2 Kings 6:8-33
New King James Version (NKJV)

The Blinded Syrians Captured
8 Now the
king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My
camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the
man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the
Syrians are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel
sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned
him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was
greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show
me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

12 And one of his servants said, “None, 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 get him.”

And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in
Dothan.”

14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great
army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when
the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city
with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we
do?”

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those
who are with them.” 17 And
Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he
may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young
man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of
fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the
Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And
He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 Now 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.” But he led them to Samaria.

20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that
Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of
these men, that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they
were, inside Samaria!

21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to
Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”

22 But he answered, “You shall not
kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and
your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their
master.” 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after
they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of
Syrianraiders came no more into the land of Israel.
Syria Besieges Samaria in Famine
24 And it
happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged
Samaria.25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and
indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for
eighty shekelsof silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for
five shekels of silver.

26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the
wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

27 And he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From
the threshing floor or from the winepress?” 28 Then the
king said to her, “What is troubling you?”

And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may
eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So 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 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of
the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and
there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31 Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if
the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”

32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the
elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before
the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has
sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him
fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind
him?” 33 And while he was still talking with them, there
was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, “Surely this
calamity is from the Lord; why should I
wait for the Lord any longer?”