1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Look now, the place where we dwell before you is too strait for us.2 Let us go, we pray you, to the Jordan, and take from there every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go{+}.3 And one said, Be pleased, I pray you, to go with your slaves. And he answered, I will go.4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.5 But as one was felling a beam, the ax-head fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.6 And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in there, and made the iron to swim.7 And he said, Take it up to you. So he put out his hand, and took it.8 Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his slaves, saying, In such and such a place will be my camp.9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass such a place; for the Syrians are coming down there.10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice.11 And the heart of the king of Syria was very troubled for this thing; and he called his slaves, and said to them, Will you{+} not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?12 And one of his slaves said, No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber.13 And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Look, he is in Dothan.14 Therefore he sent there horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and surrounded the city.15 And when the minister of the man of God had risen early, and gone forth, look, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do?16 And he answered, Don't be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Yahweh, I pray you, open his eyes, that he may see. And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, look, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, Strike this people, I pray you, with blindness. And he struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.19 And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you{+} to the man whom you{+} seek. And he led them to Samaria.20 And it came to pass, when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and, look, they were in the midst of Samaria.21 And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?22 And he answered, You will not strike them: would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.23 And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drank, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria did not come into the land of Israel anymore.24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, look, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for 80 [pieces] of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five [pieces] of silver.26 And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.27 And he said, If Yahweh does not help you, from where shall I help you? Out of the threshing-floor, or out of the wine press?28 And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.29 So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; and she has hid her son.30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes (now he was passing by on the wall); and the people looked and saw that he had sackcloth inside on his flesh.31 Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat will stand on him this day.32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and [the king] sent a man from before him: but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do you{+} see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him: isn't the sound of his master's feet behind him?33 And while he was yet talking with them, look, the king came down to him: and he said, Look, this evil is of Yahweh; why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?

1 Os discípulos dos profetas disseram a Eliseu: "Como vês, o lugar onde nos reunimos contigo é pequeno demais para nós.2 Por que não vamos ao rio Jordão? Lá cada um de nós poderá cortar um tronco para construirmos ali um lugar de reuniões". Eliseu disse: "Podem ir".3 Então um deles perguntou: "Não gostarias de ir com os teus servos? " "Sim", ele respondeu.4 E foi com eles. Foram ao Jordão e começaram a derrubar árvores.5 Quando um deles estava cortando um tronco, o ferro do machado caiu na água. E ele gritou: "Ah, meu senhor, era emprestado! "6 O homem de Deus perguntou: "Onde caiu? " Quando ele lhe mostrou o lugar, Eliseu cortou um galho e o jogou ali, fazendo o ferro flutuar,7 e disse: "Pegue-o". O homem esticou o braço e o pegou.8 Ora, o rei da Síria estava em guerra contra Israel. Depois de deliberar com os seus conselheiros, dizia: "Montarei o meu acampamento em tal lugar".9 Mas o homem de Deus mandava uma mensagem ao rei de Israel: "Evite passar por tal lugar, pois os arameus estão descendo para lá".10 Assim, o rei de Israel investigava o lugar indicado pelo homem de Deus. Repetidas vezes Eliseu alertou o rei, que tomava as devidas precauções.11 Isto enfureceu o rei da Síria, que, convocando seus conselheiros, lhes perguntou: "Vocês não me apontarão qual dos nossos está do lado do rei de Israel? "12 Respondeu um dos conselheiros: "Nenhum de nós, majestade. É Eliseu, o profeta que está em Israel, que revela ao rei de Israel até as palavras que tu falas em teu quarto".13 Ordenou o rei: "Descubram onde ele está, para que eu mande capturá-lo". Quando lhe informaram que o profeta estava em Dotã,14 ele enviou para lá uma grande tropa com cavalos e carros de guerra. Eles chegaram de noite e cercaram a cidade.15 O servo do homem de Deus levantou-se bem cedo pela manhã e, quando saía, viu que uma tropa com cavalos e carros de guerra havia cercado a cidade. Então ele exclamou: "Ah, meu senhor! O que faremos? "16 O profeta respondeu: "Não tenha medo. Aqueles que estão conosco são mais numerosos do que eles".17 E Eliseu orou: "Senhor, abre os olhos dele para que veja". Então o Senhor abriu os olhos do rapaz, que olhou e viu as colinas cheias de cavalos e carros de fogo ao redor de Eliseu.18 Quando os arameus desceram na direção de Eliseu, ele orou ao Senhor: "Fere estes homens de cegueira". Então ele os feriu de cegueira, conforme Eliseu havia pedido.19 Eliseu lhes disse: "Este não é o caminho nem esta é a cidade que procuram. Sigam-me, e eu os levarei ao homem que vocês estão procurando". E os guiou até a cidade de Samaria.20 Assim que entraram na cidade, Eliseu disse: "Senhor, abre os olhos destes homens para que possam ver". Então o Senhor abriu-lhes os olhos, e eles viram que estavam dentro de Samaria.21 Quando o rei de Israel os viu, perguntou a Eliseu: "Devo matá-los, meu pai? Devo matá-los? "22 Ele respondeu: "Não! Costumas matar prisioneiros que capturas com a tua espada e o teu arco? Manda-lhes servir comida e bebida e deixa que voltem ao seu senhor".23 Então preparou-lhes um grande banquete e, terminando eles de comer e beber, mandou-os de volta para o seu senhor. Assim, as tropas da Síria pararam de invadir o território de Israel.24 Algum tempo depois, Ben-Hadade, rei da Síria, mobilizou todo o seu exército e cercou Samaria.25 O cerco durou tanto e causou tamanha fome que uma cabeça de jumento chegou a valer oitenta peças de prata, e uma caneca de esterco de pomba, cinco peças de prata.26 Um dia, quando o rei de Israel inspecionava os muros da cidade, uma mulher gritou para ele: "Socorro, majestade! "27 O rei respondeu: "Se o Senhor não socorrê-la, como poderei ajudá-la? Acaso há trigo na eira ou vinho no lagar? "28 Contudo ele perguntou: "Qual é o problema? " Ela respondeu: "Esta mulher me disse: ‘Vamos comer o seu filho hoje, e amanhã comeremos o meu’.29 Então cozinhamos o meu filho e o comemos. No dia seguinte eu disse a ela que era a vez de comermos o seu filho, mas ela o havia escondido".30 Quando o rei ouviu as palavras da mulher, rasgou as próprias vestes. Como estava sobre os muros, o povo viu que ele estava usando pano de saco por baixo, junto ao corpo.31 E ele disse: "Deus me castigue com todo rigor, se a cabeça de Eliseu, filho de Safate, continuar hoje sobre seus ombros! "32 Ora, Eliseu estava sentado em sua casa, reunido com as autoridades de Israel. O rei havia mandado um mensageiro à sua frente, mas, antes que ele chegasse, Eliseu disse às autoridades: "Aquele assassino mandou alguém para cortar-me a cabeça? Quando o mensageiro chegar, fechem a porta e mantenham-na trancada. Vocês não estão ouvindo os passos do seu senhor que vem atrás dele? "33 Enquanto ainda lhes falava, o mensageiro chegou. Na mesma hora o rei disse: "Esta desgraça vem do Senhor. Por que devo ainda ter esperança no Senhor? "