2 Kings Chapter 6
Showing all 33 verses for 2 Kings Chapter 6.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. "
"The group of prophets-in-training told Elisha, "Look, the place where we're living with you has become too cramped for us.""
I care about the practical, unglamorous parts of your life - housing, space, growth pains - not just the big dramatic moments. Bring me your ordinary problems; nothing about your daily life is too small to matter.
"Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. "
""Let us go to the Jordan river, and let each of us get a log, and let's build ourselves a place to live there." Elisha replied, "Go ahead.""
I don't need to control every decision in your life. When you come to me with a sensible plan born of genuine need, my answer is often simply: go, you have my support.
"And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. "
"One of them said, "Please, be willing to come with your servants." Elisha answered, "I will come.""
I'm willing to be present in your ordinary work, not just your crises. Let people close to you invite you into their everyday tasks - showing up matters as much as giving advice.
"So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. "
"So Elisha went with them, and when they reached the Jordan, they began cutting down trees."
Let your yes be yes. I want you to be someone whose promises translate into action, even in the smallest, most unglamorous tasks.
"But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. "
"While one of them was cutting a beam, the iron axe head flew off the handle and fell into the water. He cried out, "Oh no, master! It was borrowed!""
I see your small panics too - the borrowed item broken, the mistake at work, the thing you feel you'll be blamed for. Bring these worries to me honestly instead of hiding them; shame doesn't have to be the response to an honest accident.
"And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. "
"The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" The worker showed him the spot. Elisha cut a stick, threw it into the water there, and the iron axe head floated to the surface."
I care as much about your small, practical losses as your big ones. Nothing that troubles you is too minor for compassion and help.
"Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it. "
"Elisha said, "Pick it up." So the man reached out his hand and took it."
When I help you, I want you restored to your own capability, not made dependent on spectacle. Reach out and take back what's yours; my help returns you to your own hands, not away from them.
"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. "
"The king of Syria (Aram) was at war with Israel. He consulted with his officers and said, "I will set up my camp at such-and-such a place.""
I know that you sometimes plan things in secret, hoping no one sees. I invite you instead to live with such integrity that you wouldn't mind if every plan were seen in the light.
"And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. "
"The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Be careful not to pass by such-and-such a place, because the Syrians are camped there.""
I want you to use whatever insight or wisdom you have to protect others, even people who might not thank you for it or even know it was you. Quiet, unseen kindness matters most.
"And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. "
"The king of Israel sent men to check the place the man of God had warned him about, and he protected himself there - not just once, but several times."
Trust is built through consistency, not a single dramatic act. I'm patient enough to keep showing up reliably in your life until you learn you can rely on that steadiness.
"Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? "
"The king of Syria was deeply troubled by this and called his officers together, demanding, "Tell me - which one of you is a spy for the king of Israel?""
When things don't go your way, resist the urge to immediately suspect betrayal or enemies around you. Sometimes what unsettles your plans isn't a person working against you but a wisdom bigger than the situation you can see.
"And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. "
"One of his officers said, "None of us, my lord king. It's Elisha, the prophet in Israel - he tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your own bedroom.""
Live as though your private words matter as much as your public ones, because they shape who you become either way. I'm not trying to catch you out - I simply want your inner life and outer life to be honestly the same.
"And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. "
"The king said, "Go and find out where he is, so I can send men to capture him." He was told, "He's in Dothan.""
When someone keeps getting in the way of your plans through no unfairness of their own, resist the urge to want to crush them. Ask instead what they might be showing you.
"Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. "
"So the king sent horses, chariots, and a large military force. They arrived at night and surrounded the city of Dothan."
The world will sometimes throw overwhelming force or pressure at you over something that seems small. Don't measure your safety only by what you can see arrayed against you.
"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? "
"When Elisha's servant got up early and went outside, he saw the army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. He said to Elisha, "Oh no, master! What are we going to do?""
I don't expect you to never feel afraid. Fear at real danger is human and honest - what matters is what happens next, and I'm with you even in that first moment of panic.
"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. "
"Elisha answered, "Don't be afraid - those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.""
When you feel outnumbered by your problems, remember that what's unseen and good in your life - support, love, resilience, grace - often outweighs what looks threatening. Don't let visible fear be the final word.
"And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. "
"Elisha prayed, "LORD, please open his eyes so he can see." The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and he saw the hillside full of horses and fiery chariots surrounding Elisha."
I want to open your eyes, not to remove your problems, but to help you see what was already surrounding you - resources, love, strength you hadn't noticed. Ask me to help you see more clearly.
"And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. "
"When the Syrian troops came down towards him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Please strike these people with blindness." And they were struck blind, just as Elisha had asked."
Even when someone comes against you with real hostility, I want you to look for ways to disarm the threat without destroying the person behind it. Power used with restraint is stronger than power used with vengeance.
"And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. "
"Elisha told them, "This isn't the road, and this isn't the city you're looking for. Follow me, and I'll take you to the man you're seeking." But he led them to Samaria instead."
When you have power over someone who once threatened you, ask what you can do to lead them towards good rather than towards harm. Vulnerability in an opponent is an opportunity for mercy, not exploitation.
"And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. "
"When they arrived in Samaria, Elisha said, "LORD, open these men's eyes so they can see." The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were right in the middle of Samaria."
There will be moments when people who once threatened you become completely vulnerable before you. What you do in that moment reveals who you really are.
"And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? "
"When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?""
When you finally have power over someone who wronged you, your first instinct might be punishment. I'm asking you to pause before acting on that instinct and consider a better way.
"And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. "
"Elisha answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you didn't even capture with your own sword and bow? Instead, give them bread and water to eat and drink, and send them back to their master.""
This is exactly what I mean when I say love your enemies - not a nice sentiment, but a concrete choice to feed and free someone who came to harm you. Mercy shown to an enemy can end a cycle of violence that vengeance never could.
"And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. "
"So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they ate and drank, he sent them away, and they went back to their master. And the Syrian raiding parties stopped coming into Israel's land."
Kindness to those who wronged you isn't naive weakness - it can genuinely end conflicts that violence would only prolong. I want you to trust that mercy is not just morally right, it is often also the wisest, most effective path.
"And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. "
"Some time later, Benhadad, king of Syria, gathered his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria."
Even when you've done the right thing and found peace for a season, hardship can return. I don't promise you a life without further trials - I promise to remain present with you through them.
"And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. "
"There was a terrible famine in Samaria during the siege - so severe that a donkey's head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a small amount of dove's dung sold for five pieces of silver."
I never look away from real suffering, and neither should you. When you see people in true desperation, resist judging their desperate choices, and instead let it move you towards compassion for the vulnerable around you.
"And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. "
"As the king of Israel was walking along the city wall, a woman cried out to him, "Help me, my lord the king!""
Statistics about suffering rarely move us the way one person's voice does. I want you to stay open to individual voices of pain, not just abstract awareness of suffering in general.
"And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? "
"The king replied, "If the LORD doesn't help you, where could I possibly get help for you - from the threshing floor or the winepress?" (both empty because of the famine)."
There will be times you can't fix someone's pain, and pretending you can helps no one. Honesty about your limits, paired with genuine care, is more valuable than a false promise of a solution you can't deliver.
"And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. "
"The king asked her, "What's wrong?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son so we can eat him today, and we'll eat my son tomorrow.'""
I will not pretend the worst of human suffering doesn't exist. When people are pushed past their limits by desperation, I ask you not to condemn but to work, wherever you can, to prevent others from ever being driven that far.
"So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. "
""So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give up your son so we can eat him,' but she has hidden her son.""
This is what happens when a society allows things to reach breaking point through pride, conflict, and refusal to make peace. I call you towards peacemaking long before crisis reaches such extremes, because prevention matters more than any response after the fact.
"And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. "
"When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his royal robes in anguish. As he walked along the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath, against his skin."
I see the private grief you carry even before anyone else notices it. Genuine sorrow over the suffering of others, even hidden, matters to me - it doesn't need an audience to be real.
"Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. "
"The king said, "May God punish me severely if Elisha, son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his shoulders today.""
When you're in pain, be careful who you blame. The person offering you unwelcome truth or difficult guidance is rarely the actual cause of your suffering - don't let desperation turn you against those trying to help.
"But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him? "
"Meanwhile Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders. Before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Do you see how this murderer's son has sent someone to cut off my head? Watch - when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it firmly against him. Isn't the sound of his master's feet right behind him?""
I want you to be able to name injustice honestly, even when it comes from powerful people, while still responding to threats against you with composure rather than panic or hatred.
"And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer? "
"While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger arrived, and the king himself came right behind him and said, "This disaster is from the LORD - why should I wait for the LORD any longer?""
When you're at your lowest, tempted to think help will never come, I ask you to hold on just a little longer. Some of the greatest turnarounds happen right after the moment despair says all hope is gone.