New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now the company of prophets said to Elisha, "As you see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us.
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Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, There is not room enough for us in the place where we are living under your care;
2 Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs there, one for each of us, and build a place there for us to live." He answered, "Do so."
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So let us go to Jordan, and let everyone get to work cutting boards, and we will make a living-place for ourselves there. And he said to them, Go, then.
3 Then one of them said, "Please come with your servants." And he answered, "I will."
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And one of them said, Be pleased to go with your servants. And he said, I will go.
4 So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
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So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they got to work cutting down trees.
5 But as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into the water; he cried out, "Alas, master! It was borrowed."
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But one of them, while cutting a board, let the head of his axe go into the water; and he gave a cry, and said, This is a bad business, my master, for it is another's.
6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.
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And the man of God said, Where did it go in? and when he saw the place where it had gone into the water, cutting a stick, he put it into the water, and the iron came up to the top of the water.
7 He said, "Pick it up." So he reached out his hand and took it.
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Then he said, Take it up. So he put out his hand and took it.
8 Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he took counsel with his officers. He said, "At such and such a place shall be my camp."
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At that time the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he had a meeting with the chiefs of his army and said, I will be waiting in secret in some named place.
9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, "Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down there."
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And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take care to keep away from that place, for the Aramaeans are waiting there in secret.
10 The king of Israel sent word to the place of which the man of God spoke. More than once or twice he warned such a place so that it was on the alert.
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So the king of Israel sent to the place where the man of God had said there was danger, and kept clear of it more than once.
11 The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed because of this; he called his officers and said to them, "Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?"
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And at this, the mind of the king of Aram was greatly troubled, and he sent for his servants and said to them, Will you not make clear to me which of us is helping the king of Israel?
12 Then one of his officers said, "No one, my lord king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber."
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And one of them said, Not one of us, my lord king; but Elisha, the prophet in Israel, gives the king of Israel news of the words you say even in your bedroom.
13 He said, "Go and find where he is; I will send and seize him." He was told, "He is in Dothan."
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Then he said, Go and see where he is, so that I may send and get him. And news came to him that he was in Dothan.
14 So he sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city.
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So he sent there horses and carriages and a great army; and they came by night, circling the town.
15 When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, "Alas, master! What shall we do?"
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Now the servant of the man of God, having got up early and gone out, saw an army with horses and carriages of war all round the town. And the servant said to him, O my master, what are we to do?
16 He replied, "Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them."
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And he said in answer, Have no fear; those who are with us are more than those who are with them.
17 Then Elisha prayed: "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
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Then Elisha made a prayer to the Lord, saying, Lord, let his eyes be open so that he may see. And the Lord made the young man's eyes open; and he saw that all the mountain was full of horses and carriages of fire round Elisha.
18 When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, "Strike this people, please, with blindness." So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
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Now when the Aramaeans came down to Elisha, he made a prayer to the Lord saying, Lord, make this people blind. And he made them blind at Elisha's request.
19 Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria.
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And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, and this is not the town: come after me so that I may take you to the man you are searching for. And he took them to Samaria.
20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they may see." The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.
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And when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, let the eyes of these men be open so that they may see. And the Lord made their eyes open, and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
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And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?
22 He answered, "No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master."
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But he said in answer, You are not to put them to death; have you any right to put to death those whom you have not taken prisoner with your sword and your bow? put bread and water before them, so that they may have food and drink and go to their master.
23 So he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.
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So he made ready a great feast for them, and when they had had food and drink, he sent them away and they went back to their master. And no more bands of Aramaeans came into the land of Israel.
24 Some time later King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army; he marched against Samaria and laid siege to it.
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Now after this, Ben-hadad, king of Aram, got together all his army and went up to make an attack on Samaria, shutting the town in on all sides with his forces.
25 As the siege continued, famine in Samaria became so great that a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.
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And they became very short of food in Samaria; for they kept it shut in till the price of an ass's head was eighty shekels of silver, and a small measure of doves' droppings was five shekels of silver.
26 Now as the king of Israel was walking on the city wall, a woman cried out to him, "Help, my lord king!"
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And when the king of Israel was going by on the wall, a woman came crying out to him, and said, Help! my lord king.
27 He said, "No! Let the Lord help you. How can I help you? From the threshing floor or from the wine press?"
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And he said, If the Lord does not give you help, where am I to get help for you? from the grain-floor or the grape-crusher?
28 But then the king asked her, "What is your complaint?" She answered, "This woman said to me, "Give up your son; we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
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And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she said in answer, This woman said to me, Give your son to be our food today, and we will have my son tomorrow.
29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, "Give up your son and we will eat him.' But she has hidden her son."
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So, boiling my son, we had a meal of him; and on the day after I said to her, Now give your son for our food; but she has put her son in a secret place.
30 When the king heard the words of the woman he tore his clothes—now since he was walking on the city wall, the people could see that he had sackcloth on his body underneath—
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Then the king, hearing what the woman said, took his robes in his hands, violently parting them; and, while he was walking on the wall, the people, looking, saw that under his robe he had haircloth on his flesh.
31 and he said, "So may God do to me, and more, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on his shoulders today."
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Then he said, May God's punishment come on me if Elisha, the son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his body after this day.
32 So he dispatched a man from his presence. Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Are you aware that this murderer has sent someone to take off my head? When the messenger comes, see that you shut the door and hold it closed against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?"
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But Elisha was in his house, and the responsible men were seated there with him; and before the king got there, Elisha said to those who were with him, Do you see how this cruel and violent man has sent to take away my life?
33 While he was still speaking with them, the king came down to him and said, "This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I hope in the Lord any longer?"
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While he was still talking to them, the king came down and said, This evil is from the Lord; why am I to go on waiting any longer for the Lord?
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.