2Kings 7

 

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלִישָׁע שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־יְהוָה כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה כָּעֵת מָחָר סְאָה־סֹלֶת בְּשֶׁקֶל וְסָאתַיִם שְׂעֹרִים   7:1 בְּשֶׁקֶל בְּשַׁעַר שֹׁמְרוֹן׃

2Kin. 7:1   And Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord!  Thus says the Lord:  ‘Tomorrow about now a measure of flour shall be a shekel and two measures of barley shall be a shekel by the gate of Samaria.’”

וַיַּעַן הַשָּׁלִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־לַמֶּלֶךְ נִשְׁעָן עַל־יָדוֹ אֶת־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמַר הִנֵּה יְהוָה עֹשֶׂה אֲרֻבּוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם   7:2 הֲיִהְיֶה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר הִנְּכָה רֹאֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם לֹא תֹאכֵל׃

2Kin. 7:2   Then the captain who was the king’s to lean on his hand answered the man of God and said, “Behold, the Lord has made windows in heaven?  Can this thing be?”  And he said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat from there.”

וְאַרְבָּעָה אֲנָשִׁים הָיוּ מְצֹרָעִים פֶּתַח הַשָּׁעַר וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ מָה אֲנַחְנוּ יֹשְׁבִים פֹּה עַד־מָתְנוּ׃   7:3

2Kin. 7:3   Now four men at the entrance of the gate were leprous and they said each to his neighbor, “Why are we sitting here until we are dead?”

אִם־אָמַרְנוּ נָבוֹא הָעִיר וְהָרָעָב בָּעִיר וָמַתְנוּ שָׁם וְאִם־יָשַׁבְנוּ פֹה וָמָתְנוּ וְעַתָּה לְכוּ וְנִפְּלָה אֶל־מַחֲנֵה   7:4 אֲרָם אִם־יְחַיֻּנוּ נִחְיֶה וְאִם־יְמִיתֻנוּ וָמָתְנוּ׃

2Kin. 7:4   “If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ as the famine is in the city, then we will die there. And if we sit here, then we will die.  So now come and let us fall on the host of Aram.  If they let us live, we will live, and if they kill us, then we will die.”

וַיָּקוּמוּ בַנֶּשֶׁף לָבוֹא אֶל־מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־קְצֵה מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם וְהִנֵּה אֵין־שָׁם אִישׁ׃   7:5

2Kin. 7:5   So they arose in the dark to go to the camp of Aram, but they came up to the outskirts of the camp of Aram and behold, no one was there.

וַאדֹנָי הִשְׁמִיעַ אֶת־מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם קוֹל רֶכֶב קוֹל סוּס קוֹל חַיִל גָּדוֹל וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו הִנֵּה   7:6 שָׂכַר־עָלֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־מַלְכֵי הַחִתִּים וְאֶת־מַלְכֵי מִצְרַיִם לָבוֹא עָלֵינוּ׃

2Kin. 7:6   And the Lord had made the host of Aram to hear sounds of chariots and sounds of horses, a sound of a great host, and they said each to his brother, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come upon us.”

I believe there’s an unacknowledged error in this verse.  As I understand it, there was only one king of Egypt, Pharoah.  I imagine the word translated as kings [of Egypt] might also be understood to mean princes, but I believe that’s a real stretch of the Hebrew.  Thus the fourth word from last in the bottom line has an unnecessary yad suffix that makes the word plural.

וַיָּקוּמוּ וַיָּנוּסוּ בַנֶּשֶׁף וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת־אָהֳלֵיהֶם וְאֶת־סוּסֵיהֶם וְאֶת־חֲמֹרֵיהֶם הַמַּחֲנֶה כַּאֲשֶׁר־הִיא וַיָּנֻסו   7:7 אֶל־נַפְשָׁם׃

2Kin. 7:7   So they arose and fled in the dark and left their tents and their horses and their asses, the camp as it was, as they fled for their lives.

וַיָּבֹאוּ הַמְצֹרָעִים הָאֵלֶּה עַד־קְצֵה הַמַּחֲנֶה וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־אֹהֶל אֶחָד וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ וַיִּשְׂאוּ מִשָּׁם כֶּסֶף   7:8

 וְזָהָב וּבְגָדִים וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּטְמִנוּ וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־אֹהֶל אַחֵר וַיִּשְׂאוּ מִשָּׁם וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּטְמִנוּ׃

2Kin. 7:8   So those lepers came up to the outskirts of the camp and they went in to one tent and they ate and drank.  Then they carried silver and gold and clothes from there, and went and hid.  Then they returned and went in to another tent and carried from there and went and hid.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ לֹא־כֵן אֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יוֹם־בְּשֹׂרָה הוּא וַאֲנַחְנוּ מַחְשִׁים וְחִכִּינוּ   7:9 עַד־אוֹר הַבֹּקֶר וּמְצָאָנוּ עָווֹן וְעַתָּה לְכוּ וְנָבֹאָה וְנַגִּידָה בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

2Kin. 7:9   Then they said each to his neighbor, “We are not doing well.  This day, it is a day of glad tidings, and we are keeping silent, and we will tarry until the light of morning and punishment will befall us.  So now come and let us go and tell the household of the king.”

וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל־שֹׁעֵר הָעִיר וַיַּגִּידוּ לָהֶם לֵאמֹר בָּאנוּ אֶל־מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם וְהִנֵּה אֵין־שָׁם אִישׁ וְקוֹל   7:10 אָדָם כִּי אִם־הַסּוּס אָסוּר וְהַחֲמוֹר אָסוּר וְאֹהָלִים כַּאֲשֶׁר־הֵמָּה׃

2Kin. 7:10   So they went and called to the porters of the city and told to them saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans and behold, no one was there, or the voice of man, but only the horses tied and the asses tied and the tents as they were.”

וַיִּקְרָא הַשֹּׁעֲרִים וַיַּגִּידוּ בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ פְּנִימָה׃   7:11

2Kin. 7:11   Then the porters called and they told the household of the king within.

וַיָּקָם הַמֶּלֶךְ לַיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־עֲבָדָיו אַגִּידָה־נָּא לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂוּ לָנוּ אֲרָם יָדְעוּ כִּי־רְעֵבִים   7:12

  אֲנַחְנוּ וַיֵּצְאוּ מִן־הַמַּחֲנֶה לְהֵחָבֵה (בְהַשָּׂדֶה) [בַשָּׂדֶה] לֵאמֹר כִּי־יֵצְאוּ מִן־הָעִיר וְנִתְפְּשֵׂם חַיִּים

  וְאֶל־הָעִיר נָבֹא׃

2Kin. 7:12   And the king rose at night and he said to his servants, “Now I will tell to you what the Arameans have done to us.  They know how hungry we are.  So they have gone out from the camp to hide in the field saying, ‘When they come out from the city, then we will take them alive and we will go in to the city.’”

The first heh in the word in parentheses is superfluous.  The correction is in the brackets.

וַיַּעַן אֶחָד מֵעֲבָדָיו וַיֹּאמֶר וְיִקְחוּ־נָא חֲמִשָּׁה מִן־הַסּוּסִים הַנִּשְׁאָרִים אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ־בָהּ הִנָּם כְּכָל־   7:13 (הֶהָמוֹן) [הֲמוֹן] יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ־בָהּ הִנָּם כְּכָל־הֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־תָּמּוּ וְנִשְׁלְחָה וְנִרְאֶה׃

2Kin. 7:13   Then one of his servants answered and said, “So let them take, I pray you, five from the remaining horses that are left in it -- behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are consumed -- and we will send and we will see.”

Here also the first heh in the word in parentheses is superfluous.  The correction is in the brackets.  Notice that the same word also appears correctly spelled later in the verse.

וַיִּקְחוּ שְׁנֵי רֶכֶב סוּסִים וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ אַחֲרֵי מַחֲנֵה־אֲרָם לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וּרְאוּ׃   7:14

2Kin. 7:14   So they took two teamed chariots, and the king sent after the host of Aram saying, “Go and see.”

וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּן וְהִנֵּה כָל־הַדֶּרֶךְ מְלֵאָה בְגָדִים וְכֵלִים אֲשֶׁר־הִשְׁלִיכוּ אֲרָם (בְּהֵחָפְזָם)   7:15 [בְּחָפְזָם] וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים וַיַּגִּדוּ לַמֶּלֶךְ׃

2Kin. 7:15   So they went after them as far as the Jordan and behold, the whole way was full of garments and vessels which Aram had cast away in their panic.  And the messengers returned and reported to the king.

Once more a heh in the word in parentheses is superfluous.  The correction is in the brackets.

וַיֵּצֵא הָעָם וַיָּבֹזּוּ אֵת מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם וַיְהִי סְאָה־סֹלֶת בְּשֶׁקֶל וְסָאתַיִם שְׂעֹרִים בְּשֶׁקֶל כִּדְבַר יְהוָה׃   7:16

2Kin. 7:16   Then the people came out and spoiled the camp of Aram, and a measure of flour was for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, as had been the word of the Lord.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ הִפְקִיד אֶת־הַשָּׁלִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁעָן עַל־יָדוֹ עַל־הַשַּׁעַר וַיִּרְמְסֻהוּ הָעָם בַּשַּׁעַר וַיָּמֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר   7:17

  דִּבֶּר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּרֶדֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו׃

2Kin. 7:17   Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to be over the gate, and the people in the gate trampled him and he died, as had spoken the man of God, who spoke on the coming down of the king to him.

וַיְהִי כְּדַבֵּר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר סָאתַיִם שְׂעֹרִים בְּשֶׁקֶל וּסְאָה־סֹלֶת בְּשֶׁקֶל יִהְיֶה כָּעֵת   7:18 מָחָר בְּשַׁעַר שֹׁמְרוֹן׃

2Kin. 7:18   So it was as the man of God had spoken to the king saying, “Two measures of barley shall be for a shekel and a measure of flour for a shekel tomorrow about now at the gate of Samaria,”

וַיַּעַן הַשָּׁלִישׁ אֶת־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמַר וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה עֹשֶׂה אֲרֻבּוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם הֲיִהְיֶה כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר   7:19 הִנְּךָ רֹאֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם לֹא תֹאכֵל׃

2Kin. 7:19   and the captain had answered the man of God and had said, “Now behold, the Lord makes windows in heaven!  How can there be a thing like this?”  And he had said, “Behold, you will be seeing with your own eyes, but you will not eat from there.”

וַיְהִי־לוֹ כֵּן וַיִּרְמְסוּ אֹתוֹ הָעָם בַּשַּׁעַר וַיָּמֹת׃   7:20

2Kin. 7:20   And it happened to him so, when the people trampled him at the gate and he died.

 

[Return to 1&2Kings Chapters]    [Prev.:  2Kin. 6]    [Next:  2Kin. 8]