Holman Christian Standard Bible (112 page)

Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 
8
 Then he asked, “Which route should we take? ”

Joram replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”

9
 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or their animals.

10
 Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the
Lord
has summoned three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”

11
 But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn't there a prophet of the
Lord
here? Let's inquire of
•Yahweh
through him.” 

One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah's hands, is here.”

12
 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The
Lord
's words are with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him. 

13
 However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “We have nothing in common. Go to the prophets of your father and your mother! ” 

But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the
Lord
who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”

14
 Elisha responded, “As the
Lord
of
•Hosts
lives, I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look at you; I wouldn't take notice of you.
15
 Now, bring me a musician.” 

While the musician played, the
Lord
's hand came on Elisha.
16
 Then he said, “This is what the
Lord
says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this
•wadi
.'
17
 For the
Lord
says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water, and you will drink — you and your cattle and your animals.'
18
 This is easy in the
Lord
's sight. He will also hand Moab over to you. 
19
 Then you must attack every fortified city and every choice city. You must cut down every good tree and stop up every spring of water. You must ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

20
 About the time for the
•grain
offering the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

21
 All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border.
22
 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood. 
23
 “This is blood! ” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and killed each other. So, to the spoil, Moab! ”

24
 However, when the Moabites came to Israel's camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So Israel went into the land and struck down the Moabites.
25
 They destroyed the cities, and each of them threw stones to cover every good piece of land. They stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree. In the end, only the buildings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

26
 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took 700 swordsmen with him to try to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not do it.
27
 So he took his firstborn son, who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a
•burnt
offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.

2 Kings

The Widow's Oil Multiplied

4
One of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant
•feared
the
Lord
. Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.” 

2
 Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? ”

She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 

3
 Then he said, “Go and borrow empty containers from everyone — from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few. 
4
 Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.”
5
 So she left.

After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring. 
6
 When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”

But he replied, “There aren't any more.” Then the oil stopped.

7
 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” 

The Shunammite Woman's Hospitality

8
 One day Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to eat some food. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat. 
9
 Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God,
10
 so let's make a small room upstairs and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for him. Whenever he comes, he can stay there.” 

The Shunammite Woman's Son

11
 One day he came there and stopped and went to the room upstairs to lie down.
12
 He ordered his attendant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him.

13
 Then he said to Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘Look, you've gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? ' ”

She answered, “I am living among my own people.”

14
 So he asked, “Then what should be done for her? ”

Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15
 “Call her,” Elisha said. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.
16
 Elisha said, “At this time next year you will have a son in your arms.” 

Then she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not deceive your servant.” 

17
 The woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time the following year, as Elisha had promised her.

The Shunammite's Son Raised

18
 The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters. 
19
 Suddenly he complained to his father, “My head! My head! ”

His father told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
20
 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died.
21
 Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left.

22
 She summoned her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and then come back.”

23
 But he said, “Why go to him today? It's not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” 

She replied, “Everything is all right.” 

24
 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Hurry, don't slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”
25
 So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi, “Look, there's the Shunammite woman. 
26
 Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right? ' ”

And she answered, “Everything's all right.”

27
 When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone — she is in severe anguish, and the
Lord
has hidden it from me. He hasn't told me.”

28
 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn't I say, ‘Do not deceive me? ' ” 

29
 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your mantle under your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet anyone, don't stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don't answer him. Then place my staff on the boy's face.”

30
 The boy's mother said to Elisha, “As the
Lord
lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

31
 Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn't wake up.” 

32
 When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed. 
33
 So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the
Lord
. 
34
 Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy's flesh became warm. 
35
 Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 

36
 Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” He called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”
37
 She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left. 

The Deadly Stew

38
 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet. He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”

39
 One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.

40
 They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There's death in the pot, man of God! ” And they were unable to eat it.

41
 Then Elisha said, “Get some meal.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot. 

The Multiplied Bread

42
 A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of 20 loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.” 

43
 But Elisha's attendant asked, “What? Am I to set 20 loaves before 100 men? ” 

“Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the
Lord
says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.' ”
44
 So he gave it to them, and as the
Lord
had promised, they ate and had some left over. 

2 Kings

Naaman's Disease Healed

5
Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a great man in his master's sight and highly regarded because through him, the
Lord
had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease. 

2
 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman's wife.
3
 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

4
 So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
5
 Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 changes of clothes. 
6
 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:

7
 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Think it over and you will see that he is only picking a fight with me.” 

8
 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel tore his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.” 
9
 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house.

10
 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be
•clean
.”

11
 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of
•Yahweh
his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease.
12
 Aren't Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? ” So he turned and left in a rage. 

13
 But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean'? ”
14
 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.