Y los hijos de los profetas dijeron a Eliseo^a: Mira¹, el lugar en que habitamos contigo² es muy estrecho para nosotros. 2 Te rogamos que nos dejes ir al Jordán, para que cada uno de nosotros tome de allí una viga, y nos hagamos allí un lugar donde habitar. Y él dijo: Id. 3 Entonces uno dijo: Te rogamos que consientas en ir con tus siervos. Y él respondió: Yo iré. 4 Fue, pues, con ellos; y cuando llegaron al Jordán, cortaron árboles. 5 Pero sucedió que cuando uno de ellos estaba derribando un tronco, el hierro del hacha se le cayó al agua; y gritó, y dijo: ¡Ah, señor mío, era prestado! 6 Entonces el hombre de Dios dijo: ¿Dónde cayó? Y cuando le mostró el lugar, cortó un palo y lo echó allí^a, e hizo flotar el hierro. 7 Y dijo: Tómalo. Y él extendió la mano y lo tomó.

8 Y el rey de Aram estaba en guerra con Israel; y consultó¹ con sus siervos, diciendo: En tal y tal lugar estará mi campamento. 9 Y el hombre de Dios envió palabra al rey de Israel, diciendo^a: Guárdate de no pasar por tal lugar, porque los arameos van a bajar allí. 10 Entonces el rey de Israel envió gente al lugar que el hombre de Dios le había dicho; así que, al prevenirlo él, se cuidó de ir allí, y esto no una ni dos veces. 11 Y se enfureció el corazón del rey de Aram por este hecho; y llamando a sus siervos, les dijo: ¿No me vais a revelar quién de los nuestros está a favor del rey de Israel? 12 Y uno de sus siervos dijo: No, rey señor mío, sino que Eliseo, el profeta que está en Israel, le dice al rey de Israel las palabras que tú hablas en el interior de tu alcoba. 13 Y él dijo: Id y ved donde está, y enviaré a prenderlo. Y le avisaron, diciendo: He aquí, está en Dotán^a. 14 Entonces envió allá caballos, carros y un gran ejército; y llegaron de noche y cercaron la ciudad.

15 Y cuando el que servía al hombre de Dios se levantó temprano y salió, he aquí que un ejército con caballos y carros rodeaba la ciudad. Y su criado le dijo: ¡Ah, señor mío! ¿Qué¹ haremos? 16 Y él respondió: No temas^a, porque los que están con nosotros son más que los que están con ellos^b. 17 Eliseo entonces oró, y dijo: Oh SEÑOR, te ruego que abras sus ojos para que vea. Y el SEÑOR abrió los ojos del criado, y miró^a, y he aquí que el monte estaba lleno de caballos y carros de fuego alrededor de Eliseo^b. 18 Cuando descendieron hacia él los arameos, Eliseo oró al SEÑOR, y dijo: Te ruego que hieras a esta gente¹ con ceguera^a. Y Él los hirió con ceguera conforme a la palabra de Eliseo. 19 Entonces Eliseo les dijo: No eseste el camino, ni esesta la ciudad; seguidme y yo os guiaré al hombre que buscáis. Y los llevó a Samaria.

20 Y sucedió que cuando llegaron a Samaria, dijo Eliseo: Oh Señor, abre los ojos deestos para que vean. Y el SEÑOR abrió sus ojos y vieron^a; y he aquí que estaban en medio de Samaria. 21 Cuando el rey de Israel los vio, dijo a Eliseo: ¿Los mato¹, padre mío^a? ¿Los mato²? 22 Y él respondió: No los mates¹. ¿Matarías² a los que has tomado cautivos con tu espada y con tu arco? Pon delante de ellos pan y agua para que coman y beban^a y se vuelvan a su señor^b. 23 Entonces les preparó un gran banquete; y después que comieron y bebieron, los despidió, y se volvieron a su señor. Y las bandas armadas de arameos no volvieron a entrar más en la tierra de Israel^a.

24 Y aconteció que después de esto, Ben-adad, rey de Aram, reunió a todo su ejército, y subió y sitió a Samaria^a. 25 Y hubo gran hambre en Samaria; y he aquí, la sitiaron, hasta que la cabeza de un asno se vendía por¹ ochenta siclos² de plata, y la cuarta parte de un cab³ de estiércol de paloma por cinco siclos de plata^a. 26 Pasando el rey de Israel por la muralla, una mujer le gritó, diciendo: ¡Ayúdame, oh rey señor mío! 27 Y él respondió: Si el SEÑOR no te ayuda¹, ¿de dónde te podré ayudar? ¿De la era o del lagar? 28 Y el rey le dijo: ¿Qué te pasa?^1a Y ella respondió: Esta mujer me dijo: «Da tu hijo para que lo comamos hoy, y mi hijo lo comeremos mañana». 29 Así que cocimos a mi hijo y nos lo comimos^a; y al día siguiente, le dije a ella: «Da tu hijo, para que lo comamos»; pero ella ha escondido a su hijo. 30 Y sucedió que cuando el rey oyó las palabras de la mujer, rasgó sus vestidos^a y como él pasaba por la muralla, la gente miró, y vio¹ que interiormente, llevaba cilicio sobre su cuerpo². 31 Entonces él dijo: Así me haga Dios, y aun me añada^a, si la cabeza de Eliseo, hijo de Safat, se mantiene sobre sus hombros¹ hoy.

32 Y Eliseo estaba sentado en su casa, y los ancianos estaban sentados con él^a. Y el rey envió a un hombre de los que estaban en su presencia; pero antes de que el mensajero llegara a Eliseo¹,este dijo a los ancianos: ¿Veis cómo este hijo de asesino ha enviado a cortarme la cabeza^b? Mirad, cuando el mensajero llegue, cerrad la puerta y mantenedla cerrada contra él². ¿No se oye tras él el ruido de los pasos³ de su señor? 33 Estaba aún hablando con ellos, cuando he aquí que el mensajero descendió a él, y le dijo: Mira, este mal viene del SEÑOR; ¿por qué he de esperar más en el SEÑOR^a?

Now ^athe sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place ¹before you where we are living is too cramped for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan, and let us each take from there a beam, and let us construct a place there for ourselves, to live there.” So he said, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Please agree and go with your servants.” And he said, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But it happened that as one of them was ¹cutting down a beam, ²the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Oh, my master! It was borrowed!” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, ^ahe cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 Then he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

8 Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But ^athe man of God sent word to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful that you do not pass this place, because the Arameans are coming down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent scouts to the place about which the man of God had told him; so he warned him, so that he was on his guard there, ¹more than once or twice.

11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this matter; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 One of his servants said, “No, my lord, the king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, so that I may send men and take him.” And it was told to him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^aDothan.” 14 So he sent horses and chariots and a substantial army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “This is hopeless, my master! ¹What are we to do?” 16 And he said, “^aDo not be afraid, for ^bthose who are with us are ¹greater than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “^aLORD, please, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of ^bhorses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this ¹people with blindness.” So He ^astruck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “^aLORD, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “^aMy father, shall I ¹kill them? Shall I ²kill them?” 22 But he ¹answered, “You shall not ²kill them. Would you ^3akill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? ^bSet bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” 23 So he provided a large feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And ^athe marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

24 Now it came about after this, that ^aBen-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 So there was a severe ^afamine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ¹kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!” 27 But he said, “¹If the LORD does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 Then the king said to her, “^aWhat ¹is on your mind?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 ^aSo we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the woman’s words, ^ahe tore his clothes—and he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ¹underneath on his ²body. 31 Then he said, “May ^aGod do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ¹remains on him today.”

32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^athe elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you ^bsee how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ¹hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “^aBehold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

Now ^athe sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live.” So he said, “Go.” 3 Then one said, “Please be willing to go with your servants.” And he ¹answered, “I shall go.” 4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a beam, ¹the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, ^ahe cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it.

8 Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he ¹counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 ^aThe man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” 10 The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, ¹more than once or twice.

11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.” And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^aDothan.” 14 He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! ¹What shall we do?” 16 So he ¹answered, “^aDo not fear, for ^bthose who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “^aO LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of ^bhorses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Strike this ¹people with blindness, I pray.” So He ^astruck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O ^aLORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “^aMy father, shall I ¹kill them? Shall I ²kill them?” 22 He ¹answered, “You shall not ²kill them. Would you ^3akill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? ^bSet bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And ^athe marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

24 Now it came about after this, that ^aBen-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 There was a great ^afamine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ¹kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 He said, “¹If the LORD does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 And the king said to her, “^aWhat ¹is the matter with you?” And she ²answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 ^aSo we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, ^ahe tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ¹beneath on his ²body. 31 Then he said, “May ^aGod do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ¹remains on him today.”

32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^athe elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you ^bsee how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ¹hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “^aBehold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”