Lièwángjìxià 7

1 Yǐlìshā shuō , nǐmen yào tīng Yēhéhuá de huà , Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , míngrì yuē dào zhè shíhou , zaì sǎ Mǎlìyà chéng ménkǒu , yī xì yà xì miàn yào maì yín yī Shĕkèlè , èr xì Yàdà maì yĕ yào maì yín yī Shĕkèlè .

2 Yǒu yī gè chān fú wáng de jūnzhǎng duì shén rén shuō , jí biàn Yēhéhuá shǐ tiān kāi le chuānghu , yĕ bùnéng yǒu zhè shì . Yǐlìshā shuō , nǐ bì qīnyǎn kànjian , què bùdé chī .

3 Zaì chéng mén nàli yǒu sì gè zhǎngdà má fēng de rén , tāmen bǐcǐ shuō , wǒmen wèihé zuò zaì zhèlǐ dĕng sǐ ne .

4 Wǒmen ruò shuō , jìn chéng qù ba . chéng lǐ yǒu jīhuāng , bì sǐ zaì nàli . ruò zaì zhèlǐ zuò zhe bù dòng , yĕ bì shì sǐ . lái ba , wǒmen qù tóu jiàng Yàlán rén de jūnduì , tāmen ruò liú wǒmen de huó méng , jiù huó zhe . ruò shā wǒmen , jiù sǐ le ba .

5 Huánghūn de shíhou , tāmen qǐlai wǎng Yàlán rén de yíng pán qù . dào le yíng bian , bú jiàn yī rén zaì nàli .

6 Yīnwei zhǔ shǐ Yàlán rén de jūnduì tīngjian chē mǎ de shēngyīn , shì dà jūn de shēngyīn . tāmen jiù bǐcǐ shuō , zhè bì shì Yǐsèliè wáng huì mǎi Hèrén de zhū wáng hé Āijí rén de zhū wáng lái gōngjī wǒmen .

7 Suǒyǐ , zaì huánghūn de shíhou tāmen qǐlai taópǎo , piĕ xià zhàngpéng , mǎ , lü , yíng pán zhào jiù , zhǐ gù taó méng .

8 Nàxiē zhǎngdà má fēng de dào le yíng bian , jìn le zhàngpéng , chī le hē le , qiĕ cóng qízhōng ná chū jīn yín hé yīfu lái , qù shōucáng le . huí lái yòu jìn le yī zuò zhàngpéng , cóng qízhōng ná chū cáiwù lái qù shōucáng le .

9 Nàshí , tāmen bǐcǐ shuō , wǒmen suǒ zuò de bù hǎo . jīnrì shì yǒu hǎo xìnxī de rìzi , wǒmen jìng bù zuò shēng . ruò dĕng dào tiān liàng , zuì bì líndào wǒmen . lái ba , wǒmen yǔ wáng jiā bàoxìn qù .

10 Tāmen jiù qù jiào shǒu chéng mén de , gàosu tāmen shuō , wǒmen dào le Yàlán rén de yíng , bú jiàn yī rén zaì nàli , yĕ wú rén shēng , zhǐyǒu shuān zhe de mǎ hé lü , zhàngpéng dōu zhào jiù .

11 Shǒu chéng mén de jiào le zhòng shǒu mén de rén lái , tāmen jiù jìn qù yǔ wáng jiā bàoxìn .

12 Wáng yè jiān qǐlai , duì chénpú shuō , wǒ gàosu nǐmen Yàlán rén xiàng wǒmen rúhé xíng . tāmen zhīdào wǒmen jīè , suǒyǐ lí yíng , máifu zaì tiānyĕ , shuō , Yǐsèliè rén chū chéng de shíhou , wǒmen jiù huó zhuō tāmen , déyǐ jìn chéng .

13 Yǒu yī gè chénpú duì wáng shuō , wǒmen bù rú yòng chéng lǐ shèngxia zhī mǎ zhōng de wǔ pǐ mǎ ( mǎ hé chéng lǐ shèngxia de Yǐsèliè rén dōu shì yíyàng , kuaì yào mièjué ) , dǎfa rén qù kuītàn .

14 Yúshì qǔ le liǎng liàng chē hé mǎ , wáng chāi rén qù zhuī xún Yàlán jūn , shuō , nǐmen qù kuītàn kuītàn .

15 Tāmen jiù zhuī xún dào Yuēdànhé , kànjian mǎn dào shàng dōu shì Yàlán rén jí paó shí diūqì de yīfu qìjù , shǐzhĕ jiù huí lái bàogào wáng .

16 Zhòngrén jiù chū qù , lǔlǜe Yàlán rén de yíng pán . yúshì yī xì yà xì miàn maì yín yī Shĕkèlè , èr xì Yàdà maì yĕ maì yín yī Shĕkèlè , zhēng rú Yēhéhuá suǒ shuō de .

17 Wáng paì chān fú tāde nà jūnzhǎng zaì chéng ménkǒu tán yē , zhòngrén zaì nàli jiāng tā jiàntà , tā jiù sǐ le , zhēng rú shén rén zaì wáng xià lái jiàn tāde shíhou suǒ shuō de .

18 Shén rén céng duì wáng shuō , míngrì yuē dào zhè shíhou , zaì sǎ Mǎlìyà chéng ménkǒu , èr xì Yàdà maì yào maì yín yī Shĕkèlè , yī xì yà xì miàn yĕ yào maì yín yī Shĕkèlè .

19 Nà jūnzhǎng duì shén rén shuō , jí biàn Yēhéhuá shǐ tiān kāi le chuānghu , yĕ bùnéng yǒu zhè shì . shén rén shuō , nǐ bì qīnyǎn kànjian , què bùdé chī .

20 Zhè huà guǒrán yìngyàn zaì tā shēnshang . yīnwei zhòngrén zaì chéng ménkǒu jiāng tā jiàntà , tā jiù sǐ le .

Lièwángjìxià 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Elisha prophesies plenty. (1,2) The flight of the Syrian army. (3-11) Samaria plentifully supplied. (12-20)

Verses 1-2 Man's extremity is God's opportunity of making his own power to be glorious: his time to appear for his people is when their strength is gone. Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. Such will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance, but shall never taste of it. But no temporal deliverances and mercies will in the end profit sinners, unless they are led to repentance by the goodness of God.

Verses 3-11 God can, when he pleases, make the stoutest heart to tremble; and as for those who will not fear God, he can make them fear at the shaking of a leaf. Providence ordered it, that the lepers came as soon as the Syrians were fled. Their consciences told them that mischief would befall them, if they took care of themselves only. Natural humanity, and fear of punishment, are powerful checks on the selfishness of the ungodly. These feelings tend to preserve order and kindness in the world; but they who have found the unsearchable riches of Christ, will not long delay to report the good tidings to others. From love to him, not from selfish feelings, they will gladly share their earthly good things with their brethren.

Verses 12-20 Here see the wants of Israel supplied in a way they little thought of, which should encourage us to depend upon the power and goodness of God in our greatest straits. God's promise may be safely relied on, for no word of his shall fall to the ground. The nobleman that questioned the truth of Elisha's word, saw the plenty, to silence and shame his unbelief, and therein saw his own folly; but he did not eat of the plenty he saw. Justly do those find the world's promises fail them, who think that the promises of God will disappoint them. Learn how deeply God resents distrust of his power, providence, and promise: how uncertain life is, and the enjoyments of it: how certain God's threatenings are, and how sure to come on the guilty. May God help us to inquire whether we are exposed to his threatenings, or interested in his promises.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 7

This chapter begins with a prophecy of great plenty in Samaria on the morrow, and of the death of an unbelieving lord, 2Ki 7:1,2, relates the case of four lepers, who that night went into the Syrian camp, which was deserted, occasioned by the noise of chariots, horses, and a host, which they fancied they heard, 2Ki 7:3-9, the report which the lepers made to the king's household of this affair, and the method the king's servants took to know the truth of it, 2Ki 7:10-15 which, when confirmed, the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians, whereby the prophecy of plenty was fulfilled, 2Ki 7:16, and the unbelieving lord having post at the gate of the city assigned him, was trod to death, and so the prediction concerning him had its accomplishment also, 2Ki 7:17-20.