<p class="bodytext">Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones,<n id="1" /> dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria.<n id="2" /> All the prophets were prophesying before them.

Micaiah<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8216;They have no master. They should go home in peace.&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The king<n id="1" /> sent a captain and his fifty soldiers<n id="2" /> to retrieve Elijah.<n id="3" /> The captain<n id="4" /> went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill.<n id="5" /> He told him, &#8220;Prophet,<n id="6" /> the king says, &#8216;Come down!&#8217;&#8221;

Elijah replied to the captain,<n id="1" /> &#8220;If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!&#8221; Fire then came down<n id="2" /> from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.p>

Elijah replied to them,<n id="1" /> &#8220;If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!&#8221; Fire from God<n id="2" /> came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.p>

<p class="bodytext">The king<n id="1" /> sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell<n id="2" /> on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, &#8220;Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours.

They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered.<n id="1" /> They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.p> <p class="bodytext">Only Kir Hareseth was left intact,<n id="2" /> but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.

When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle,<n id="1" /> he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack<n id="2" /> the king of Edom, but they failed.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria&#8217;s army, was esteemed and respected by his master,<n id="1" /> for through him the <sc>Lordsc> had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease.<n id="2" />

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, &#8220;Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease?<n id="1" /> Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When Elisha the prophet<n id="1" /> heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, &#8220;Why did you tear your clothes? Send him<n id="2" /> to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman<n id="1" /> came and stood before him. He said, &#8220;For sure<n id="2" /> I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.&#8221;

Gehazi, the prophet Elisha&#8217;s servant, thought,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him.<n id="2" /> As certainly as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.&#8221;

Elisha<n id="1" /> replied, &#8220;I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you.<n id="2" /> This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">The prophet&#8217;s<n id="1" /> attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Oh no, my master! What will we do?&#8221;

An officer who was the king&#8217;s right-hand man<n id="1" /> responded to the prophet,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Look, even if the <sc>Lordsc> made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?&#8221;<n id="3" /> Elisha<n id="4" /> said, &#8220;Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, &#8220;Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!&#8221;

Then they said to one another, &#8220;It&#8217;s not right what we&#8217;re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven&#8217;t told anyone.<n id="1" /> If we wait until dawn,<n id="2" /> we&#8217;ll be punished.<n id="3" /> So come on, let&#8217;s go and inform the royal palace.&#8221;

So they went and called out to the gatekeepers<n id="1" /> of the city. They told them, &#8220;We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn&#8217;t even hear a man&#8217;s voice.<n id="2" /> But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man<n id="1" /> at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate.<n id="2" /> This fulfilled the prophet&#8217;s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him.<n id="3" />