1Eliseu respondeu: “Ouçam a palavra do Senhor! Assim diz o Senhor: ‘Amanhã, por volta desta hora, na porta de Samaria, tanto uma medida7.1 Hebraico: 1 seá. O seá era uma medida de capacidade para secos. As estimativas variam entre 7 e 14 litros. de farinha como duas medidas de cevada serão vendidas por uma peça7.1 Hebraico: 1 siclo. Um siclo equivalia a 12 gramas. de prata’ ”.
2O oficial, em cujo braço o rei estava se apoiando, disse ao homem de Deus: “Ainda que o Senhor abrisse as comportas do céu, será que isso poderia acontecer?”
Mas Eliseu advertiu: “Você o verá com os próprios olhos, mas não comerá coisa alguma!”
O Cerco
3Havia quatro leprosos7.3 O termo hebraico não se refere somente à lepra, mas também a diversas doenças da pele; também no versículo 8. junto à porta da cidade. Eles disseram uns aos outros: “Por que ficar aqui esperando a morte? 4Se resolvermos entrar na cidade, morreremos de fome, mas, se ficarmos aqui, também morreremos. Vamos, pois, ao acampamento dos arameus para nos render. Se eles nos pouparem, viveremos; se nos matarem, morreremos”.
5Ao anoitecer, eles foram ao acampamento dos arameus. Quando chegaram às imediações do acampamento, viram que não havia ninguém ali, 6pois o Senhor tinha feito os arameus ouvirem o ruído de um grande exército com cavalos e carros de guerra, de modo que disseram uns aos outros: “Ouçam, o rei de Israel contratou os reis dos hititas e dos egípcios para nos atacarem!” 7Então, para salvar sua vida, fugiram ao anoitecer, abandonando tendas, cavalos e jumentos, deixando o acampamento como estava.
8Tendo chegado às imediações do acampamento, os leprosos entraram numa das tendas. Comeram e beberam, pegaram prata, ouro e roupas e saíram para esconder tudo. Depois voltaram e entraram noutra tenda, pegaram o que quiseram e esconderam isso também.
9Então disseram uns aos outros: “Não estamos agindo certo. Este é um dia de boas notícias, e não podemos ficar calados. Se esperarmos até o amanhecer, seremos castigados. Vamos imediatamente contar tudo no palácio do rei”.
10Então foram, chamaram as sentinelas da porta da cidade e lhes contaram: “Entramos no acampamento arameu e não vimos nem ouvimos ninguém. Havia apenas cavalos e jumentos amarrados, e tendas abandonadas”. 11As sentinelas da porta proclamaram a notícia, e ela foi anunciada dentro do palácio.
12O rei se levantou de noite e disse aos seus conselheiros: “Eu explicarei a vocês o que os arameus planejaram. Como sabem que estamos passando fome, deixaram o acampamento e se esconderam no campo, pensando: ‘Com certeza eles sairão, e então os pegaremos vivos e entraremos na cidade’ ”.
13Um de seus conselheiros respondeu: “Manda que alguns homens apanhem cinco dos cavalos que restam na cidade. O destino desses homens será o mesmo de todos os israelitas que ficarem, sim, como toda esta multidão condenada. Por isso vamos enviá-los para descobrir o que aconteceu”.
14Assim que prepararam dois carros de guerra com seus cavalos, o rei os enviou atrás do exército arameu, ordenando aos condutores: “Vão e descubram o que aconteceu”. 15Eles seguiram as pegadas do exército até o Jordão e encontraram todo o caminho cheio de roupas e armas que os arameus haviam deixado para trás enquanto fugiam. Os mensageiros voltaram e relataram tudo ao rei. 16Então o povo saiu e saqueou o acampamento dos arameus. Assim, tanto uma medida de farinha como duas medidas de cevada passaram a ser vendidas por uma peça de prata, conforme o Senhor tinha dito.
17Ora, o rei havia posto o oficial em cujo braço tinha se apoiado como encarregado da porta da cidade, mas, quando o povo saiu, atropelou-o junto à porta, e ele morreu, conforme o homem de Deus havia predito quando o rei foi à sua casa. 18Aconteceu conforme o homem de Deus dissera ao rei: “Amanhã, por volta desta hora, na porta de Samaria, tanto uma medida de farinha como duas medidas de cevada serão vendidas por uma peça de prata”.
19O oficial tinha contestado o homem de Deus perguntando: “Ainda que o Senhor abrisse as comportas do céu, será que isso poderia acontecer?” O homem de Deus havia respondido: “Você verá com os próprios olhos, mas não comerá coisa alguma!” 20E foi exatamente isso que lhe aconteceu, pois o povo o pisoteou junto à porta da cidade, e ele morreu.
1Elisha replied, “Listen to a message from the Lord. He says, ‘About this time tomorrow, flour won’t cost very much. Even 12 pounds of the finest flour will cost less than half of an ounce of silver. You will also be able to buy 20 pounds of barley for the same price. That’s all you will have to pay for those things at the gate of Samaria.’ ”
2The king was leaning on an officer’s arm. The officer spoke to the man of God. The officer said, “Suppose the Lord opens the sky and pours down food on us. Even if he does, could what you are saying really happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha. “But you won’t eat any of it!”
The Attack on Samaria Ends
3There were four men who had a skin disease. They were at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. They said to one another, “Why should we stay here until we die? 4Suppose we say, ‘We’ll go into the city.’ There isn’t any food there, and we’ll die. But if we stay here, we’ll die anyway. So let’s go over to Aram’s army camp. Let’s give ourselves up. If they spare us, we’ll live. If they kill us, we’ll die.”
5At sunset they got up and went to Aram’s army camp. They arrived at the edge of it. But no one was there. 6The Lord had caused the soldiers of Aram to hear a noise. It sounded like chariots and horses and a huge army. So the soldiers said to one another, “Listen! The king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings. He has paid them to attack us!” 7So the soldiers of Aram had run away at sunset. They had left their tents and horses and donkeys behind. They had left the camp just as it was. And they had run for their lives.
8The men who had a skin disease arrived at the edge of the camp. They entered one of the tents. They ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes. They went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent. They took some things from it and hid them also.
9But then they said to one another, “What we’re doing isn’t right. This is a day of good news. And we’re keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until sunrise, we’ll be punished. Let’s go at once. Let’s report this to the royal palace.”
10So they went. They called out to the people who were guarding the city gates. They told them, “We went into Aram’s army camp. No one was there. We didn’t hear anyone. The horses and donkeys were still tied up. The tents were left just as they were.” 11The people who guarded the gates shouted the news. It was reported inside the palace.
12The king of Israel got up in the night. He spoke to his officers. He said, “I’ll tell you what the men of Aram have done to us. They know we are very hungry. So they have left the camp to hide in the countryside. They are thinking, ‘We are sure they’ll come out. Then we’ll take them alive. And we’ll get into the city.’ ”
13One of the king’s officers said, “A few horses are still left in the city. Have some men get five of them. Those men won’t be any worse off than all the other Israelites who are left here. In fact, all of us will soon be dead anyway. So let’s send the men to find out what happened.”
14The men chose two chariots and their horses. The king sent them out to look for Aram’s army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” 15They followed the trail of Aram’s soldiers all the way to the Jordan River. They found clothes and supplies all along the road. The soldiers had thrown them down when they ran away. So the men who were sent out returned. They reported to the king what they had seen. 16Then the people went out of the city. They took everything of value from Aram’s army camp. So 12 pounds of the finest flour sold for less than half of an ounce of silver. And 20 pounds of barley sold for the same price. That’s exactly what the Lord had said would happen.
17The king had put an officer in charge of the city gate. He was the officer on whose arm the king leaned. On their way out of the city, the people knocked the officer down. In the entrance of the gate he was crushed as they walked on top of him. And so he died. That’s exactly what the man of God had said would happen. He had said it when the king came down to his house. 18What Elisha, the man of God, had told the king came true. Elisha had said, “About this time tomorrow, flour won’t cost very much. Even 12 pounds of the finest flour will cost less than half of an ounce of silver. You will also be able to buy 20 pounds of barley for the same price. That’s all you will have to pay for those things at the gate of Samaria.”
19The officer had spoken to the man of God. The officer had said, “Suppose the Lord opens the sky and pours down food on us. Even if he does, could what you are saying really happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes. But you won’t eat any of it!” 20And that’s exactly what happened to the officer. On their way out of the city, the people knocked him down. In the entrance of the gate he was crushed as they walked on top of him. And so he died.
