 1 Elisha said, Hear the Word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria. 2 The third officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, If the Lord would make windows in heaven then this might be. He said, You will see with your eyes but you will not eat of it. 3 Four lepers, were at the gate entrance and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we will die there. If we still sit here, we will also die. Now come and let us fall to the army of the Syrians. If they save us alive we will live. If they kill us, we will only die. 5 They rose in the twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians and when they had come to the outermost part of the camp of Syria, no one was there. 6 For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and horses like the noise of a great army. So they said to one another, The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come against us. 7 So they arose and fled in the twilight and left their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and their camp as it was and fled for their life. 8 When the lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank and carried silver and gold and clothing from there and hid it. Then they entered into another tent and carried from there and hid it. 9 They said to one another, We are not doing right. This is a day of good news and we hold our peace. If we stay until the morning light some punishment will come on us. Therefore come so that we may go and tell the king's household. 10 They came and called to the porter of the city and said, We came to the camp of the Syrians and no one was there. No voice of man but horses and donkeys tied and tents as they were. 11 He called the porters told it to the king's house inside. 12 The king arose in the night and said to his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry and they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field saying, When they come out of the city we will catch them alive and get into the city. 13 One of his servants said, Please let some take five of the horses that remain that are left in the city. Behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it. Behold, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed. We will see. 14 They took two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Syrians saying, Go and see. 15 They went after them to Jordan and all the way was full of clothing and vessels that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king. 16 The people plundered the tents of the Syrians. A measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the Word of the Lord. 17 The king appointed the third officer over the gate, the one on whose hand he had leaned. And the people trampled on him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 It happened according to the saying of the man of God to the king saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel: This will be tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria. 19 The third officer answered the man of God and said, Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, then such a thing might be. And he said, Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it. 20 It happened to him, for the people trampled on him in the gate, and he died.
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