2 Kings Chapter 7
The Siege of Samaria Lifted
1 Elisha said, “Listen to Yahveh’s message, ‘Tomorrow about now, .36 bushel 1 seah of fine flour will sell for .4 oz a shekel of silver, and .73 bushel 2 seahs of barley for .4 oz a shekel in Samaria’s gate.’”
2 The royal officer whose hand the king was leaning on answered, “If Yahveh opened floodgates in the sky, could that be?”
He said, “You’ll see it yourself, but you won’t eat any.
3 Four lepers were sitting at the entrance to the city gate. They talked among themselves, “Why are we sitting here till we die? 4 If we go into the city, we’ll starve to death. If we sit here, we’ll die.” 5 As it was getting dark, they went to the Arameans’ camp. When they got to the edge of it, nobody was there. 6 Yahveh had made the army hear the chariots and horses of a big army. They told one another, “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.” 7 They ran for their lives in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses and donkeys, and the camp just like it was. 8 When the lepers got to the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold, and clothes, and hid them. They went back into another tent and carried things away and hid them. 2 Kg 7:1-8
9 Then they said,
“What we’re doing is not right. There’s good news, but we’re not telling it. If we wait till morning light, we’ll suffer for it. Come on, let’s tell the king’s household.”
10 They went and called to the city gatekeepers, “We went to the Arameans’ camp, and nobody was there, not a human voice, just horses and donkeys tied up and tents standing there.”
11 The gatekeepers called out to the king’s household.
12 The king got up during the night and told his officers,
“The Arameans know we’re starving; they’ve left camp to hide in the countryside. When we come out of the city, they’ll capture us and get into the city.”
13 One of his officers answered,
“Have some men take five of the horses left in the city. They’ll be like the great number that’s left in it anyway. They’ll be like the big number in Israel that have already perished. Let’s send and see.”
14 The king sent two chariots with horses to look for the Aramean army. 15 and they tracked them to the Jordan. All along the road were clothes and equipment they’d thrown away as they fled. The messengers came back and told the king. 2 Kg 7:9-15
16 The people went out and plundered Aram’s camp; .36 bushel 1 seah of fine flour sold for .4 oz a shekel and .73 bushel 2 seahs of barley for .4 oz a shekel—like Yahveh had said. 17 The king appointed the royal officer he depended on to take charge of the gate, but the people trampled him. He died like the man of God had said when the king came down to him: 18 “.73 bushel 2 seahs of barley for .4 oz a shekel of silver, .36 bushel 1 seah of fine flour for .4 oz a shekel, will sell tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.”
19 The royal officer had answered the man of God, “If Yahveh opened the floodgates in the sky, could such a thing happen?”
He said, “You’ll see it for yourself, but you won’t eat any of it.”
20 That’s what happened because the people trampled him to death at the gate. 2 Kg 7:16-20