Elisha

1Elisha said, "Listen to what the LORD says. By this time tomorrow, food will be cheap. At the gate of Samaria, a big scoop of good flour will cost only one small silver coin. Two scoops of barley will cost one small silver coin too."

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

NoteElisha was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. Samaria was the biggest city in Israel, where the king lived. An enemy army had shut the city in, so no food could get inside. When the King James Bible writes LORD in big letters, it means God's own name. A "measure" was a basket of flour, about as much as a big bucket holds. A "shekel" was a small lump of silver, used the way we use coins.

2One officer stood beside the king so the king could lean on his arm. He said to Elisha, God's messenger, "Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, could that happen?" Elisha said, "You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat any of it."

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

NoteA king often leaned on the arm of one trusted helper. It was a job people were proud to have. "The man of God" was another way of saying "the prophet." Long ago people pictured rain coming through windows in the sky. The officer meant, "Not even God could do that."

16Then the people went out and took everything from the camp of Aram. So a big scoop of good flour cost one small silver coin. Two scoops of barley cost one small silver coin. It happened just as the LORD had said.

And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So 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.

NoteAn army carried its own food and supplies. When the soldiers ran away, they left it all behind. Suddenly there was plenty for everyone in the city.

17The king had put his helper, the officer he leaned on, in charge of the gate. But the crowd rushed out and trampled him there, and he died. It happened just as Elisha had said when the king came to him.

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

NoteThe officer's job was to keep order at the gate. But hungry crowds all pushed through the narrow gate at once. He was knocked down and stepped on.

18It all happened just as Elisha had told the king. He had said, "By this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two scoops of barley will cost one small silver coin. A scoop of good flour will cost one small silver coin."

And it came to pass as the man 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:

NoteThe story now says Elisha's words over again. Storytellers did this to show the words came true exactly.

19The officer had answered Elisha, "Even if the LORD opened windows in the sky, could that happen?" And Elisha had said, "You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat any of it."

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.

20That is exactly what happened to him. The crowd trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

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

1Elisha had helped a woman before. He had brought her son back to life. Elisha told her, "Take your family and move away. Live wherever you can. The LORD is sending a famine, a time with no food. It will last seven years."

Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.

NoteElisha was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. A famine is a long time when crops will not grow and people go hungry. When the Bible writes LORD in big letters, it means God's own special name.

2The woman did what the man of God said. She took her family to the land of the Philistines. They lived there for seven years.

And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Note"The man of God" is another way of saying the prophet Elisha. The Philistines were a people who lived by the sea, west of Israel. They were often enemies of Israel, so this was a hard place to go.

3After seven years she came back home. She went to ask the king for help. She wanted her house and her land back.

And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.

NoteIf you left your land for years, someone else often moved in and took it. The king was the one person who could order it given back. That is why she went straight to him.

4The king was talking with Gehazi, who was Elisha's helper. The king said, "Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done."

And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

NoteGehazi worked for Elisha and traveled with him. A helper like this carried things and ran errands for his master.

5Gehazi was telling how Elisha brought a dead boy back to life. Right then the woman came in. She asked the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, "My king, this is that woman! And this is her son."

And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.

6The king asked the woman, and she said it was true. So the king told one of his officers, "Give her back everything that was hers. Give her all the crops from her land too, from the day she left until now."

And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

NoteWhile she was away, other people grew crops on her land and sold the food. The king said she should get that money too, not just the land. The crops means all the food that grew on her land while she was away.

7Elisha went to the city of Damascus. Benhadad, the king of Syria, was sick there. Someone told the king, "The man of God has come."

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

NoteDamascus was a big city far to the north of Israel. It was the main city of Syria, a country that often fought with Israel.

8The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift to the man of God. Ask him to ask the LORD something for me. Ask if I will get well."

And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

NotePeople believed a prophet could ask God a question for them. Bringing a gift was the polite way to come to a prophet with a question.

9Hazael went to meet Elisha. He brought a gift of the best things from Damascus. It took forty camels to carry it all. He stood before Elisha and said, "Your son Benhadad, king of Syria, sent me. He asks, will he get well?"

So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

NoteCamels are big animals that carry heavy loads on their backs. Forty camel loads was an enormous gift, meant to show great respect. Calling himself "thy son" was a polite way to speak to an older, honored man.

10Elisha said, "Go and tell him, 'You will surely get well.' But the LORD has shown me that he will really die."

And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

11Elisha stared at Hazael without looking away. Hazael felt uneasy. Then the man of God began to cry.

And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

12Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, sir?" Elisha said, "Because I know the terrible things you will do to Israel. You will burn their strong walled towns. You will kill their young men with swords. You will smash their little children to pieces. You will cut open their pregnant women."

And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

NoteIsrael here means the northern part of God's people. Long wars in those days were very cruel to whole towns. Elisha cries because he can see the sad things coming.

13Hazael said, "But I am nobody, like a dog. How could I do such a huge thing?" Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king of Syria."

And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

NoteCalling yourself a dog meant "I am small and unimportant." Hazael is saying he is far too little to do something so big.

14Hazael left Elisha and went back to his king. The king asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael answered, "He told me you will surely get well."

So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.

15The next day Hazael took a thick cloth. He dipped it in water. He spread it over the king's face, and the king died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

1Elisha was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. He called one of the young men training to be prophets. Elisha said, "Tuck your robe into your belt so you can run. Take this small jar of oil. Go to the town of Ramoth-gilead."

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead:

NotePeople then wore long robes down to their feet. You had to tuck one into your belt to run. Young men who wanted to be prophets lived and learned with an older prophet. Ramoth-gilead was a town far off, at the edge of Israel's land.

2"When you get there, look for Jehu. He is the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in and get him away from the other men. Take him into a back room by himself."

And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;

NotePeople often gave a man's father's and grandfather's names too. It helped everyone know exactly which Jehu was meant.

3"Then pour the oil from the jar on his head. Pouring oil on someone's head showed that God had chosen him. Say, 'This is what the LORD says: I have chosen you to be king over Israel.' Then open the door and run. Do not wait!"

Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

NoteWhen you see LORD in big letters, it stands for God's own special name.

4So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead.

So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.

5When he got there, the army commanders were sitting together. He said, "I have a message for you, commander." Jehu asked, "For which one of us?" The young man said, "For you, commander."

And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

NoteCommanders were the leaders of the army. Israel's soldiers were camped at Ramoth-gilead to guard the town.

6So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head. He said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have chosen you to be king over my people Israel."

And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.

7"You must strike down the family of Ahab, your master. Do this so I can pay back the killing of my servants the prophets. It will pay back the killing of all the LORD's servants too. Jezebel was the one who killed them."

And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

NoteAhab had been king of Israel years before this. Jezebel was his wife, the queen. She worshiped a god called Baal. She had many of God's prophets killed.

8"Ahab's whole family will die. Every male in his family in Israel will be cut off. That includes servants and free men alike."

For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

NoteThe old King James words here are a blunt way to say "every male." A new king often killed the old king's whole family. Then no son could grow up and take the throne back.

9"I will do to Ahab's family what I did to two other families. Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah were kings before. Their families were wiped out too."

And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

NoteJeroboam and Baasha were kings of Israel long before. Their families were all killed when a new king took over.

10"Dogs will eat Jezebel's body on the land at Jezreel. No one will bury her." Then the young prophet opened the door and ran away.

And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

NoteDogs then were not pets. They ran wild in the streets and ate scraps. To be left unburied was the worst shame of all.

11Jehu went back out to the other officers. One of them asked, "Is everything all right? Why did that crazy man come to you?" Jehu said, "You know men like him. You know the way they talk."

Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.

NoteProphets sometimes acted in strange ways when they gave God's message. Soldiers joked about them and called them crazy.

12They said, "That is not true! Tell us what he said!" So Jehu answered, "He told me this and that. He said the LORD has chosen me to be king over Israel."

And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.

13The men moved fast. Each one took off his coat. They spread the coats on the bare steps under Jehu. Then they blew a ram's horn and shouted, "Jehu is king!"

Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

NoteLaying your coat down for someone showed you honored him. A ram's horn was a trumpet made from a real horn. People blew it to announce big news.

14Elisha the prophet got sick. This was the sickness he would die from. Joash the king of Israel came to see him and cried over him. He said, "My father, my father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"

Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

NoteThe king called Elisha "the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." He meant Elisha kept the country safe like a whole army. He said "my father" because he loved him like family.

15Elisha said to him, "Get a bow and some arrows." So the king got a bow and some arrows.

And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.

16Then Elisha said to the king, "Put your hand on the bow." The king put his hand on it. Then Elisha put his own hands on the king's hands.

And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.

17Elisha said, "Open the window that faces east." The king opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot!" So he shot. Elisha said, "That is the LORD's arrow of victory over Syria. You will beat the Syrians at Aphek until they are finished."

And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

NoteSyria's land was toward the east. So the king shot the arrow that way. Shooting it was a sign that Israel would win. Aphek was a town where the two armies fought.

18Then Elisha said, "Pick up the arrows." The king picked them up. Elisha said, "Hit the ground with them." The king hit the ground three times and stopped.

And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

NoteHitting the ground with the arrows was a sign too. Each hit stood for one win over Syria.

19Elisha, the man of God, was angry with him. He said, "You should have hit the ground five or six times. Then you would have beaten Syria until it was finished. Now you will beat Syria only three times."

And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

Note"Man of God" is another way of saying prophet. It means someone who spoke God's words to people.

20Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Every spring, groups of Moabite raiders came into the land.

And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.

NoteMoab was a country close to Israel. Raiders are men who ride in fast, take things, and run away.

21One day some men were burying a dead man. Suddenly they saw a band of raiders coming. So they threw the body into Elisha's grave. When it touched Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.

And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

NoteGraves then were often caves cut into rock. Bodies were laid inside them, not covered with dirt. That is how the man could touch Elisha's bones.

24He said, "I tell you the truth. No prophet is welcomed in his own hometown."

And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

Note"Verily" is old English for truly. Jesus used it to say: listen closely, this is true.

25"Here is the truth. Many widows lived in Israel back when Elijah lived. For three and a half years no rain fell. People all over the land were very hungry."

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

NoteA widow is a woman whose husband has died. Back then she often had no money and no one to care for her. "Elias" is the old spelling of Elijah, a prophet who lived long before Jesus. The King James says "the heaven was shut up," which means no rain fell from the sky. A famine is when crops do not grow and people have no food.

26"But Elijah was not sent to any of those widows. He was sent to a widow in Zarephath, a town near Sidon."

But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

Note"Sarepta" is the old spelling of Zarephath. It was a town near the city of Sidon, by the sea. Those people were not part of Israel, so helping them there was surprising.

27"Many people in Israel had a bad skin sickness when Elisha the prophet lived. Not one of them was made well. Only Naaman, a man from Syria, was made well."

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Note"Eliseus" is the old spelling of Elisha. He was a prophet too, and he came after Elijah. The King James says "lepers." That means people with a bad skin sickness. Others stayed away from them. "Cleansed" means made well again. Naaman came from Syria, a country next door, not from Israel.