:2
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.
7:3
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?
7:4
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.
7:5
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.
7:6
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.
7:7
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.
7:8
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.
7:9
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.
7:10
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.
7:11
And he called the
porters; and they told it to
the king’s house within.
7:12
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.
7:13 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.
7:14 They took
therefore two chariot horses; and
the king sent after the host of the
Syrians, saying, Go and see.
7:15 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.
7:16
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.
7:17
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.
7:18
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:
7:19
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.
7:20
And so it fell out
unto him: for the people trode upon
him in the gate, and he died.
8:1
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.
8:2
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.
8:3
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.
8:4
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.
8:5
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.
8:6
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.
8:7
And Elisha came to
Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of
Syria was sick; and it was told him,
saying, The man of God is come
hither.
8:8
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?
8:9
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 Ben-hadad king of Syria hath
sent me to thee, saying, Shall I
recover of this disease?
8:10
And Elisha said unto
him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest
certainly recover: howbeit the LORD
hath shewed me that he shall surely
die.
8:11 And he
settled his countenance stedfastly,
until he was ashamed: and the man of
God wept.
8:12
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.
8:13
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.
8:14
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.
8:15
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.
8:16
And in the fifth
year of Joram the son of Ahab king
of Israel, Jehoshaphat being
then king of Judah, Jehoram the son
of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began
to reign.
8:17 Thirty and
two years old was he when he began
to reign; and he reigned eight years
in Jerusalem.
8:18
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.
8:19
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.
8:20
In his days Edom
revolted from under the hand of
Judah, and made a king over
themselves.
8:21
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.
8:22
Yet Edom revolted
from under the hand of Judah unto
this day. Then Libnah revolted at
the same time.
8:23 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?
8:24
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.
8:25
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.
8:26
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.
8:27
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.
8:28
And he went with
Joram the son of Ahab to the war
against Hazael king of Syria in
Ramoth-gilead; and the Syrians
wounded Joram.
8:29
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.
9:1
And Elisha the
prophet called one of the children
of the prophets, and said unto him,
Gird up thy loins, and take this box
of oil in thine hand, and go to
Ramoth-gilead:
9:2
And when thou comest
thither, look out there Jehu the son
of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi,
and go in, and make him arise up
from among his brethren, and carry
him to an inner chamber;
9:3
Then take the box of
oil, and pour it on his head,
and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have
anointed thee king over Israel. Then
open the door, and flee, and tarry
not.
9:4
So the young man,
even the young man the prophet,
went to Ramoth-gilead.
9:5
And when he came,
behold, the captains of the host
were sitting; and he said, I
have an errand to thee, O captain.
And Jehu said, Unto which of all us?
And he said, To thee, O captain.
9:6
And he arose, and
went into the house; and he poured
the oil on his head, and said unto
him, Thus saith the LORD God of
Israel, I have anointed thee king
over the people of the LORD, even
over Israel.
9:7
And thou shalt smite
the house of Ahab thy master, that I
may avenge the blood of my servants
the prophets, and the blood of all
the servants of the LORD, at the
hand of Jezebel.
9:8
For the whole house
of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut
off from Ahab him that pisseth
against the wall, and him that is
shut up and left in Israel:
9:9
And I will make the
house of Ahab like the house of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like
the house of Baasha the son of
Ahijah:
9:10
And the dogs shall
eat Jezebel in the portion of
Jezreel, and there shall be
none to bury her. And he
opened the door, and fled.
9:11
Then Jehu came forth
to the servants of his lord: and
one said unto him, Is all
well? wherefore came this mad
fellow to thee? And he said unto
them, Ye know the man, and his
communication.
9:12
And they said, It
is false; tell us now. And he
said, Thus and thus spake he to me,
saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have
anointed thee king over Israel.
9:13 Then they
hasted, and took every man his
garment, and put it under him
on the top of the stairs, and blew
with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.
9:14
So Jehu the son of
Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi
conspired against Joram. (Now Joram
had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all
Israel, because of Hazael king of
Syria.
9:15
But king Joram was
returned to be healed in Jezreel of
the wounds which the Syrians had
given him, when he fought with
Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu
said, If it be your minds, then
let none go forth nor escape
out of the city to go to tell it
in Jezreel.
9:16 So Jehu
rode in a chariot, and went to
Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And
Ahaziah king of Judah was come down
to see Joram.
9:17
And there stood a
watchman on the tower in Jezreel,
and he spied the company of Jehu as
he came, and said, I see a company.
And Joram said, Take an horseman,
and send to meet them, and let him
say, Is it peace?
9:18
So there went one on
horseback to meet him, and said,
Thus saith the king, Is it
peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou
to do with peace? turn thee behind
me. And the watchman told, saying,
The messenger came to them, but he
cometh not again.
9:19
Then he sent out a
second on horseback, which came to
them, and said, Thus saith the king,
Is it peace? And Jehu
answered, What hast thou to do with
peace? turn thee behind me.
9:20
And the watchman
told, saying, He came even unto
them, and cometh not again: and the
driving is like the driving of Jehu
the son of Nimshi; for he driveth
furiously.
9:21 And Joram
said, Make ready. And his chariot
was made ready. And Joram king of
Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah
went out, each in his chariot, and
they went out against Jehu, and met
him in the portion of Naboth the
Jezreelite.
9:22
And it came to pass,
when Joram saw Jehu, that he said,
Is it peace, Jehu? And he
answered, What peace, so long as the
whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and
her witchcrafts are so many?
9:23 And Joram
turned his hands, and fled, and said
to Ahaziah, There is
treachery, O Ahaziah.
9:24
And Jehu drew a bow
with his full strength, and smote
Jehoram between his arms, and the
arrow went out at his heart, and he
sunk down in his chariot.
9:25
Then said Jehu
to Bidkar his captain, Take up,
and cast him in the portion of
the field of Naboth the Jezreelite:
for remember how that, when I and
thou rode together after Ahab his
father, the LORD laid this burden
upon him;
9:26
Surely I have seen
yesterday the blood of Naboth, and
the blood of his sons, saith the
LORD; and I will requite thee in
this plat, saith the LORD. Now
therefore take and cast him
into the plat of ground,
according to the word of the LORD.
9:27
But when Ahaziah the
king of Judah saw this, he
fled by the way of the garden house.
And Jehu followed after him, and
said, Smite him also in the chariot.
And they did so at the going
up to Gur, which is by Ibleam.
And he fled to Megiddo, and died
there.
9:28
And his servants
carried him in a chariot to
Jerusalem, and buried him in his
sepulchre with his fathers in the
city of David.
9:29
And in the eleventh
year of Joram the son of Ahab began
Ahaziah to reign over Judah.
9:30
And when Jehu was
come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of
it; and she painted her face,
and tired her head, and looked out
at a window.
9:31
And as Jehu entered
in at the gate, she said, Had
Zimri peace, who slew his master?
9:32
And he lifted up his
face to the window, and said, Who
is on my side? who? And there
looked out to him two or
three eunuchs.
9:33
And he said, Throw
her down. So they threw her down:
and some of her blood was
sprinkled on the wall, and on the
horses: and he trode her under foot.
9:34
And when he was come
in, he did eat and drink, and said,
Go, see now this cursed woman,
and bury her: for she is a
king’s daughter.
9:35
And they went to
bury her: but they found no more of
her than the skull, and the feet,
and the palms of her hands.
9:36
Wherefore they came
again, and told him. And he said,
This is the word of the LORD,
which he spake by his servant Elijah
the Tishbite, saying, In the portion
of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh
of Jezebel:
9:37
And the carcase of
Jezebel shall be as dung upon the
face of the field in the portion of
Jezreel; so that they shall
not say, This is Jezebel.
10:1
And Ahab had seventy
sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote
letters, and sent to Samaria, unto
the rulers of Jezreel, to the
elders, and to them that brought up
Ahab’s children, saying,
10:2
Now as soon as this
letter cometh to you, seeing your
master’s sons are with you,
and there are with you
chariots and horses, a fenced city
also, and armour;
10:3
Look even out the
best and meetest of your master’s
sons, and set him on his
father’s throne, and fight for your
master’s house.
10:4
But they were
exceedingly afraid, and said,
Behold, two kings stood not before
him: how then shall we stand?
10:5
And he that was
over the house, and he that was
over the city, the elders also, and
the bringers up of the children,
sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy
servants, and will do all that thou
shalt bid us; we will not make any
king: do thou that which is
good in thine eyes.
10:6
Then he wrote a
letter the second time to them,
saying, If ye be mine, and
if ye will hearken unto my
voice, take ye the heads of the men
your master’s sons, and come to me
to Jezreel by to morrow this time.
Now the king’s sons, being
seventy persons, were with
the great men of the city, which
brought them up.
10:7
And it came to pass,
when the letter came to them, that
they took the king’s sons, and slew
seventy persons, and put their heads
in baskets, and sent him them
to Jezreel.
10:8
And there came a
messenger, and told him, saying,
They have brought the heads of the
king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye
them in two heaps at the entering in
of the gate until the morning.
10:9
And it came to pass
in the morning, that he went out,
and stood, and said to all the
people, Ye be righteous:
behold, I conspired against my
master, and slew him: but who slew
all these?
10:10
Know now that there
shall fall unto the earth nothing of
the word of the LORD, which the LORD
spake concerning the house of Ahab:
for the LORD hath done that
which he spake by his servant
Elijah.
10:11
So Jehu slew all that
remained of the house of Ahab in
Jezreel, and all his great men, and
his kinsfolks, and his priests,
until he left him none remaining.
10:12
And he arose and
departed, and came to Samaria.
And as he was at the
shearing house in the way,
10:13
Jehu met with the
brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah,
and said, Who are ye? And
they answered, We are the
brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down
to salute the children of the king
and the children of the queen.
10:14
And he said, Take
them alive. And they took them
alive, and slew them at the pit of
the shearing house, even two
and forty men; neither left he any
of them.
10:15
And when he was
departed thence, he lighted on
Jehonadab the son of Rechab
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