2Kings Chapter 6 (Bible Marathon Day 159)

2Kings Chapter 6 (Bible Marathon Day 159)

The Lost Ax.
1
The guild prophets once said to Elisha: “This place where we live with you is too cramped for us.
2
Let us go to the Jordan, where by getting one beam apiece we can build ourselves a place to live.” Elisha
said, “Go.”
3
One of them requested, “Please agree to accompany your servants.” He replied, “Yes, I will come.”
4
So he went with them, and when they arrived at the Jordan they began to cut down trees.
5
While one of them was felling a tree trunk, the iron ax blade slipped into the water. He cried out, “Oh, no,
master! It was borrowed!”
6
“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. When he pointed out the spot, Elisha cut off a stick, threw it into the
water, and brought the iron to the surface.
7
He said, “Pick it up.” And the man stretched out his hand and grasped it.

The Aramean Ambush.
8
When the king of Aram was waging war on Israel, he would make plans with his servants: “I will bivouac at
such and such a place.”
9
But the man of God would send word to the king of Israel, “Be careful! Do not pass by this place, for Aram will
attack there.”
10
So the king of Israel would send word to the place which the man of God had indicated, and alert it; then they
would be on guard. This happened several times.
11
Greatly disturbed over this, the king of Aram called together his officers and asked them, “Will you not tell me
who among us is for the king of Israel?”
12
“No one, my lord king,” answered one of the officers. “The Israelite prophet Elisha can tell the king of Israel
the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13
He said, “Go, find out where he is, so that I may take him captive.”
Informed that Elisha was in Dothan,
14
he sent there a strong force with horses and chariots. They arrived by night and encircled the city.
15
Early the next morning, when the servant of the man of God arose and went out, he saw the force with its
horses and chariots surrounding the city. “Alas!” he said to Elisha. “What shall we do, my lord?”
16
Elisha answered, “Do not be afraid. Our side outnumbers theirs.”
17
Then he prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant,
and he saw that the mountainside was filled with fiery chariots and horses around Elisha.a
18
When the Arameans came down to get him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike this people blind, I pray you.”
And the LORD struck them blind, according to Elisha’s word.
19
Then Elisha said to them: “This is the wrong road, and this is the wrong city. Follow me! I will take you to the
man you want.” And he led them to Samaria.
20
When they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open their eyes that they may see.” The LORD
opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.
21
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”
22
Elisha replied, “You must not kill them. Do you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword or
bow?* Serve them a meal. Let them eat and drink, and then go back to their master.”
23
The king spread a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went
back to their master. No more Aramean raiders came into the land of Israel.

War Against Aram: Famine.
24
After this, Ben-hadad, king of Aram, mustered his whole army and laid siege to Samaria.
25
Because of the siege the famine in Samaria was so severe that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of
silver, and a fourth of a kab of “dove droppings”* for five pieces of silver.
26
b One day, as the king of Israel was walking on the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Save us, my lord
king!”
27
He replied, “If the LORD does not save you, where could I find means to save you? On the threshing floor? In
the wine press?”
28
Then the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She replied: “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son that
we may eat him today; then tomorrow we will eat my son.’
29
So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Now give up your son that we may eat him.’
But she hid her son.”
30
When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his garments. And as he was walking on the wall, the
people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath, next to his skin.
31
The king exclaimed, “May God do thus to me, and more, if the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, stays on him
today!”
32
Meanwhile, Elisha was sitting in his house in conference with the elders. The king had sent one of his
courtiers; but before the messenger reached him, Elisha said to the elders: “Do you know that this murderer
is sending someone to cut off my head? When the messenger comes, see that you close the door and hold
it fast against him. His master’s footsteps are echoing behind him.”
33
While Elisha was still speaking, the messenger came down to him and said, “This evil is from the LORD.
Why should I trust in the LORD any longer?”*

* [6:22] With your sword or bow: since the king would not slay prisoners who had surrendered to his power,
much less should he slay prisoners captured by God’s power. This wartime practice stands in contrast to
that of holy war, where prisoners were placed under the ban and so devoted to destruction (see 1 Kgs
20:35–43).

* [6:25] “Dove droppings”: it is unclear whether this phrase is to be read literally (e.g., dung used as fuel) or
as the nickname of a type of edible plant, as attested in Arabic. A kab was probably around a quart.

* [6:33] The messenger speaks in the king’s name. Similarly, Elisha’s response in the next verse can be
spoken of as delivered to the king (7:18).

a. [6:17] 2 Kgs 2:11; 7:6; Ps 68:18.

b. [6:26–29] Dt 28:53–57.

2Kings Chapter 5 (Bible Marathon Day 159)

2Kings Chapter 5 (Bible Marathon Day 159)

Elisha Cures Naaman’s Leprosy.
1
Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for
through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.*
2
Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of
Naaman’s wife.
3
She said to her mistress, “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure
him of his leprosy.”
4
Naaman went and told his master, “This is what the girl from the land of Israel said.”
5
The king of Aram said, “Go. I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along
ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
6
He brought the king of Israel the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,
that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7
When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life
and death, that this man should send someone for me to cure him of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is
only looking for a quarrel with me!”a
8
When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king:
“Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9
Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
10
Elisha sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will
be clean.”b
11
But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand there to call
on the name of the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the place, and thus cure the leprous
spot.
12
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not
wash in them and be cleansed?”* With this, he turned about in anger and left.
13
But his servants came up and reasoned with him: “My father, if the prophet told you to do something
extraordinary, would you not do it? All the more since he told you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
14
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.c
15
He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I
know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”d
16
Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it.” And despite Naaman’s urging, he still
refused.
17
Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,* for your
servant will no longer make burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the LORD.
18
But may the LORD forgive your servant this: when my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down
there, as he leans upon my arm, I too must bow down in the temple of Rimmon. When I bow down in the
temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please forgive your servant this.”
19
Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”*
Naaman had gone some distance
20
when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, thought to himself: “My master was too easy on this
Aramean Naaman, not accepting what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something
out of him.”
21
So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. Seeing that someone was running after him, Naaman alighted from his
chariot to wait for him. He asked, “Is everything all right?”
22
Gehazi replied, “Yes, but my master sent me to say, ‘Two young men have just come to me, guild prophets
from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two festal garments.’”
23
Naaman said, “I insist! Take two talents,” and he pressed him. He tied up two silver talents in bags and gave
them, with two festal garments, to two of his servants, who carried them before Gehazi.
24
When he reached the hill, Gehazi received these things, appropriated them for his house, and sent the men
on their way.
25
He went in and stood by Elisha his master, who asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered,
“Your servant has not gone anywhere.”
26
But Elisha said to him: “Was I not present in spirit when someone got down from his chariot to wait for you? Is
this a time to take money or to take garments, olive orchards or vineyards, sheep or cattle, male or female
servants?
27
The leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And Gehazi went out, a leper with
skin like snow.*

* [5:1] Leper: the terms traditionally translated “leper” and “leprosy” covered a wide variety of skin disorders
like psoriasis, eczema, and seborrhea, but probably not Hansen’s disease (modern “leprosy”); there is no
clear evidence of its existence in biblical times.

* [5:12] Wash in them and be cleansed: typical of the ambiguity in ritual healing or cleanliness. The muddy
waters of the Jordan are no match hygienically for the mountain spring waters of Damascus; ritually, it is the
other way around.

* [5:17] Two mule-loads of earth: worship of the Lord is associated with the soil of the Holy Land, where he is
present.

* [5:19] Go in peace: Elisha understands and approves the situation of Naaman who, though now a
worshiper of the God of Israel, is required by his courtly office to assist his master, the king (“leans upon my
arm,” v. 18), worshiping in the temple of the Canaanite god Baal-Rimmon.

* [5:27] With skin like snow: “snow” is often used to describe the skin conditions covered by the term “leprosy”
(Ex 4:6; Nm 12:10; see note on 5:1). It is unclear whether the comparison is with the white color, dry flakes,
or moist shine, any of which can occur in the relevant skin diseases.

a. [5:7] 1 Sm 2:6; Jn 5:21.

b. [5:10] Jn 9:7.

c. [5:14] Lk 4:27.

d. [5:15] Lk 17:17–19.