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to them that "the son of the murderer has sent [someone] to kill me, but you, closing the door, prevent the entry to the executioner; for the king will follow, having repented." And they did according to the prophet's word, but Jehoram, having changed his mind, arrived hastening to the prophet and accused him that he was not praying to God to release them from their troubles. And he said, "tomorrow two seahs of barley will be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel." And one of those following the king said, "you say unbelievable things, O prophet." And he said, "you will see the things promised, but you will not enjoy them because of your unbelief." And during that night God caused a sound of chariots, and of horses and of weapons, and the battle-cry of a multitude in the hearing of the Syrians. And they, thinking that Jehoram had taken on a large allied force and was coming against them, leaving the camp, fled in great fear. And there were four leprous men outside the city, the law commanding the lepers to be cast out of the cities. Those lepers therefore, already perishing with famine, decided to approach the camp of the Syrians, saying, "either they will spare us and being fed we will live, or being killed we will be delivered from our 1.151 evils." So they came at dawn to the camp of the Syrians, and no one was seen by them; they went into one tent, and found it empty of men; from that one they moved to another, and found that one also to be deserted; and moving into more since they met no one, first they ate and drank, then taking gold and silver and garments from there they hid them, and so coming into the city they proclaimed what had happened. But the king, having heard, said this was an ambush of the enemy, and commanded not to go forth, but sent men to scout. Those who went met no one along the road, but found it full of garments and equipment. The king, learning these things, permitted the multitude to plunder the camp. whence such an abundance of provisions came to be that two seahs of barley were sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour; and the seah is an Italian half-medimnus. But the king's officer alone did not benefit from that abundance, according to the word of the prophet, who had disbelieved his prophecy; for as the multitude streamed to the gate of the city he was trampled and died. And the king of Damascus after these things fell ill. And Elisha went then to Damascus; and the sick man heard about the prophet, and he sent Hazael, the most honored of his servants, to him, to ask if he would live. And he sent him many gifts. And the prophet, being asked, foretold that the sick king would die, but he commanded Hazael to say nothing to him; but he himself wept. And being asked by Hazael the reason for his weeping, 1.152 he said he was mourning, foreseeing how many terrible things would happen to the Israelites from you; for you will be king of Syria. And Hazael returning to his lord reported that the prophet said that he would live. But on the next day, throwing a wet net over him, he suffocated him, and he himself took hold of the kingdom. And the king of Judah, Jehoram, for the same name belonged to both kings, was turned aside into impiety by his wife Athaliah, being the daughter of Ahab, and he killed his brothers and his father's servants, and compelled the people to be impious with him. And while he was living thus the prophet sent a letter, declaring to him the coming destruction and the ruin of his wives and children because of his impiety and the oppression of the people; which things also came to pass, when the Arabs campaigned against Judea, with one of his sons being saved, Ahaziah. And Jehoram after these things falling ill, as the prophet had foretold, died a violent death, having lived forty years, and having reigned for eight. And the rule came to his son Ahaziah. And for the other Jehoram, the king of the Israelites, campaigning against the Syrians it happened that he was shot by an arrow in the war. And he on the one hand

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αὐτοῖς οτι "ὁ τοῦ φονέως υἱὸς κτανεῖν με ἀπέστειλεν, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς τὴν θύραν κλείσαντες κωλύσατε τὴν εισοδον τῷ σφαγεῖ· εψεται γὰρ μεταμεμελημένος ὁ βασιλεύς." καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον ἐποίησαν, ̓Ιωρὰμ δὲ μεταβουλευσάμενος σπεύδων πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἀφίκετο καὶ ᾐτιᾶτο αὐτὸν οτι μὴ δέοιτο τοῦ θεοῦ λῦσαι σφίσι τὰ λυπηρά. ὁ δέ "αυριον" εφη "δύο σάτα κριθῆς πραθήσεται σίκλου, καὶ σεμιδάλεως σάτον σίκλου." καί τις τῶν ἑπομένων τῷ βασιλεῖ "απιστα" εφη "λέγεις, προφῆτα." ὁ δέ "οψει μέν" εφη "τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα, οὐκ ἀπολαύσεις δὲ αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν." κατὰ δὲ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην κτύπον ἁρμάτων, ιππων τε καὶ οπλων, καὶ πλήθους ἀλαλαγμὸν ἐνεποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τῶν Σύρων ταῖς ἀκοαῖς. οἱ δὲ συμμαχικὸν προσλαβέσθαι πολὺ τὸν ̓Ιωρὰμ οἰηθέντες καὶ ἐπέρχεσθαι σφίσι, λιπόντες τὸ στρατόπεδον περιδεῶς ἀπεδίδρασκον. λεπροὶ δὲ τέσσαρες ανδρες εξω τῆς πόλεως ησαν, τοῦ νόμου τοὺς λεπροὺς κελεύοντος ἐξωθεῖσθαι τῶν πόλεων. οἱ γοῦν λεπροὶ ἐκεῖνοι ηδη φθειρόμενοι τῷ λιμῷ προσελθεῖν τῇ τῶν Σύρων παρεμβολῇ ἐβουλεύσαντο, λέγοντες ὡς "η φείσονται ἡμῶν καὶ τραφέντες ζησόμεθα, η ἀναιρεθέντες τῶν 1.151 κακῶν ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα." ηκον ουν ορθρου πρὸς τὸ τῶν Σύρων στρατόπεδον, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς ἑωρᾶτο· παρῆλθον εἰς μίαν σκηνήν, καὶ κενὴν ἀνθρώπων κατέλαβον· ἐξ ἐκείνης εἰς ἑτέραν μετέβησαν, κἀκείνην ερημον ουσαν εὑρήκασι· καὶ εἰς πλείους δὲ μεταβάντες ὡς οὐδενὶ ἐνετύγχανον, πρῶτον μὲν εφαγόν τε καὶ επιον, ειτα χρυσίον τε καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ ἱμάτια λαβόντες ἐκεῖθεν εκρυψαν, καὶ ουτως εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐλθόντες τὸ γεγονὸς ἀνεκήρυττον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας ἐνέδραν ειπεν ειναι τοῦτο τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ μὴ προϊέναι διεκελεύετο, τοὺς δὲ κατασκοπήσοντας επεμψεν. οι ἀπελθόντες ἐνέτυχον μὲν οὐδενὶ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, πλήρη δὲ αὐτὴν ἱματίων καὶ σκευῶν ευρισκον. ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς διαρπάσαι τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῷ πλήθει ἐπέτρεψεν. οθεν τοσαύτη ἀφθονία ἐγένετο τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὡς δύο σάτα κριθῆς σίκλου πωλεῖσθαι, σάτον δὲ σεμιδάλεως· τὸ δὲ σάτον ἐστὶν ̓Ιταλικὸν ἡμιμέδιμνον. μόνος δὲ τῆς ἀφθονίας ἐκείνης οὐκ ἀπώνατο ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως τριστάτης, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον, ος τῇ αὐτοῦ προρρήσει ἠπίστησε· συρρεύσαντος γὰρ τοῦ πλήθους ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως συνεπατήθη καὶ τέθνηκεν. ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς ∆αμασκοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐνόσησε. καὶ ὁ ̓Ελισσαῖος ἀπῆλθε τότε πρὸς ∆αμασκόν· καὶ ηκουσεν ὁ νοσῶν περὶ τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ̓Αζαὴλ τὸν ἐντιμότερον τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐρωτῶντα εἰ ζήσεται. επεμψε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ δῶρα πολλά. ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ ὁ προφήτης τεθνήξεσθαι μὲν τὸν νοσοῦντα βασιλέα προεῖπε, τῷ δὲ ̓Αζαὴλ ἐνετέλλετο μηδὲν ἐκείνῳ εἰπεῖν· αὐτὸς δὲ εκλαιε. καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ ̓Αζαὴλ τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν, 1.152 θρηνεῖν εφη προορῶν οσα ἐκ σοῦ συμβήσεται τοῖς ̓Ισραηλίταις δεινά· σὺ γὰρ βασιλεὺς εσῃ Συρίας. ὑποστρέψας δὲ ̓Αζαὴλ πρὸς τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ ἀπήγγειλε φάναι τὸν προφήτην ὡς ζήσεται. τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ δίκτυον αὐτῷ ἐπιβαλὼν διάβροχον, τὸν μὲν ἀπέπνιξεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπείληπτο. ̔Ο δὲ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα βασιλεὺς ̓Ιωράμ, ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ κλῆσις ἀμφοῖν τοῖν βασιλέοιν προσῆν, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐξεκυλίσθη παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Γοθολίας, θυγατρὸς ουσης τοῦ ̓Αχαάβ, καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀνεῖλε καὶ τοὺς πατρῴους θεράποντας, καὶ τὸν λαὸν συνασεβεῖν αὐτῷ κατηνάγκαζεν. ουτω δὲ βιοῦντι ὁ προφήτης ἐπέστειλε, μηνύων αὐτῷ τὸν ἐσόμενον ολεθρον καὶ τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν τέκνων φθορὰν διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ κάκωσιν· α καὶ εἰς εργον ἐξέβησαν, ̓Αράβων ἐπιστρατευσάντων τῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ, ἑνὸς τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ περισωθέντος τοῦ ̓Οχοζίου. ̓Ιωρὰμ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα νοσήσας, ὡς ὁ προφήτης προείρηκε, βιαίως ἐξέψυξε, ζήσας μὲν ἐνιαυτοὺς τεσσαράκοντα, βασιλεύσας δὲ ὀκτώ. ἡ δ' ἀρχὴ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ ̓Οχοζίᾳ περιελήλυθεν. ̓Ιωρὰμ δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ, τῷ τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν βασιλεῖ, κατὰ τῶν Σύρων στρατεύσαντι συνέβη τοξευθῆναι ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ. καὶ ὁ μὲν