1Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah7:1 That is, probably about 12 pounds or about 5.5 kilograms of flour; also in verses 16 and 18 of the finest flour will sell for a shekel7:1 That is, about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams; also in verses 16 and 18 and two seahs7:1 That is, probably about 20 pounds or about 9 kilograms of barley; also in verses 16 and 18 of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
2The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”
The Siege Lifted
3Now there were four men with leprosy7:3 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin; also in verse 8. at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
5At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 6for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 7So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
8The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
9Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”
10So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 11The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
12The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’ ”
13One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”
14So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” 15They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.
17Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 18It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
19The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” 20And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
1Ndipo Elisa anati, “Mverani mawu a Yehova. Yehova akuti, ‘Mawa nthawi ngati yomwe ino, makilogalamu atatu a ufa adzawagulitsa pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva, ndipo makilogalamu asanu ndi limodzi a barele adzawagulitsa pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva ku chipata cha Samariya.’ ”
2Mtsogoleri amene mfumu inkamudalira anati kwa munthu wa Mulungu, “Taona, ngakhale Yehova atatsekula zipata zakumwamba, kodi zimenezi zingachitikedi?”
Elisa anamuyankha kuti, “Taona, iweyo udzaziona zimenezi ndi maso ako, koma sudzadyako kanthu.”
Akhate Anayi Awulula za Kuthawa kwa Aaramu
3Tsono pa chipata cholowera mu mzinda wa Samariya pankakhala anthu anayi akhate. Iwo anayankhulana kuti, “Chifukwa chiyani tikungokhala pano kudikira kufa? 4Ngati tinganene kuti, ‘Tidzalowa mu mzinda,’ njala ili mu mzindamo ndipo tidzafa. Ndipo ngati tikhalebe pano, tidzafa ndithu. Choncho tiyeni tipite ku msasa wa Aaramu ndi kukadzipereka. Ngati sakatipha, tidzakhala ndi moyo, ngati akatipha, basi tikafa.”
5Iwo ananyamuka ndi kachisisira kupita ku msasa wa Aaramu. Atafika mʼmalire a msasa, taonani, sanapeze munthu ndi mmodzi yemwe, 6pakuti Ambuye anali atamveketsa phokoso la magaleta ndi akavalo ndiponso mdidi wa gulu lalikulu la ankhondo, kotero anayamba kuwuzana kuti, “Taonani, mfumu ya ku Israeli yalemba ganyu mafumu a Ahiti ndi a Aigupto kuti adzatithire nkhondo!” 7Choncho ananyamuka nathawa ndi kachisisira ndipo anasiya matenti, akavalo ndi abulu awo. Iwo anasiya msasa wawo momwe unalili nathawa kupulumutsa miyoyo yawo.
8Anthu akhate aja atafika mʼmalire mwa msasa analowa mʼtenti imodzi. Anadya ndi kumwa, natenga siliva, golide ndi zovala ndipo anachoka kupita kukazibisa. Atabwerera anakalowa mʼtenti ina ndipo anatenga zinthu mʼmenemo nakazibisanso.
9Kenaka akhate aja anawuzana kuti, “Ife sitikuchita bwino. Lero ndi tsiku la uthenga wabwino ndipo tikungokhala chete. Tikadikira mpaka kucha, tidzalangidwa. Tiyeni msanga tikafotokoze zimenezi ku nyumba yaufumu.”
10Choncho anapita nakayitana alonda a pa chipata cha mzinda ndi kufotokoza kuti, “Ife tinapita ku msasa wa Aaramu ndipo sitinapezeko munthu, kapena phokoso la wina aliyense koma tinangopeza akavalo okha pamodzi ndi abulu ali chimangire.” 11Alonda a pa chipata aja analengeza uthengawu kwa okhala mʼnyumba yaufumu.
12Mfumu inadzuka usiku ndipo inawuza atsogoleri ake a ankhondo kuti, “Ndikukuwuzani zimene Aaramu atichitira ife. Akudziwa kuti tikufa ndi njala; kotero achoka mu msasa wawo kukabisala kuthengo ndi kuti, ‘Iwowa atuluka ndithu, ndipo ife tidzawagwira amoyo ndi kulowa mu mzindamo.’ ”
13Mmodzi mwa atsogoleri ake ankhondo anayankha kuti, “Chonde uzani anthu ena atenge akavalo asanu amene atsala mu mzinda muno. Taonani, zomwe zingawachitikire zidzakhala zofanana ndi zomwe zingachitikire ena onse amene atsala. Inde iwo adzangokhala ngati Aisraeli ena onse amene awonongeka kale. Choncho tiyeni tiwatume akafufuze zomwe zachitika.”
14Choncho anasankha magaleta awiri pamodzi ndi akavalo ake, ndipo mfumu inawatuma kuti alondole gulu lankhondo la Aaramu. Mfumuyo inalamula oyendetsa akavalowo kuti, “Pitani kaoneni.” 15Anthuwa anawalondola mpaka ku Yorodani, ndipo taonani, mʼnjira monse munali zovala zokhazokha ndi zinthu zimene Aaramu ankazitaya pamene ankathawa mofulumira. Ndipo amithengawo anabwerera ndi kudzafotokozera mfumu. 16Tsono anthu a mu Samariya anatuluka nakafunkha ku msasa wa Aaramu. Kotero kuti makilogalamu atatu a ufa ankawagulitsa pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva, ndipo makilogalamu asanu ndi limodzi a barele ankawagulitsanso pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva, monga momwe ananenera Yehova.
17Tsono mfumu inayika mtsogoleri amene ankamudalira uja kuti akhale woyangʼanira pa chipata ndipo anthu anamupondaponda ku chipata kuja, ndipo anafa, monga momwe Elisa munthu wa Mulungu ananenera mfumu itapita ku nyumba yake. 18Zinachitika molingana ndi zomwe ananena munthu wa Mulungu zija kuti “Mawa nthawi ngati yomwe ino, makilogalamu atatu a ufa adzawagulitsa pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva ndipo makilogalamu asanu ndi limodzi a barele adzawagulitsa pa mtengo wa ndalama imodzi yasiliva ku chipata cha Samariya.”
19Mtsogoleriyu ananena kwa munthu wa Mulungu kuti, “Taona, ngakhale Yehova atatsekula zipata zakumwamba, kodi zimenezi zingachitikedi?” Munthu wa Mulungu anamuyankha kuti, “Iwe udzaziona zimenezi ndi maso ako, koma sudzadyako kanthu.” 20Ndipo izi ndi zomwe zinamuchitikiradi mtsogoleriyu, pakuti anthu anamupondaponda pa chipata ndipo anafa.
