2 Kings

2 Kings 7 ©

1 Elisha prophesieth an extraordinary plenty suddenly to take place in Samaria, and sheweth an unbelieving lord his unhappy doom. 3 Four lepers venture into the camp of the Syrians, and bring tidings of their hasty flight. 12 The king, fearing a stratagem, sendeth out spies, and finding the report true, spoileth the Syrian tents, which bringeth about the plenty foretold. 17 The unbelieving lord hath the charge of the gate, and being trodden to death verifieth the prophet's prediction.

1

THEN Elisha asaid, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, bTo morrow about this time cshall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

a ch. 6.33.
b Ps. 46.1,5. v.18,19. Is. 58.8.
c ch. 6.25.
2

Then 1a lord don whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if ethe LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt fnot eat thereof.

d ch. 5.18.
e Ge. 7.11; 18.12,13. Mal. 3.10. Ps. 78.19-21.
f De. 3.27. He. 3.17. v.20.
3

¶And there were four leprous men gat the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

g Le. 13.46. Nu. 5.2. ch. 5.27.
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: hif they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

h Es. 4.16. Lu. 15.17-19.
5

And they rose up in the itwilight, 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.

i 1Sa. 30.17. v.7,9,12. Ps. 119.147.
6

For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to jhear 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 kthe kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

j 2Sa. 5.24. ch. 6.17; 19.7. Job 15.21. v.7.
k 1Ki. 10.29. Ju. 1.26.
7

Wherefore they arose and lfled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

l Ps. 53.5; 48.4-6. Pr. 28.1. Job 15.21; 18.11.
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 mhid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

m Je. 41.8. Jos. 7.21. Mat. 13.44; 25.18.
9

Then they nsaid one to another, We do not well: this day is a oday of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, 2some pmischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

n Ju. 19.30. v.6. Eze. 18.14. Hag. 1.5. He. 10.24. Ga. 6.2.
o Phi. 2.4. Mat. 7.24; 10.16.
p Nu. 32.23. .
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 qno man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

q v.6,7.
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 rservants, 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.

r Ge. 20.8; 41.38. ch. 6.8; 5.13.
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, 3they 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 sspoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, taccording to the word of the LORD.

s Job 27.16,17. 2Ch. 20.25. Ps. 68.12. Is. 33.23.
t v.1. Is. 44.26. He. 10.23. Nu. 23.19. 1Sa. 15.29. 2Ti. 2.13. Tit. 1.2.
17

¶And the king appointed uthe 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 vwhen the king came down to him.

u v.2.
v ch. 6.32.
18

And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, wsaying, 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:

w v.1,2,16. Is. 44.26.
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 xso it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

x Job 20.23. Is. 42.25; 7.9. Nu. 20.12. 2Ch. 20.20. Je. 17.6. 1Jn. 5.10. v.2. He. 3.18,19.