¶ Then Elisha said¹, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow² about this time shall a measure of fine flour³ be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley⁴ for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria⁵.

Then a lord⁶ on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD⁷ would make windows⁸ in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it⁹ with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

¶ And there were four leprous¹⁰ men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why¹¹ sit we here until we die?

If we say, We will enter¹² into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall¹³ unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us¹⁴ alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die¹⁵.

And they rose up in the twilight¹⁶, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold,¹⁷ there was no man there.

For the Lord¹⁸ had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites¹⁹, and the kings of the Egyptians²⁰, to come upon us.

Wherefore they arose²¹ and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses²², and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life²³.

And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it;²⁴ and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

Then they said one²⁵ to another, We do not well: this day²⁶ is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us:²⁷ now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

¶ So they came and called unto the porter²⁸ of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there,²⁹ neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.

¶ And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

And one³⁴ of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city,³⁵ (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels³⁶, which the Syrians had cast away³⁷ in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

And the people went out, and spoiled the tents³⁸ of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to³⁹ the word of the LORD.

And the king appointed the lord⁴⁰ on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him⁴¹ in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

And it came to pass as the man⁴² of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:

And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

¶⁴³And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.