71 Then Elisha said , "Listen to the word of the Lord ; thus says the Lord , ' Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel , and two measures of barley for a shekel , in the gate of Samaria .' " 2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said , "Behold , if the Lord should make windows in heaven , could this thing be?" Then he said , "Behold , you will see it with your own eyes , but you will not eat of it."
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate ; and they said to one another , "Why do we sit here until we die ? 4 "If we say , 'We will enter the city ,' then the famine is in the city and we will die there ; and if we sit here , we die also. Now therefore come , and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans . If they spare us, we will live ; and if they kill us, we will but die ." 5 They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans ; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans , behold , there was no one there . 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses , even the sound of a great army , so that they said to one another , "Behold , the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians , to come upon us." 7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight , and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys , even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life . 8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp , they entered one tent and ate and drank , and carried from there silver and gold and clothes , and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them. 9 Then they said to one another , "We are not doing right . This day is a day of good news , but we are keeping silent ; if we wait until morning light , punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come , let us go and tell the king's household ." 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city , and they told them, saying , "We came to the camp of the Arameans , and behold , there was no one there , nor the voice of man , only e the horses tied and the donkeys tied , and the tents just as they were." 11 The gatekeepers called and told it within the king's household .
12 Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants , "I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry ; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field , saying , 'When they come out of the city , we will capture them alive and get into the city .' " 13 One of his servants said , "Please , let some men take five of the horses which remain , which are left in the city. Behold , they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold , they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished , so let us send and see ." 14 They took therefore two chariots with horses , and the king sent after the army of the Arameans , saying , "Go and see ." 15 They went after them to the Jordan , and behold , all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste . Then the messengers returned and told the king . 16 So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans . Then 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 . 17 Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate ; but the people trampled on him at the gate , and he died just as the man of God had said , who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 It happened just 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 , will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria ." 19 Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said , "Now behold , if the Lord should make windows in heaven , could such a thing be?" And he said , "Behold , you will see it with your own eyes , but you will not eat of it." 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died .
