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2 Kings

Continues the story of the divided kingdoms, their decline, and eventual exile.

Chapter 7

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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.

Then Elisha said, "Listen to the Lord's message. The Lord says that tomorrow, around this time, a measure of fine flour will cost a shekel, and two measures of barley will also cost a shekel, at the entrance of Samaria's city."

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.

Then a powerful leader, who the king relied on, spoke to the prophet and asked, If the LORD were to create openings in the sky, could this happen? The prophet replied, Yes, you will see it with your own eyes, but you won't be able to eat it.

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?

Four men with skin disease were at the city entrance. They asked each other, "Why are we just sitting 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.

If we say we'll enter the city, famine will be there, and we'll die. If we stay here, we'll still die. So let's go to the Syrian army. If they save us, we live; if they don't, we just 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.

In the evening, they got up and went to the Syrian camp. When they reached the farthest part of the camp, they found no one 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.

The LORD made the Syrian army hear fake noises of chariots and horses, making them think there were many enemies approaching. They thought King Israel hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians against them.

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.

So they got up and ran in the dim light, leaving their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else in camp, and they ran to save their lives.

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.

When the lepers reached the camp's edge, they entered a tent, ate and drank, and took silver, gold, and clothes. They hid these items and did this again in another tent.

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.

Then they said to each other, We're not doing well. Today is a day of good news, but we've stayed quiet. If we wait until morning, something bad might happen. So let's go and tell the king's family now.

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.

So they went to the city's gatekeeper and said, "We went to the Syrian camp, and there were no people or sounds, just horses and donkeys tied up and their tents still set up."

11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

He summoned the doorkeepers, and they reported it to the royal residence inside.

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.

The king got up at night and told his helpers, "I'll show you what the Syrians did. They know we're hungry, so they left their camp to hide in the fields. They plan to capture us when we leave the city and then take control of it."

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.

One of his servants replied, "Please let some people take five horses from those still here in the city. They are like the remaining Israelites - very few. Let's send them to check what's happening."

14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

So they got two horse-drawn chariot horses. The king then told them to follow the Syrian army and find out what's happening.

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.

So, they followed the Syrians to the Jordan River. They found it filled with clothes and things the Syrians threw away in a hurry. The messengers came back and informed the king about it.

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.

The people left and destroyed the Syrian's tents. Then, a small amount of good grain could be bought for one coin, and a bigger amount of basic grain for the same coin price, just like the Lord said.

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.

The king chose a person to watch the gate, but the people stepped on him, and he died, just like the prophet said when the king met 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:

As the man of God told the king, he said that for a shekel, you will get two measures of barley or a measure of fine flour. This will happen around the same time tomorrow at 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.

And the Lord replied to the man of God, asking if He could create windows in heaven. The man responded by saying that he would indeed see it, but wouldn't be able to eat it.

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

So it happened to him: because the crowd stepped on him at the entrance, and he passed away.

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