1 فأجابَ أليشَعُ: «إسمَعوا كلامَ الرّبِّ: في مِثْلِ هذِهِ السَّاعةِ مِنْ غدٍ تُباعُ كَيلَةُ الدَّقيقِ أو كَيلَتا الشَّعيرِ بِقِطعةٍ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ في بابِ السَّامِرةِ». 2 فقالَ لَه مُرافِقُ المَلِكِ: «لو فتَحَ الرّبُّ لِلمَطَرِ نَوافِذَ في السَّماءِ لَما تَمَّ ذلِكَ» فأجابَهُ أليشَعُ: «سَتَرى ذلِكَ بِــعينَيكَ، لكنَّكَ لن تأْكُلَ مِنهُ».
الآراميون يتركون السامرة
3 وكانَ أربعةُ رِجالٍ بُرصٍ عِندَ بابِ المدينةِ، فقالَ بَعضُهُم لِبَعضٍ: «أنَبقى هُنا حتّى نموتَ؟ 4 إذا دخَلْنا المدينةَ، نموتُ فيها مِنَ الجُوعِ، وإن بَقَينا هُنا نموتُ أيضا. فتَعالَوا نذهَبْ إلى مُعَسكرِ الآراميِّينَ، فإنْ أبقَوا علَينا عِشْنا، وإلاَّ فَمُتنا». 5 فقاموا عِندَ المساءِ وذَهبوا إلى مُعَسكرِ الآراميِّينَ، فلمَّا وصلوا إلى طَرَفِ المُعَسكرِ لم يَجِدوا أحدا فيهِ. 6 وكانَ الرّبُّ أسمَعَ جيشَ الآراميِّينَ صوتَ مَركباتٍ وخَيلٍ وجيشٍ عظيمٍ، فقالَ واحدُهُم لِلآخَرِ: ها مَلِكُ بَني إِسرائيلَ استأْجَرَ مُلوكَ الحثِّيِّينَ والمِصْريِّينَ لِقِتالِنا». 7 فهَرَبوا عِندَ المساءِ تارِكينَ خيامَهُم وخَيلَهُم وحميرَهُم، والمُعَسكرَ بِما فيهِ، ونَجَوا بِأنفُسِهِم. 8 فجاءَ أولئِكَ البُرصُ إلى طَرَفِ المُعَسكرِ ودخَلوا إحدى الخيامِ وأكلوا وشرِبوا وأخَذوا مِنْ هُناكَ فضَّةً وذهَبا وثيابا، وذهَبوا وخَبَّأوها، ثُمَّ عادوا ودخَلوا خَيمَةً أُخرى، وأخَذوا مِنها أشياءَ ثَمينةً أيضا وذهَبوا وخَبَّأوها.
9 ثُمَّ قالَ بَعضُهُم لِبَعضٍ: «لا خَيرَ في ما نعمَلُ. عِندَنا هذا اليومَ خبَرٌ سارٌّ ونحنُ ساكِتونَ. فإنِ انتَظَرْنا إلى الصُّبحِ ولم نُعلِنْهُ، عُوقِبنا على سُكوتِنا. فتَعالَوا الآنَ إلى المدينةِ لِنَنقُلَ الخبَرَ إلى قصرِ المَلِكِ». 10 فَجاؤوا ونادوا حُرَّاسَ بابِ المدينةِ وقالوا لهُم: «دخَلْنا مُعَسكرَ الآراميِّينَ فلم يكُنْ هُناكَ أحدٌ ولا سَمِعْنا صوتَ إنسانٍ، وحدَها الخَيلُ والحميرُ مَربوطَةٌ والخيامُ على حالِها». 11 فأذاعَ الحُرَّاسُ الخبَرَ، والّذينَ سَمِعوهُ نقَلوهُ إلى داخِلِ القصرِ. 12 فقامَ المَلِكُ ليلا وقالَ لِحاشيتِهِ: «دَعوني أقولُ لكُم ما يَنوي الآراميُّونَ. عَلِموا أنَّنا جياعٌ فخَرَجوا مِنَ المُعَسكرِ لِـيكمُنوا في البرِّيَّةِ قائِلينَ في أنفُسِهِم: إذا خرَجوا مِنَ المدينةِ دخَلْناها وقبَضْنا علَيهِم أحياءً». 13 فأجابَ أحدُهُم: «لِنُرسِلْ إلى المُعَسكرِ خمْسةً مِنَ الخَيلِ الباقيةِ في المدينةِ معَ فُرسانِها يَستَطلِعونَ ونَرى ما يَحِلُّ بِهِم، لأنَّهُم حتّى لو بَقَوا هُنا، سَيَهلِكونَ كمَن هلَكَ مِنْ سُكَّانِ السَّامِرةِ». 14 فاختارَ المَلِكُ مَركبَتَي خَيلٍ، وأرسَلَهُما وراءَ الآراميِّينَ لِـيَستكشِفوا. 15 فذَهَبوا وراءَهُم إلى الأُردُنِّ، فرَأوا الطَّريقَ كُلَّها مَملوءةً ثيابا وأمتِعةً مِمَّا رَماهُ الآراميُّونَ لِـيُسرِعوا فرجَعَ الرُّسُلُ وأخبَروا المَلِكَ بِما رأَوا.
16 فخَرجَ الشَّعبُ مِنَ المدينةِ ونهَبوا مُعَسكرَ الآراميِّينَ، فصارَت كيلَةُ الدَّقيقِ أو كَيلَتا الشَّعيرِ بِقِطعةٍ مِنَ الفضَّةِ، كما قالَ الرّبُّ. 17 وكانَ المَلِكُ عَيَّنَ القائدَ الّذي رافقَهُ إلى أليشَعَ حارسا على بابِ المدينةِ لحِفظِ النِّظامِ، فداسَهُ الشَّعبُ في البابِ، فماتَ كما تنَبَّأَ أليشَعُ رَجُلُ اللهِ حينَ نزَلَ المَلِكُ إليهِ في بَيتِهِ. 18 حَيثُ قالَ لَه أليشَعُ: «في مِثلِ هذِهِ السَّاعةِ مِنْ غدٍ تكونُ كَيلَتا الشَّعيرِ أو كيلَةُ الدَّقيقِ بِقِطعةٍ مِنَ الفضَّةِ في بابِ السَّامِرةِ». 19 فأجابَ ذلِكَ القائدُ: «لو فتَحَ الرّبُّ نَوافِذَ لِلمَطَرِ في السَّماءِ لَما تَمَّ مِثلُ ذلِكَ». فقالَ لَه أليشَعُ: «ستَرى ذلِكَ بِــعينَيكَ، لكنَّكَ لن تأكُلَ مِنهُ». 20 وهذا ما حَلَّ بهِ، إذ داسَهُ الشَّعبُ في البابِ، فماتَ.
1 Elisha answered, “I have a message for you. The Lord promises that tomorrow here in Samaria, you will be able to buy a large sack of flour or two large sacks of barley for almost nothing.”
2 The chief officer there with the king replied, “I don't believe it! Even if the Lord sent a rainstorm, it couldn't produce that much grain by tomorrow.”
“You will see it happen, but you won't eat any of the food,” Elisha warned him.
The Syrian Army Stops Its Attack
3 About the same time, four men with leprosy were just outside the gate of Samaria. They said to each other, “Why should we sit here, waiting to die? 4 There's nothing to eat in the city, so we would starve if we went inside. But if we stay out here, we will die for sure. Let's sneak over to the Syrian army camp and surrender. They might kill us, but they might not.” 5-8 That evening the four men got up and left for the Syrian camp.
As they walked toward the camp, the Lord caused the Syrian troops to hear what sounded like the roar of a huge cavalry. The soldiers said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack us. Let's get out of here!” So they ran out of their camp that night, leaving their tents and horses and donkeys.
When the four men with leprosy reached the edge of the Syrian camp, no one was there. They walked into one of the tents, where they ate and drank, before carrying off clothes, as well as silver and gold. They hid all this, then walked into another tent; they took what they wanted and hid it too.
9 They said to each other, “This isn't right. Today is a day to celebrate, and we haven't told anyone else what has happened. If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let's go to the king's palace at once and tell the good news.”
10 They went back to Samaria and shouted up to the guards at the gate, “We've just come from the Syrian army camp, and all the soldiers are gone! The tents are empty, and the horses and donkeys are still tied up. We didn't see or hear anybody.”
11 The guards reported the news to the king's palace. 12 The king got out of bed and said to his officers, “I know what those Syrians are doing. They know we're starving, so they're hiding in the fields, hoping we will go out to look for food. When we do, they can capture us and take over our city.”
13 One of his officers replied, “We have a few horses left—why don't we let some men take five of them and go to the Syrian camp and see what's happening? We're going to die anyway like those who have already died.” 14 They found two chariots, and the king commanded the men to find out what had happened to the Syrian troops.
15 The men rode as far as the Jordan River. All along the way they saw clothes and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away as they escaped. Then they went back to the king and told him what they had seen.
16 At once the people went to the Syrian camp and carried off what was left. They took so much that a large sack of flour and two large sacks of barley sold for almost nothing, just as the Lord had promised.
17 The king of Israel had put his chief officer in charge of the gate, but he died when the people trampled him as they rushed out of the city. 18 Earlier, when the king was at Elisha's house, Elisha had told him that flour or barley would sell for almost nothing. 19 But the officer refused to believe that even the Lord could do that. So Elisha warned him that he would see it happen, but would not eat any of the food. 20 And that's exactly what happened—the officer was trampled to death.