Elisha, Syria Defeated
Elisha lived with the prophets, but their house was a bit too small. Let's go down to Jordan and make a new house. There is wood, for the trees are quite tall. As they worked to cut down the wood, one's ax head came loose. Out it flew. It fell in the Jordan. I borrowed this ax. Elisha, what can I do? Elisha cut down a stick, and threw it into the stream. The ax head of iron came to the top, and floated there, with a gleam. Then the Syrian king set a trap, Israel's army to capture and spoil. But Elisha gave warning to Israel's king. Every trap Israel's army would foil. Who is spying on us? Who's the traitor? Growled the king of Syria's land. It isn't a traitor. It's the prophet Elisha. God shows him all that you've planned. We'll see about that cried the king. I hear he's in Dothan city. We'll come with our swordsmen and horses. He won't be sitting so pretty. So Syria surrounded Dothan. Elisha's servant asked, what shall we do? Elisha's reply, with a twinkling eye, Syria's armies are but a few. A few? You've got to be kidding. Cried the servant with an, "ahem!" There be more with us, said Elisha, then they that be with them. Open his eyes, prayed Elisha. So God let the young servant see. There were horses and chariots of fire. Wow. There's more with Elisha and me! Then God smote the army with blindness. Elisha lead them to Israel's hand. Should I kill them? No feed them. Then send them back home, to tell this news to their land. That kept Syria out of Israel, until Benhadad gathered his brood. He surrounded Samaria and Israel's king, until they ran out of food. Now instead of trusting in God and asking Elisha for aid. The king blamed Elisha for causing this siege. Just look at the mess you have made. But Elisha said by tomorrow, about this time of the day, you'll have more food then you can eat, and Syria will be out of the way. On the morrow four lepers said we're gonna die. With no food guess we should choose, to go the camp of the Syrian host. If they kill us, what will we loose? Now during the night, like God opened the eyes, of Elisha's servant before, God opened the ears of the Syrian host, and what they heard was a roar. The noise of chariots and horses. Israel must have hired a nation. Hitites and Egyptians are coming to get us, and blow us out of creation. The Syrians ran in such great haste that they left their belongings and fled. There was clothing and vessels and plenty of food, exactly as Elisha had said.
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