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.
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.

1Then Elisha said, Heare yee the word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, To morrowe about this time shal a measure of fine flower be sold for a shekell, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windowes in heauen, might this thing bee? and he saide, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eies, but shalt not eate thereof.

3 And there were foure leprous men at the entring in of the gate: and they saide one to another, Why sit wee here vntill we die?

4If we say, We will enter into the citie, then the famine is in the citie, and wee shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let vs fall vnto the host of the Syrians: if they saue vs aliue, we shall liue; and if they kill vs, we shall but die.

5And they rose vp in the twilight, to goe vnto the campe of the Syrians: and when they were come to the vttermost part of the campe of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

6For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to heare a noise of charets, and a noise of horses, euen the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Loe, the king of Israel hath hired against vs the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come vpon vs.

7Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, euen the campe as it was, and fled for their life.

8And when these lepers came to the vttermost part of the campe, they went into one tent, and did eate, and drinke, and carried thence siluer, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it, and came againe, and entred into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

9Then they said one to another, We doe not well: this day is a day of good tydings, and we hold our peace: if we tarie till the morning light, some mischiefe will come vpon vs: nowe therefore come, that we may goe, and tell the kings houshold.

10So they came, and called vnto the porter of the citie: and they told them, saying; We came to the campe of the Syrians, and behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tyed, and asses tyed, and the tents as they were.

11And hee called the porters, and they told it to the kings house within.

12 And the king arose in the night, and said vnto his seruants, I will now shew you what the Syrians haue done to vs: They know that we be hungrie, therefore are they gone out of the camp, to hide themselues in the field, saying; When they come out of the citie, we shal catch them aliue, and get into the citie.

13And one of his seruants answered, and said, Let some take, I pray thee, fiue of the horses that remaine, which are left in the citie: (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are euen as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed) and let vs send, and see.

14They tooke therefore two charet horses, and the king sent after the hoste of the Syrians, saying, Goe, and see.

15And they went after them vnto Iordane, and loe, 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.

16And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians: So a measure of fine flowre was sold for a shekell, 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 haue the charge of the gate: and the people trode vpon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came downe to him.

18And it came to passe, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flowre for a shekel, shalbe to morrow about this time, in the gate of Samaria:

19And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now behold, if the Lord should make windowes in heauen, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eate thereof.

20And so it fell out vnto him: for the people trode vpon him in the gate, and he died.

I == 2nd Kings 7:18-19

 

 

 

II == 2nd Kings 7:17 . 19-20 ; Mal 3:10

 

 

 

III == Lev 13:46

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VI == 2nd Sam 5:24 ; 1st Kings 10:29 ; 2nd Kings 19:7 ; Job 15:21

 

 

VII == Ps 48:4-6 ; Prov 28:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == 2nd Kings 7:1

 

 

XVII == 2nd Kings 6:32 ; 7:2

 

 

 

XVIII == 2nd Kings 7:1

1 Elisha said: "Hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD, 'At this time tomorrow a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the market of Samaria.'"

2 But the adjutant on whose arm the king leaned, answered the man of God, "Even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, how could this happen?" "You shall see it with your own eyes," Elisha said, "but you shall not eat of it."

3 At the city gate were four lepers who were deliberating, "Why should we sit here until we die?

4 If we decide to go into the city, we shall die there, for there is famine in the city. If we remain here, we shall die too. Come, let us desert to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, we die."

5 At twilight they left for the Arameans; but when they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there.

6 The LORD had caused the army of the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses, the din of a large army, and they had reasoned among themselves, "The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the borderlands to fight us."

7 Then in the twilight they fled, abandoning their tents, their horses, and their asses, the whole camp just as it was, and fleeing for their lives.

8 After the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went first into one tent, ate and drank, and took silver, gold, and clothing from it, and went out and hid them. Back they came into another tent, took things from it, and again went out and hid them.

9 Then they said to one another: "We are not doing right. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping silent. If we wait until morning breaks, we shall be blamed. Come, let us go and inform the palace."

10 They came and summoned the city gatekeepers. "We went to the camp of the Arameans," they said, "but no one was there - not a human voice, only the horses and asses tethered, and the tents just as they were left."

11 The gatekeepers announced this and it was reported within the palace.

12 Though it was night, the king got up; he said to his servants: "Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. Knowing that we are in famine, they have left their camp to hide in the field, hoping to take us alive and enter our city when we leave it."

13 One of his servants, however, suggested: "Since those who are left in the city are no better off than all the throng that has perished, let some of us take five of the abandoned horses and send scouts to investigate."

14 They took two chariots, and horses, and the king sent them to reconnoiter the Aramean army. "Go and find out," he ordered.

15 They followed the Arameans as far as the Jordan, and the whole route was strewn with garments and other objects that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.

16 The people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans; and then a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel, as the LORD had said.

17 The king put in charge of the gate the officer who was his adjutant; but the people trampled him to death at the gate, just as the man of God had predicted when the king visited him.

18 Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of the man of God to the king, "Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and one seah of fine flour for a shekel at this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria."

19 The adjutant had answered the man of God, "Even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, how could this happen?" And Elisha had replied, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it."

20 And that is what happened to him, for the people trampled him to death at the gate.

v 1,2. In a continuation of 6:33, Elisha informs the king that the wait is over and the next day food will be about normal price, seven quarts of flour for about two fifths ounce of silver, and 13-14 quarts of barley for the same price. The officer assisting the king expressed doubt God could do such a thing, so he was warned that he would see it but would not eat of it.

v 3-11. The four lepers decided they would probably die anyway, so they would submit to the Syrians. They found the camp empty because the Lord  had caused the Syrians to hear a noise like many horses and chariots approaching, and they fled for their lives. The lepers started gorging themselves and hiding spoils till they realized it was wrong to do that while people were starving. They reported to the king by way of the gate keeper that the enemy horses were tied but they were all fled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 12-16. The kings advisors suspected an ambush and sent men on two of the remaining horses to check it out. They found that the Syrians had cast off personal items in flight clear to the Jordan. So the people came out for spoils and the food price dropped just as Elisha had said.

 

 

v 17-20. The king’s assistant who doubted God’s ability had been placed in charge of the gate to try to control an orderly exit. The people were so anxious to get out to the food that they ignored him and he was trampled in the gate. This was God’s punishment on him for scoffing at God’s ability to provide, just as Elisha predicted.