The Axe Head Floats

1The children of ye prophetes sayde vnto Eliseus: Beholde, the place where we dwell before ye, is to narow for vs, 2let vs go vnto Iordane, & euery one fetch tymbre there, yt we maye there buylde vs a place to dwell in. He saide: Go yor waye. 3And one sayde: Go to then, & come wt thy seruauntes. He sayde: I wil go with you. 4And he wete with them. And whan they came to Iordane, they hewed downe tymber. 5And as one was fellynge downe a tre, the yron fell in to the water, and he cried and sayde: Alas my lorde, & it is burowed. 6But the man of God sayde: Where fell it in? And whan he had shewed him the place, he cut downe a sticke, and thrust it in there. Then swame the yron. 7And he sayde: Take it vp. So he put forth his hande, and toke it.

Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans

8And the kynge of Syria warred agaynst Israel, and toke councell at his seruauntes, and sayde: There & there will we lye. 9But the man of God sent to ye kynge of Israel, sayenge: Bewarre yt thou go not vnto that place, for the Syrians rest there. 10So the kynge of Israel sent vnto ye place wherof ye man of God tolde him, & kepte it, & helde watch there, & dyd that not once or twyse onely.

11The was ye kynge of Syrias herte vexed therfore, and called his seruauntes, and sayde vnto them: Wyll ye not tell me, which of oure men is fled vnto the kynge of Israel? 12Then sayde one of his seruauntes: Not so my lorde O kynge, but Eliseus the prophet in Israel telleth the kynge of Israel all that thou speakest in thy chamber where thou lyest. 13He sayde: Go youre waye the and loke where he is, that I maye sende, and cause him be fetched. And they shewed him and sayde: Beholde, he is at Dothan. 14The sent he thither horses & charetes, & a greate power. And wha they came thither by nighte, they compased the cite aboute.

15And the mynister of the ma of God arose early to get him vp. And as he wete forth, beholde, there laye an hoost of men aboute ye cite with horses and charettes. Then saide his childe vnto him: Alas syr, how wyll we now do? 16He sayde: Feare not, for there are mo of them yt are with vs, then of those that are with them. 17And Eliseus prayed & sayde: LORDE open his eyes, yt he maye se. Then the LORDE opened ye childes eyes, yt he sawe, & beholde, ye mount was full of fyrie horses & charettes roude aboute Eliseus. 18And wha they came downe vnto him, Eliseus made his prayer, & sayde: LORDE smyte this people wt blyndnes. And he smote the with blyndnes acordinge to the worde of Eliseus. 19And Eliseus saide vnto them: This is not ye waye nor the cite, folowe me, I wil brynge you to the man whom ye seke. And he broughte them vnto Samaria.

20And whan they came to Samaria, Eliseus sayde: LORDE open these mens eyes, yt they maye se. And the LORDE opened their eyes, yt they sawe, & beholde, they were in the myddes of Samaria. 21And whan the kynge of Israel sawe them, he saide vnto Eliseus: My father, shal I smyte the? 22He saide: Thou shalt not smyte the: loke whom thou takest with thy swerde and bowe, smyte those. Set bred and water before them, that they maye eate and drynke, and let them departe vnto their lorde. 23The was there a greate dyner prepared. And whan they had eaten and dronken, he let them go to departe vnto their lorde. From that tyme forth came the men of warre of the Syrians nomore into the londe of Israel.

The Siege and Famine of Samaria

24After this it fortuned, that Benadab the kynge of Syria gathered all his hoost, and wete vp, & layed sege vnto Samaria: 25& there was a greate derth at Samaria. But they layed sege to the cite so longe, tyll an Asses heade was worth foure score syluer pes, and the fourth parte of a Cab of doues donge worth fyue syluer pens. 26And whan the kynge of Israel wente vnto the wall, a woman cried vnto him and sayde: Helpe me my lorde O kynge. 27He sayde: Yf the LORDE helpe the not, wherwith shal I helpe the? with ye barne or with the wyne presse? 28And the kynge sayde vnto her: What ayleth ye? She sayde: This woman sayde vnto me: Geue vs yi sonne, that we maye eate him, tomorow wyll we eate my sonne. 29So we sod my sonne, & haue eaten him, and I sayde vnto her on ye thirde daye: Geue vs thy sonne and let vs eate him, but she hath hyd him awaye. 30Whan the kynge herde the womans wordes, he rente his clothes, whyle he was goynge to the wall. The sawe all the people, that he had a sackcloth vnder vpon his body. 31And he sayde: God do this and that vnto me, yf the heade of Eliseus the sonne of Saphat shal this daye stonde vpon him.

32As for Eliseus, he sat in his house, & the Elders sat by him. And he sent a man before him, but or euer the messaunge came to him, he sayde vnto ye Elders: Haue ye not sene how this childe of murthure hath sent hither, to take awaye my heade? Take hede, whan the messaunger cometh, yt ye holde him at the dore. Beholde, ye noyse of his lordes fete foloweth him. 33Whyle he was thus talkynge wt them, beholde, ye messaunger came to him, & sayde: Beholde, this euell cometh of ye LORDE, and what more shal I loke for of the LORDE?