2 Kings 1-4

II Kings 1

¹And Moab transgresseth against Israel after the death of Ahab,

²and Ahaziah falleth through the lattice in his upper chamber that is in Samaria, and is sick, and sendeth messengers, and saith unto them, ‘Go ye, inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron if I recover from this sickness.'

³And a messenger of Jehovah hath spoken unto Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Rise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and speak unto them, Is it because there is not a God in Israel -- ye are going to inquire of Baal Zebub god of Ekron?

⁴and therefore, thus said Jehovah, The bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die;' and Elijah goeth on.

⁵And the messengers turn back unto him, and he saith unto them, ‘What is this -- ye have turned back!'

⁶And they say unto him, ‘A man hath come up to meet us, and saith unto us, Go, turn back unto the king who sent you, and ye have said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Is it because there is not a God in Israel -- thou art sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'

⁷And he saith unto them, ‘What is the fashion of the man who hath come up to meet you, and speaketh unto you these words?'

⁸And they say unto him, ‘A man -- hairy, and a girdle of skin girt about his loins;' and he saith, ‘He is Elijah the Tishbite.'

⁹And he sendeth unto him a head of fifty and his fifty, and he goeth up unto him (and lo, he is sitting on the top of the hill), and he speaketh unto him, ‘O man of God, the king hath spoken, Come down.'

¹⁰And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto the head of the fifty, ‘And if I am a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.

¹¹And he turneth and sendeth unto him another head of fifty and his fifty, and he answereth and speaketh unto him, ‘O man of God, thus said the king, Haste, come down.'

¹²And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto them, ‘If I am a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire of God cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.

¹³And he turneth and sendeth a third head of fifty and his fifty, and the third head of fifty goeth up, and cometh in, and boweth on his knees over-against Elijah, and maketh supplication unto him, and speaketh unto him, ‘O man of God, let be precious, I pray thee, my soul and the soul of thy servants -- these fifty -- in thine eyes.

¹⁴Lo, come down hath fire from the heavens, and consumeth the two heads of the former fifties and their fifties; and, now, let my soul be precious in thine eyes.'

¹⁵And a messenger of Jehovah speaketh unto Elijah, ‘Go down with him, be not afraid of him;' and he riseth and goeth down with him unto the king,

¹⁶and speaketh unto him, ‘Thus said Jehovah, Because that thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron -- is it because there is not a God in Israel to inquire of His word? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up -- thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'

¹⁷And he dieth, according to the word of Jehovah that Elijah spake, and Jehoram reigneth in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, for he had no son.

¹⁸And the rest of the matters of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

II Kings 2

¹And it cometh to pass, at Jehovah's taking up Elijah in a whirlwind to the heavens, that Elijah goeth, and Elisha, from Gilgal,

²and Elijah saith unto Elisha, ‘Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me unto Beth-El;' and Elisha saith, ‘Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go down to Beth-El.

³And sons of the prophets who are in Beth-El come out unto Elisha, and say unto him, ‘Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, ‘I also have known -- keep silent.'

⁴And Elijah saith to him, ‘Elisha, abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho;' and he saith, ‘Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they come in to Jericho.

⁵And sons of the prophets who are in Jericho come nigh unto Elisha, and say unto him, ‘Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, ‘I also have known -- keep silent.'

⁶And Elijah saith to him, ‘Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me to the Jordan;' and he saith, ‘Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go on both of them,

⁷-- and fifty men of the sons of the prophets have gone on, and stand over-against afar off -- and both of them have stood by the Jordan.

⁸And Elijah taketh his robe, and wrappeth it together, and smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and they pass over both of them on dry land.

⁹And it cometh to pass, at their passing over, that Elijah hath said unto Elisha, ‘Ask, what do I do for thee before I am taken from thee?' and Elisha saith, ‘Then let there be, I pray thee, a double portion of thy spirit unto me;'

¹⁰and he saith, ‘Thou hast asked a hard thing; if thou dost see me taken from thee, it is to thee so; and if not, it is not.'

¹¹And it cometh to pass, they are going, going on and speaking, and lo, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and they separate between them both, and Elijah goeth up in a whirlwind, to the heavens.

¹²And Elisha is seeing, and he is crying, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen;' and he hath not seen him again; and he taketh hold on his garments, and rendeth them into two pieces.

¹³And he taketh up the robe of Elijah, that fell from off him, and turneth back and standeth on the edge of the Jordan,

¹⁴and he taketh the robe of Elijah that fell from off him, and smiteth the waters, and saith, ‘Where is Jehovah, God of Elijah -- even He?' and he smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and Elisha passeth over.

¹⁵And they see him -- the sons of the prophets who are in Jericho -- over-against, and they say, ‘Rested hath the spirit of Elijah on Elisha;' and they come to meet him, and bow themselves to him to the earth,

¹⁶and say unto him, ‘Lo, we pray thee, there are with thy servants fifty men, sons of valour: let them go, we pray thee, and they seek thy lord, lest the Spirit of Jehovah hath taken him up, and doth cast him on one of the hills, or into one of the valleys;' and he saith, ‘Ye do not send.'

¹⁷And they press upon him, till he is ashamed, and he saith, ‘Send ye;' and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;

¹⁸and they turn back unto him -- and he is abiding in Jericho -- and he saith unto them, ‘Did I not say unto you, Do not go?'

¹⁹And the men of the city say unto Elisha, ‘Lo, we pray thee, the site of the city is good, as my lord seeth, and the waters are bad, and the earth sterile.'

²⁰And he saith, ‘Bring to me a new dish, and place there salt;' and they bring it unto him,

²¹and he goeth out unto the source of the waters, and casteth there salt, and saith, ‘Thus said Jehovah, I have given healing to these waters; there is not thence any more death and sterility.'

²²And the waters are healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha, that he spake.

²³And he goeth up thence to Beth-El, and he is going up in the way, and little youths have come out from the city, and scoff at him, and say to him, ‘Go up, bald-head! go up, bald-head!'

²⁴And he looketh behind him, and seeth them, and declareth them vile in the name of Jehovah, and two bears come out of the forest, and rend of them forty and two lads.

²⁵And he goeth thence unto the hill of Carmel, and thence he hath turned back to Samaria.

II Kings 3

¹And Jehoram son of Ahab hath reigned over Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigneth twelve years,

²and doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, only not like his father, and like his mother, and he turneth aside the standing-pillar of Baal that his father made;

³only to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that he caused Israel to sin he hath cleaved, he hath not turned aside from it.

⁴And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master, and he rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with wool,

⁵and it cometh to pass at the death of Ahab, that the king of Moab transgresseth against the king of Israel.

⁶And king Jehoram goeth out in that day from Samaria, and inspecteth all Israel,

⁷and goeth and sendeth unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, ‘The king of Moab hath transgressed against me; dost thou go with me unto Moab for battle?' and he saith, ‘I go up, as I, so thou; as my people, so thy people; as my horses, so thy horses.

⁸And he saith, ‘Where is this -- the way we go up?' and he saith, ‘The way of the wilderness of Edom.'

⁹And the king of Israel goeth, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and they turn round the way seven days, and there hath been no water for the camp, and for the cattle that are at their feet,

¹⁰and the king of Israel saith, ‘Alas, for Jehovah hath called for these three kings, to give them into the hand of Moab.'

¹¹And Jehoshaphat saith, ‘Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, and we seek Jehovah by him?' And one of the servants of the king of Israel answereth and saith, ‘Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.'

¹²And Jehoshaphat saith, ‘The word of Jehovah is with him;' and go down unto him do the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom.

¹³And Elisha saith unto the king of Israel, ‘What -- to me and to thee? go unto the prophets of thy father, and unto the prophets of thy mother;' and the king of Israel saith to him, ‘Nay, for Jehovah hath called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.'

¹⁴And Elisha saith, ‘Jehovah of Hosts liveth, before whom I have stood; for unless the face of Jehoshaphat king of Judah I am lifting up, I do not look unto thee, nor see thee;

¹⁵and now, bring to me a minstrel; and it hath been, at the playing of the minstrel, that the hand of Jehovah is on him,

¹⁶and he saith, ‘Thus said Jehovah, Make this valley ditches -- ditches;

¹⁷for thus said Jehovah, Ye do not see wind, nor do ye see rain, and that valley is full of water, and ye have drunk -- ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

¹⁸‘And this hath been light in the eyes of Jehovah, and he hath given Moab into your hand,

¹⁹and ye have smitten every fenced city, and every choice city, and every good tree ye cause to fall, and all fountains of waters ye stop, and every good portion ye mar with stones.'

²⁰And it cometh to pass in the morning, at the ascending of the morning-present, that lo, waters are coming in from the way of Edom, and the land is filled with the waters,

²¹and all Moab have heard that the kings have come up to fight against them, and they are called together, from every one girding on a girdle and upward, and they stand by the border.

²²And they rise early in the morning, and the sun hath shone on the waters, and the Moabites see, from over-against, the waters red as blood,

²³and say, ‘Blood this is; the kings have been surely destroyed, and they smite each his neighbour; and now for spoil, Moab!'

²⁴And they come in unto the camp of Israel, and the Israelites rise, and smite the Moabites, and they flee from their face; and they enter into Moab, so as to smite Moab,

²⁵and the cities they break down, and on every good portion they cast each his stone, and have filled it, and every fountain of water they stop, and every good tree they cause to fall -- till one had left its stones in Kir-Haraseth, and the slingers go round and smite it.

²⁶And the king of Moab seeth that the battle has been too strong for him, and he taketh with him seven hundred men, drawing sword, to cleave through unto the king of Edom, and they have not been able,

²⁷and he taketh his son, the first-born who reigneth in his stead, and causeth him to ascend -- a burnt-offering on the wall, and there is great wrath against Israel, and they journey from off him, and turn back to the land.

II Kings 4

¹And a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets hath cried unto Elisha, saying, ‘Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou hast known that thy servant was fearing Jehovah, and the lender hath come to take my two children to him for servants.'

²And Elisha saith unto her, ‘What do I do for thee? declare to me, what hast thou in the house?' and she saith, ‘Thy maid-servant hath nothing in the house except a pot of oil.'

³And he saith, ‘Go, ask for thee vessels from without, from all thy neighbours -- empty vessels -- let them not be few;

⁴and thou hast entered, and shut the door upon thee, and upon thy sons, and hast poured out into all these vessels, and the full ones thou dost remove.'

⁵And she goeth from him, and shutteth the door upon her, and upon her sons; they are bringing nigh unto her, and she is pouring out,

⁶and it cometh to pass, at the filling of the vessels, that she saith unto her son, ‘Bring nigh unto me a vessel more,' and he saith unto her, ‘There is not a vessel more;' and the oil stayeth.

⁷And she cometh and declareth to the man of God, and he saith, ‘Go, sell the oil, and repay thy loan; and thou and thy sons do live of the rest.'

⁸And the day cometh that Elisha passeth over unto Shunem, and there is a great woman, and she layeth hold on him to eat bread, and it cometh to pass, at the time of his passing over, he turneth aside thither to eat bread,

⁹and she saith unto her husband, ‘Lo, I pray thee, I have known that a holy man of God he is, passing over by us continually;

¹⁰let us make, I pray thee, a little upper chamber of the wall, and we set for him there a bed, and a table, and a high seat, and a candlestick; and it hath been, in his coming in unto us, he doth turn aside thither.'

¹¹And the day cometh, that he cometh in thither, and turneth aside unto the upper chamber, and lieth there,

¹²and he saith unto Gehazi his young man, ‘Call for this Shunammite;' and he calleth for her, and she standeth before him.

¹³And he saith to him, ‘Say, I pray thee, unto her, Lo, thou hast troubled thyself concerning us with all this trouble; what -- to do for thee? is it to speak for thee unto the king, or unto the head of the host?' and she saith, ‘In the midst of my people I am dwelling.'

¹⁴And he saith, ‘And what -- to do for her?' and Gehazi saith, ‘Verily she hath no son, and her husband is aged.'

¹⁵And he saith, ‘Call for her;' and he calleth for her, and she standeth at the opening,

¹⁶and he saith, ‘At this season, according to the time of life, thou art embracing a son;' and she saith, ‘Nay, my lord, O man of God, do not lie unto thy maid-servant.'

¹⁷And the woman conceiveth and beareth a son, at this season, according to the time of life, that Elisha spake of unto her.

¹⁸And the lad groweth, and the day cometh that he goeth out unto his father, unto the reapers,

¹⁹and he saith unto his father, ‘My head, my head;' and he saith unto the young man, ‘Bear him unto his mother;'

²⁰and he beareth him, and bringeth him in unto his mother, and he sitteth on her knees till the noon, and dieth.

²¹And she goeth up, and layeth him on the bed of the man of God, and shutteth the door upon him, and goeth out,

²²and calleth unto her husband, and saith, ‘Send, I pray thee, to me, one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I run unto the man of God, and return.'

²³And he saith, ‘Wherefore art thou going unto him to-day? -- neither new moon nor sabbath!' and she saith, ‘Peace to thee!'

²⁴And she saddleth the ass, and saith unto her young man, ‘Lead, and go, do not restrain riding for me, except I have said so to thee.'

²⁵And she goeth, and cometh in unto the man of God, unto the hill of Carmel, and it cometh to pass, at the man of God's seeing her from over-against, that he saith unto Gehazi his young man, ‘Lo, this Shunammite;

²⁶now, run, I pray thee, to meet her, and say to her, Is there peace to thee? is there peace to thy husband? is there peace to the lad?' and she saith, ‘Peace.'

²⁷And she cometh in unto the man of God, unto the hill, and layeth hold on his feet, and Gehazi cometh nigh to thrust her away, and the man of God saith, ‘Let her alone, for her soul is bitter to her, and Jehovah hath hidden it from me, and hath not declared it to me.'

²⁸And she saith, ‘Did I ask a son from my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?'

²⁹And he saith to Gehazi, ‘Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go; when thou dost meet a man, thou dost not salute him; and when a man doth salute thee, thou dost not answer him; and thou hast laid my staff on the face of the youth.'

³⁰And the mother of the youth saith, ‘Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth -- if I leave thee;' and he riseth and goeth after her.

³¹And Gehazi hath passed on before them, and layeth the staff on the face of the youth, and there is no voice, and there is no attention, and he turneth back to meet him, and declareth to him, saying, ‘The youth hath not awaked.'

³²And Elisha cometh in to the house, and lo, the youth is dead, laid on his bed,

³³and he goeth in and shutteth the door upon them both, and prayeth unto Jehovah.

³⁴And he goeth up, and lieth down on the lad, and putteth his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and stretcheth himself upon him, and the flesh of the lad becometh warm;

³⁵and he turneth back and walketh in the house, once hither and once thither, and goeth up and stretcheth himself upon him, and the youth sneezeth till seven times, and the youth openeth his eyes.

³⁶And he calleth unto Gehazi, and saith, ‘Call unto this Shunammite;' and he calleth her, and she cometh in unto him, and he saith, ‘Lift up thy son.'

³⁷And she goeth in, and falleth at his feet, and boweth herself to the earth, and lifteth up her son, and goeth out.

³⁸And Elisha hath turned back to Gilgal, and the famine is in the land, and the sons of the prophets are sitting before him, and he saith to his young man, ‘Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.'

³⁹And one goeth out unto the field to gather herbs, and findeth a vine of the field, and gathereth of it gourds of the field -- the fulness of his garment -- and cometh in and splitteth them into the pot of pottage, for they knew them not;

⁴⁰and they pour out for the men to eat, and it cometh to pass at their eating of the pottage, that they have cried out, and say, ‘Death is in the pot, O man of God!' and they have not been able to eat.

⁴¹And he saith, ‘Then bring ye meal;' and he casteth into the pot, and saith, ‘Pour out for the people, and they eat;' and there was no evil thing in the pot.

⁴²And a man hath come from Baal-Shalishah, and bringeth in to the man of God bread of first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in its husk, and he saith, ‘Give to the people, and they eat.'

⁴³And his minister saith, ‘What -- do I give this before a hundred men?' and he saith, ‘Give to the people, and they eat, for thus said Jehovah, Eat and leave;'

⁴⁴and he giveth before them, and they eat and leave, according to the word of Jehovah.