THE BOOK OF SECOND KINGS
King James Version
1 ¶ Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of
Ahab.
2
And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in
Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire
of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
3 But the angel
of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of
the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of
Ekron?
4 Now therefore
thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art
gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And when the
messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
6
And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto
us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith
the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to
enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from
that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7
And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet
you, and told you these words?
8 And they
answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his
loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 ¶ Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with
his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the
top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said,
Come down.
10 And Elijah
answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire
come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire
from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And
he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down
quickly.
12 And Elijah
answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from
heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And he sent
again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty
went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and
said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these
fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14
Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains
of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious
in thy sight.
15 And the angel
of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he
arose, and went down with him unto the king.
16 And he said
unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers
to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in
Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed
on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17 So he died
according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned
in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
18 Now the rest of
the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
1 ¶ And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up
Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with
Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said
unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And
Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not
leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of
the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto
him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?
And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4 And Elijah said
unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to
Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not
leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5
And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and
said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy
head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6 And Elijah said
unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he
said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty men
of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two
stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took
his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were
divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9 ¶ And it came to pass, when they
were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee,
before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double
portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said,
Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from
thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,
there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both
asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw
it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen
thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 ¶ He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from
him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took
the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where
is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the
sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The
spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed
themselves to the ground before him.
16 And they said
unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men;
let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of
the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some
valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17 And when they
urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and
they sought three days, but found him not.
18
And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said
unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
19 ¶ And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I
pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the
water is naught, and the ground barren.
20
And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they
brought it to him.
21 And he went
forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus
saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any
more death or barren land.
22
So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of
Elisha which he spake.
23 And he went up
from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth
little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou
bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of
the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty
and two children of them.
25 And he went
from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
1 ¶ Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over
Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned
twelve years.
2 And he wrought
evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother:
for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.
3
Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
4 And Mesha king
of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred
thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5 But it came to
pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 ¶ And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time,
and numbered all Israel.
7 And he went and
sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled
against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go
up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
8 And he said,
Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of
Edom.
9 So the king of
Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a
compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king
of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to
deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But
Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire
of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on
the hands of Elijah.
12 And
Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 And Elisha
said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the
prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of
Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these
three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 And Elisha
said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not
that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look
toward thee, nor see thee.
15
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel
played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
16 And he said,
Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith
the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley
shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
18 And this is
but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also
into your hand.
19 And ye shall
smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree,
and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
20 ¶ And it came to pass in the
morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by
the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21 And when all
the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they
gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.
22 And they rose
up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw
the water on the other side as red as blood:
23 And they said,
This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another:
now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24
And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and
smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward
smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
25 And they beat
down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and
filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof;
howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
26 And when the
king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven
hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but
they could not.
27
Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and
offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation
against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
1 ¶ Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the
sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my
husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the
creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said
unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And
she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said,
Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels;
borrow not a few.
4 And when thou
art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt
pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went
from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels
to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to
pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a
vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil,
and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
8 ¶ And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem,
where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was,
that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9
And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an
holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make a
little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed,
and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to
us, that he shall turn in thither.
11
And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the
chamber, and lay there.
12 And he said to
Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood
before him.
13 And he said
unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou
be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I
dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said,
What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child,
and her husband is old.
15
And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the
door.
16 And he said,
About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And
she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 And the woman
conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her,
according to the time of life.
18 ¶ And when the child was grown, it
fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
19 And he said
unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his
mother.
20 And when he
had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
21 And she went
up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and
went out.
22 And she called
unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one
of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
23
And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new
moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
24 Then she
saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy
riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 So she went
and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass,
when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant,
Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
26 Run now, I
pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with
thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
27 And when she
came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said,
Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from
me, and hath not told me.
28 Then she said,
Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 Then he said
to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any
salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
30 And the mother
of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave
thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 And Gehazi
passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went
again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 And when
Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his
bed.
33 He went in
therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
34 And he went
up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon
his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the
child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 Then he
returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched
himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his
eyes.
36 And he called
Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come
in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
37 Then she went
in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
38 ¶ And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a
dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he
said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of
the prophets.
39 And one went
out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered
thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of
pottage: for they knew them not.
40 So they poured
out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the
pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in
the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
41
But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said,
Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.
42 And there came
a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits,
twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he
said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
43
And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He
said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They
shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
44 So he set it
before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the
LORD.
1 ¶ Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria,
was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had
given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a
leper.
2 And the Syrians
had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the
land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said
unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!
for he would recover him of his leprosy.
4 And one went
in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land
of Israel.
5
And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the
king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and
six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought
the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto
thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to
pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes,
and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me
to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he
seeketh a quarrel against me.
8
And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of
Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast
thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is
a prophet in Israel.
9 ¶ So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot,
and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan
seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was
wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to
me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand
over the place, and recover the leper.
12
Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the
waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went
away in a rage.
13 And his
servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had
bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he
down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the
man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and
he was clean.
15 ¶ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his
company, and came, and stood before him: and he said,
Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now
therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
16 But he said, As
the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to
take it; but he refused.
17 And Naaman
said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer
neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
18 In this thing
the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon
to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of
Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.
19 And he said
unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
20 ¶ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God,
said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his
hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and
take somewhat of him.
21
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after
him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he said,
All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to
me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I
pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23
And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and
bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid
them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
24 And when he
came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the
house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
25
But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him,
Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said
unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his
chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments,
and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy
therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he
went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
1 ¶ And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold
now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for
us.
2 Let us go, we
pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a
place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 And one said,
Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4
So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 But as one was
felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas,
master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of
God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick,
and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7
Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took
it.
8 ¶ Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and
took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my
camp.
9 And the man of
God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a
place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10
And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him
and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart
of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his
servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king
of Israel?
12
And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the
prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou
speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 ¶ And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send
and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14
Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and
they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the
servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host
compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto
him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they
that be with them.
17 And Elisha
prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the
LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain
was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said,
Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with
blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha
said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I
will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20
And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said,
LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their
eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king
of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them?
shall I smite them?
22
And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those
whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy 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 drunk, he sent them away,
and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more
into the land of Israel.
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, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head
was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
26 And as the
king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him,
saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 And he said,
If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor,
or out of the winepress?
28
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This
woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat
my son to morrow.
29 So we boiled
my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son,
that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
30
And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he
rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and,
behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 Then he said,
God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall
stand on him this day.
32
But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king
sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders,
See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when
the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the
sound of his master's feet behind him?
33
And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto
him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the
LORD any longer?