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1 Kings 1

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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Introduction

¹ The servant of the man of God got up early and went out, and behold, there was an army with horses and chariots encircling the city. Elisha's servant said to him, "Oh no, my master! What are we to do?"

² Elisha answered, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

³ Then Elisha prayed and said, "LORD, please, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servants eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.

⁴ When the Arameans came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, 'Please strike this people (nation) with[3] blindness." And God struck them with blindness, in accordance with Elisha's request.

⁵ Then Elisha said to the Arameans, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me and I will lead you to the man whom you are seeking." And he led them to Samaria.

⁶ When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes and they saw. Behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

⁷ When the king of Israel (Jehoram) saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"

⁸ Elisha answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and bow? Serve them bread and water, so that they may eat and drink, and go back to their master [King Ben-hadad]."

⁹ So the king prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Aram did not come into the land of Israel again.

¹⁰ But it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered his whole army together and went up and besieged Samaria.

¹¹ Now there was a great famine in Samaria; and they[4] besieged it until a[5] donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a[6] kab of[7] dove's dung for five shekels of silver.

¹² As the king of Israel (Jehoram) was passing by on the [city] wall a woman cried out to him, "Help, my lord, O king!"

¹³ He said, "If the LORD does not help you, from where shall I get you help? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?"

¹⁴ And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'

¹⁵ So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give your son so that we may eat him'; but she had hidden her son."

¹⁶ When the king heard the woman's words, he[8] tore his clothes—now he was still walking along on the wall—and the people looked [at him], and he had on[9] sackcloth underneath [his royal robe] next to his skin.

¹⁷ Then he said, "[10] May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

¹⁸ Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him [to behead Elisha]; but before the messenger arrived, Elisha told the elders, "Do you see how this son of [Jezebel] a murderer has sent [a man] to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it securely against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet [just] behind him?"

¹⁹ While Elisha was still talking with them, the messenger came down to him [followed by the king] and the king said, "This evil [situation] is from the LORD! Why should I wait for [help from] the LORD any longer?"

²⁰ Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a[1] measure of finely-milled flour will sell for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"

²¹ Then the royal officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "If the LORD should make windows in heaven [for the rain], could this thing take place?" Elisha said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but [because you doubt] you will not eat of it."

²² Now four men who were[2] lepers were at the entrance of the [city's] gate; and they said to one another, "Why should we sit here until we die?

²³ If we say, 'We will enter the city'—then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit still here, we will also die. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians). If they let us live, we will live; and if they kill us, we will only die."

²⁴ So they got up at twilight to go to the Aramean camp. But when they came to the edge of the camp, there was no one there.

²⁵ For the LORD had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, and the sound of horses, the sound of a great army. They had said to one another, "The king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come [and fight] against us."

²⁶ So the Arameans set out and fled during the twilight, and left their tents, horses, and donkeys, even left the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives.

²⁷ When these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away from there silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they went back and entered another tent and carried [some valuable things] from there also, and went and hid them.

²⁸ Then they said one to another, "We are not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, yet we are keeping silent. If we wait until the morning light, some punishment [for not reporting this now] will come on us. So now come, let us go and tell the king's household."

²⁹ So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, "We went to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians), and behold, there was no one there, nor the sound of man there—only the horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents [had been left] just as they were."

³⁰ Then the gatekeepers called out and it was reported to the king's household inside [the city].

³¹ Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.'"

³² One of his servants replied, "Please let some men take five of the horses which remain inside the city. Consider this: [if they are caught then at worst] they will be like all the people of Israel who are left in the city; [even if they are killed then] they will be like all the people of Israel who have already died. So let us send [them] and see [what happens]."

³³ So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, "Go and see."

³⁴ They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was entirely littered with clothing and equipment which the Arameans (Syrians) had thrown away when they hurriedly fled. And the messengers returned and told the king.

³⁵ Then the people [of Israel] went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So [goods were so plentiful that] a measure of finely-milled flour [was sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in accordance with the word of the LORD [as spoken through Elisha].

³⁶ Now the king had appointed the royal officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the [city] gate; and the [starving] people trampled him at the gate [as they struggled to get through for food], and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to him.

³⁷ It happened just as [Elisha] the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley will be sold for a shekel and a measure of finely-milled flour for a shekel tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria."

³⁸ The royal officer had answered the man of God and said, "Now behold, [even] if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing happen?" And Elisha had answered, "You will see it with your own eyes, but [because of your doubt] you will not eat it."

³⁹ And so it happened to him; for the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.

⁴⁰ Now Elisha had said to the [Shunammite] woman whose son he had restored to life, "Prepare and go, you and your household, and[1] stay temporarily wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and moreover, it will come on the land [and continue] for seven years."

⁴¹ So the woman set out and did everything in accordance with the word of the man of God. She and her household went and[2] stayed temporarily as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

⁴² At the end of the seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to appeal to the king [of Israel] for her house and for her land.

⁴³ Now the king was talking with[3] Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

⁴⁴ And [just] as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life."

⁴⁵ When the king asked the woman, she told him [everything]. So the king appointed for her a certain high official, saying, "Restore everything that was hers, including all the produce of the field since the day that she left the land until now."

⁴⁶ Now Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) was sick; and he was told, "The man of God has come here."

⁴⁷ And the king said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

⁴⁸ So Hazael went to meet Elisha and took a gift with him of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' loads; and he came and stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, asking, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

⁴⁹ And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You will certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he will certainly die."

⁵⁰ Elisha stared steadily at Hazael until he was embarrassed, and then the man of God wept.

⁵¹ Hazael said, "Why are you weeping, my lord?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons (descendants) of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to pieces, and rip up their pregnant women."

⁵² Then Hazael said, "Surely not! For what is your servant, who is nothing more than a dog, that he would do this monstrous thing?" And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram."

⁵³ Then Hazael departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would certainly recover."

#	AMP
1	The servant of the man of God got up early and went out, and behold, there was an army with horses and chariots encircling the city. Elisha's servant said to him, "Oh no, my master! What are we to do?"
2	Elisha answered, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
3	Then Elisha prayed and said, "LORD, please, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servants eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
4	When the Arameans came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, 'Please strike this people (nation) with[3] blindness." And God struck them with blindness, in accordance with Elisha's request.
5	Then Elisha said to the Arameans, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me and I will lead you to the man whom you are seeking." And he led them to Samaria.
6	When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes and they saw. Behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
7	When the king of Israel (Jehoram) saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
8	Elisha answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and bow? Serve them bread and water, so that they may eat and drink, and go back to their master [King Ben-hadad]."
9	So the king prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Aram did not come into the land of Israel again.
10	But it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered his whole army together and went up and besieged Samaria.
11	Now there was a great famine in Samaria; and they[4] besieged it until a[5] donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a[6] kab of[7] dove's dung for five shekels of silver.
12	As the king of Israel (Jehoram) was passing by on the [city] wall a woman cried out to him, "Help, my lord, O king!"
13	He said, "If the LORD does not help you, from where shall I get you help? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?"
14	And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
15	So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give your son so that we may eat him'; but she had hidden her son."
16	When the king heard the woman's words, he[8] tore his clothes—now he was still walking along on the wall—and the people looked [at him], and he had on[9] sackcloth underneath [his royal robe] next to his skin.
17	Then he said, "[10] May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"
18	Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him [to behead Elisha]; but before the messenger arrived, Elisha told the elders, "Do you see how this son of [Jezebel] a murderer has sent [a man] to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it securely against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet [just] behind him?"
19	While Elisha was still talking with them, the messenger came down to him [followed by the king] and the king said, "This evil [situation] is from the LORD! Why should I wait for [help from] the LORD any longer?"
20	Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a[1] measure of finely-milled flour will sell for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"
21	Then the royal officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "If the LORD should make windows in heaven [for the rain], could this thing take place?" Elisha said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but [because you doubt] you will not eat of it."
22	Now four men who were[2] lepers were at the entrance of the [city's] gate; and they said to one another, "Why should we sit here until we die?
23	If we say, 'We will enter the city'—then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit still here, we will also die. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians). If they let us live, we will live; and if they kill us, we will only die."
24	So they got up at twilight to go to the Aramean camp. But when they came to the edge of the camp, there was no one there.
25	For the LORD had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, and the sound of horses, the sound of a great army. They had said to one another, "The king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come [and fight] against us."
26	So the Arameans set out and fled during the twilight, and left their tents, horses, and donkeys, even left the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives.
27	When these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away from there silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they went back and entered another tent and carried [some valuable things] from there also, and went and hid them.
28	Then they said one to another, "We are not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, yet we are keeping silent. If we wait until the morning light, some punishment [for not reporting this now] will come on us. So now come, let us go and tell the king's household."
29	So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, "We went to the camp of the Arameans (Syrians), and behold, there was no one there, nor the sound of man there—only the horses and donkeys tied up, and the tents [had been left] just as they were."
30	Then the gatekeepers called out and it was reported to the king's household inside [the city].
31	Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.'"
32	One of his servants replied, "Please let some men take five of the horses which remain inside the city. Consider this: [if they are caught then at worst] they will be like all the people of Israel who are left in the city; [even if they are killed then] they will be like all the people of Israel who have already died. So let us send [them] and see [what happens]."
33	So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, "Go and see."
34	They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was entirely littered with clothing and equipment which the Arameans (Syrians) had thrown away when they hurriedly fled. And the messengers returned and told the king.
35	Then the people [of Israel] went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So [goods were so plentiful that] a measure of finely-milled flour [was sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in accordance with the word of the LORD [as spoken through Elisha].
36	Now the king had appointed the royal officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the [city] gate; and the [starving] people trampled him at the gate [as they struggled to get through for food], and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to him.
37	It happened just as [Elisha] the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley will be sold for a shekel and a measure of finely-milled flour for a shekel tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria."
38	The royal officer had answered the man of God and said, "Now behold, [even] if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing happen?" And Elisha had answered, "You will see it with your own eyes, but [because of your doubt] you will not eat it."
39	And so it happened to him; for the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.
40	Now Elisha had said to the [Shunammite] woman whose son he had restored to life, "Prepare and go, you and your household, and[1] stay temporarily wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and moreover, it will come on the land [and continue] for seven years."
41	So the woman set out and did everything in accordance with the word of the man of God. She and her household went and[2] stayed temporarily as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
42	At the end of the seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to appeal to the king [of Israel] for her house and for her land.
43	Now the king was talking with[3] Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."
44	And [just] as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life."
45	When the king asked the woman, she told him [everything]. So the king appointed for her a certain high official, saying, "Restore everything that was hers, including all the produce of the field since the day that she left the land until now."
46	Now Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) was sick; and he was told, "The man of God has come here."
47	And the king said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"
48	So Hazael went to meet Elisha and took a gift with him of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' loads; and he came and stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, asking, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"
49	And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You will certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he will certainly die."
50	Elisha stared steadily at Hazael until he was embarrassed, and then the man of God wept.
51	Hazael said, "Why are you weeping, my lord?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons (descendants) of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to pieces, and rip up their pregnant women."
52	Then Hazael said, "Surely not! For what is your servant, who is nothing more than a dog, that he would do this monstrous thing?" And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram."
53	Then Hazael departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would certainly recover."

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