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to the Jordan and to wash seven times, and thus he would be rid of his leprosy. But Naaman was angry that the prophet did not come out to him and pray and place his hand on him, and indignant he withdrew, saying "Are there not rivers with us better than the Jordan? I will go and wash in them and be cleansed." But as he was withdrawing his servants said to him, "Do the prophet's 1.148 word, since it is easy." And Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, and was cleansed; and returning he thanked the prophet, and confessed that there was no other god than the one in Israel, and he asked him to take something of what he had brought; but he refused. And Naaman returned. But Gehazi pursued him and said, "The prophet sent me to receive from you a talent of silver and two robes, to be given to some needy people who have just come to him." And Naaman gave them to him; and Gehazi returned to Elisha. But the prophet knew what Gehazi had done, and said to him, "Because you took the silver and the garments from Naaman, his leprosy will cling to you and to your seed." And he went out leprous. And the sons of the prophets who were with Elisha went to the Jordan to cut wood, so that they might make dwellings for themselves; and Elisha went along with them. And as they were cutting the wood, the iron head of one's axe fell into the river. And the owner of the axe called upon the prophet, and showed him the place where the iron had sunk. And he took a piece of wood and threw it in there. And the iron came up, and floating, the one who had lost it took it. And the king of Syria set an ambush, in order to capture King Joram. But the prophet sent to Joram, instructing him to be on his guard and not to go hunting. And he indeed did not go out, but Ader, having failed in his plot, suspected his own people of being traitors of what he had planned. But when they said that it was not them, but the prophet Elisha who revealed his secrets to him, he sends an army to Dothan, in order to capture him. And seeing the people surrounding 1.149 the city, the prophet's servant, terrified, came to him reporting the matter. But he said, "Do not fear," and besought God to show his servant how he was guarded by Him. And God gave the prophet's servant the grace to see him surrounded by chariots and horses of fire. And the prophet, having prayed, dimmed the eyes of the enemies, and going out to them he said, "Follow me and I will give Elisha to you." And they followed, with both their sight and their mind impaired. And leading them into Samaria, he commanded the king to have his force surround them. And he asked God for the mist to be removed from their eyes. And when it was removed, the Syrians saw themselves surrounded in the midst of their enemies. But Elisha did not permit anyone to attack them, but rather advised to show them hospitality and to release them unharmed. Therefore Joram, having generously feasted them according to the word of the prophet, let them go. And they departed and narrated what had happened to their own king; and he was astonished. After these things, the king of Syria, having come with his whole army to Samaria, besieged it. And there was a most severe famine in it, so that a donkey's head was sold for fifty pieces of silver, and a pint of doves' dung for five similar pieces. And as King Joram was going around the wall, a woman cried out, "Save me, O king." But he, thinking the woman was asking for food, said, blaspheming her, "From where shall I save you, since I have neither a threshing floor nor a winepress 1.150?" But when she said she was asking for judgment, he allowed her to speak. And the woman said, "I made an agreement with another woman, my neighbor, to sacrifice our children and to feed each other for a day each. And I for my part sacrificed my child, but she is breaking the agreement." Hearing these things, the king was greatly distressed and tore his clothes, and he was enraged against the prophet, because he did not pray to God to end the affliction, and he sent one to kill him. But Elisha, speaking to his disciples, foretold

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τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην καὶ λούσασθαι ἑπτάκις, καὶ ουτω τῆς λέπρας ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι. ὠργίσθη δὲ Νεεμὰν οτι μὴ ἐξῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ προφήτης καὶ ηυξατο καὶ ἐπέθετο αὐτῷ τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ἀγανακτῶν ὑπεχώρει, λέγων "οὐκ εἰσὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ποταμοὶ ὑπὲρ τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην; πορευθεὶς λούσομαι ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι." ὑποχωροῦντι δὲ ειπον αὐτῷ οἱ θεράποντες "ποίησον τὸν τοῦ προφήτου 1.148 λόγον, ῥᾴδιον οντα." καὶ κατέβη Νεεμὰν καὶ ἐβαπτίσατο ἐν τῷ ̓Ιορδάνῃ ἑπτάκις, καὶ ἐκαθαρίσθη· καὶ ἀναστρέψας ηὐχαρίστει τῷ προφήτῃ, καὶ μὴ ειναι θεὸν ετερον ὡμολόγει παρὰ τὸν ἐν τῷ ̓Ισραήλ, καὶ ἠξίου αὐτὸν λαβεῖν τι ἐξ ων ἐκόμιζεν· ὁ δὲ ἀπηνήνατο. καὶ ὑπέστρεψε Νεεμάν. Γιεζὶ δὲ κατεδίωξεν αὐτὸν καὶ ειπεν "ὁ προφήτης ἀπέστειλέ με λήψεσθαι ἀπὸ σοῦ τάλαντον ἀργυρίου καὶ δύο στολάς, δοθησόμενα δεομένοις τισὶν αρτι προσελθοῦσιν αὐτῷ." καὶ εδωκεν αὐτῷ Νεεμάν· καὶ ὑπέστρεψε Γιεζὶ πρὸς ̓Ελισσαιέ. εγνω δὲ ὁ προφήτης ο ειργαστο τῷ Γιεζί, καὶ ειπεν αὐτῷ "οτι ελαβες τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἀπὸ τοῦ Νεεμάν, ἡ λέπρα ἐκείνου κολληθήσεται σοὶ καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου." καὶ ἐξῆλθε λελεπρωμένος. Οἱ υἱοὶ δὲ τῶν προφητῶν οἱ μετὰ ̓Ελισσαίου ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην τεμεῖν ξύλα, ὡς αν ποιήσωσιν ἑαυτοῖς σκηνάς· καὶ ὁ ̓Ελισσαῖος αὐτοῖς συμπεπόρευτο. τεμνόντων δὲ τὰ ξύλα ἑνὸς τὸ τῆς ἀξίνης σιδήριον ἐνέπεσεν εἰς τὸν ποταμόν. καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀξίνης κύριος τὸν προφήτην ἐπεκαλέσατο, καὶ τὸν τόπον ὑπέδειξεν αὐτῷ ἐν ῳ κατέδυ ὁ σίδηρος. ὁ δὲ ξύλον λαβὼν ἐνέβαλεν ἐκεῖ. καὶ ἀνέδυ τὸ σιδήριον, καὶ ἐπιπολάσαν ελαβεν αὐτὸ ὁ ἀπολέσας αὐτό. ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς Συρίας ἐνέδραν ἐκάθισεν, ιν' ελῃ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ̓Ιωράμ. ἀπέστειλε δὲ ὁ προφήτης πρὸς ̓Ιωρὰμ φυλάττεσθαι αὐτῷ ἐντελλόμενος καὶ μὴ ἀπιέναι πρὸς θήραν. καὶ ὁ μὲν οὐκ ἐξῄει, Αδερ δὲ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἁμαρτὼν τοὺς οἰκείους ὑπώπτευε γίνεσθαι προδότας τῶν βεβουλευμένων αὐτῷ. φησάντων δ' ἐκείνων οὐκ αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ τὸν προφήτην ̓Ελισσαῖον μηνύειν αὐτῷ τὰ ἀπόρρητα, στέλλει ἐν ∆οθαῒν στράτευμα, ιν' αὐτὸν λάβοιεν. ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν λαὸν κύκλῳ 1.149 τῆς πόλεως ὁ τοῦ προφήτου διάκονος, περιδεὴς ἀφίκετο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπαγγέλλων τὸ πρᾶγμα. ὁ δέ "μὴ δέδιθι" εφη, καὶ ἱκέτευσε τὸν θεὸν δεῖξαι τῷ διακόνῳ αὐτοῦ οπως φυλάττεται παρ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ δέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ θεράποντι τοῦ προφήτου χάριν ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν αρμασι καὶ ιπποις πυρίνοις κεκυκλωμένον. ἠμαύρωσε δὲ προσευξάμενος ὁ προφήτης καὶ τὰ ομματα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ἐξελθὼν πρὸς αὐτοὺς εφη "ἀκολουθεῖτέ μοι καὶ δώσω τὸν ̓Ελισσαῖον ὑμῖν." οἱ δὲ ειποντο καὶ τὰς οψεις βεβλαμμένοι καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν. ἀπαγαγὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς Σαμάρειαν περιστῆσαι αὐτοῖς τὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐνετείλατο. καὶ τὸν θεὸν ῃτει περιαιρεθῆναι τὴν ἀχλὺν ἐκ τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν. περιαιρεθείσης δὲ ειδον ἑαυτοὺς οἱ Σύροι μέσον περιειλημμένους τῶν πολεμίων. ̓Ελισσαῖος δὲ οὐδένα ἐπιθέσθαι αὐτοῖς παρεχώρησε, ξενίσαι δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀπολῦσαι ἀπαθεῖς συνεβούλευσε. φιλοτίμως ουν ὁ ̓Ιωρὰμ ἑστιάσας αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον ἀφῆκεν. οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον καὶ τὰ γεγονότα τῷ ἑαυτῶν βασιλεῖ διηγήσαντο· καὶ ἐξεπλάγη. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ πανστρατιᾷ παρελθὼν εἰς Σαμάρειαν ὁ βασιλεὺς Συρίας ἐπολιόρκει αὐτήν. καὶ ἐγένετο λιμὸς σφοδρότατος ἐν αὐτῇ, ωστε κεφαλὴν ονου πεντήκοντα νομισμάτων ἀργύρου πραθῆναι, καὶ ξέστην κόπρου περιστερῶν πέντε νομισμάτων ὁμοίων. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ̓Ιωρὰμ περιιόντος τὸ τεῖχος ἐβόησε γύναιον "σῶσον, ω βασιλεῦ." ὁ δὲ νομίσας τροφὴν αἰτεῖν τὴν γυναῖκα "πόθεν σε σώσω" βλασφημήσας αὐτὴν εφη "μήτε αλωνός μοι μήτε ληνοῦ 1.150 ὑπαρχούσης;" τῆς δὲ κρίσιν αἰτεῖν εἰπούσης, λέγειν ἐπέτρεψε. καὶ ἡ γυνή "συνθήκας" ειπεν "ἐθέμην μεθ' ἑτέρας γυναικὸς γειτνιώσης μοι θῦσαι τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μίαν ἡμέραν ἀλλήλας θρέψαι. κἀγὼ μὲν τὸ ἐμὸν εθυσα, ἡ δὲ παραβαίνει τὰ ὡμολογημένα." τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπερήλγησε καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέρρηξε, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐξώργιστο, οτι μὴ δέοιτο τοῦ θεοῦ λῦσαι τὴν κάκωσιν, καὶ τὸν ἀποκτενοῦντα αὐτὸν επεμψεν. ̓Ελισσαῖος δὲ τοῖς φοιτηταῖς ὁμιλῶν προεῖπεν