The Bible, Douay Rheims, Book 12: 4 Kings

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5:11. Naaman was angry, and went away, saying: I thought he would have
come out to me, and standing, would have invoked the name of the Lord
his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed
me.

5:12. Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better
than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made
clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation,

5:13. His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet
had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how
much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt be
clean?

5:14. Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according
to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored, like the
flesh of a little child: and he was made clean.

5:15. And returning to the man of God, with all his train, he came, and
stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God, in
all the earth, but only in Israel: I beseech thee, therefore, take a
blessing of thy servant.

A blessing... a present.

5:16. But he answered: As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will
receive none. And when he pressed him, he still refused.

5:17. And Naaman said: As thou wilt: but I beseech thee, grant to me,
thy servant, to take from hence two mules' burden of earth: for thy
servant will not henceforth offer holocaust, or victim, to other gods,
but to the Lord.

5:18. But there is only this, for which thou shalt entreat the Lord for
thy servant; when my master goeth into the temple of Remmon, to worship
there, and he leaneth on my hand: if I bow down in the temple of Remmon,
when he boweth down in the same place, that the Lord pardon me, thy
servant, for this thing.

5:19. And he said to him: Go in peace. So he departed from him, in the
spring time of the earth.

Go in peace... What the prophet here allowed, was not an outward
conformity to an idolatrous worship; but only a service which by his
office he owed to his master: who on all public occasions leaned on him:
so that his bowing down when his master bowed himself down was not in
effect adoring the idols: nor was it so understood by the standers by,
since he publicly professed himself a worshipper of the only true and
living God, but it was no more than doing a civil office to the king his
master, whose leaning upon him obliged him to bow at the same time that
he bowed.

5:20. But Giezi, the servant of the man of God, said: My master hath
spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving of him that which he
brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take something of
him.

5:21. And Giezi followed after Naaman: and when he saw him running after
him, he leapt down from his chariot to meet him, and said: Is all well?

5:22. And he said: Well: my master hath sent me to thee, saying: Just
now there are come to me from mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons
of the prophets: give them a talent of silver, and two changes of
garments.

5:23. And Naaman said: It is better that thou take two talents. And he
forced him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes
of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried
them before him.

5:24. And when he was come, and now it was the evening, he took them
from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and sent the men away,
and they departed.

5:25. But he went in, and stood before his master. And Eliseus said:
Whence comest thou, Giezi? He answered: Thy servant went no whither.

5:26. But he said: Was not my heart present, when the man turned back,
from his chariot, to meet thee? So now thou hast received money, and
received garments, to buy oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen,
and men-servants, and maid-servants.

5:27. But the leprosy of Naaman, shall also stick to thee, and to thy
seed for ever. And he went out from him a leper, as white as snow.

4 Kings Chapter 6

Eliseus maketh iron to swim upon the water: he leadeth the Syrians that
were sent to apprehend him into Samaria, where there eyes being opened,
they are courteously entertained. The Syrians besiege Samaria: the
famine there causeth a woman to eat her own child. Upon this the king
commandeth Eliseus to be put to death.

6:1. And the sons of the prophets said to Eliseus: Behold, the place
where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

6:2. Let us go as far as the Jordan, and take out of the wood every man
a piece of timber, that we may build us there a place to dwell in. And
he said: Go.

6:3. And one of them said: But come thou also with thy servants. He
answered: I will come.

6:4. So he went with them. And when they were come to the Jordan, they
cut down wood.

6:5. And it happened, as one was felling some timber, that the head of
the ax fell into the water: and he cried out, and said: Alas, alas,
alas, my lord, for this same was borrowed.

6:6. And the man of God said: Where did it fall? and he shewed him the
place: Then he cut off a piece of wood, and cast it in thither: and the
iron swam.

6:7. And he said: Take it up. And he put out his hand, and took it.

6:8. And the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with
his servants, saying: In such and such a place, let us lay an ambush.

6:9. And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying: Beware that
thou pass not to such a place: for the Syrians are there in ambush.

6:10. And the king of Israel, sent to the place which the man of God had
told him, and prevented him, and looked well to himself there not once
nor twice.

6:11. And the heart of the king of Syria, was troubled for this thing.
And calling together his servants, he said: Why do you not tell me who
it is that betrays me to the king of Israel?

6:12. And one of his servants said: No one, my lord, O king: but
Eliseus, the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel all
the words, that thou speakest in thy privy chamber.

6:13. And he said to them: Go, and see where he is: that I may send and
take him. And they told him: saying: Behold he is in Dothan.

6:14. Therefore, he sent thither horses, and chariots, and the strength
of an army: and they came by night, and beset the city.

6:15. And the servant of the man of God, rising early went out, and saw
an army round about the city, and horses and chariots: and he told him,
saying: Alas, alas, alas, my lord, what shall we do?

6:16. But he answered: Fear not: for there are more with us than with
them.

6:17. And Eliseus prayed, and said: Lord, open his eyes, that he may
see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw: and
behold, the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round
about Eliseus.

6:18. And the enemies came down to him: but Eliseus prayed to the Lord,
saying: Strike, I beseech thee, this people with blindness: and the Lord
struck them with blindness, according to the word of Eliseus.

Blindness... The blindness here spoken of was of a particular kind,
which hindered them from seeing the objects that were really before
them; and represented other different objects to their imagination: so
that they no longer perceived the city of Dothan, nor were able to know
the person of Eliseus; but were easily led by him, whom they took to be
another man, to Samaria. So that he truly told them, this is not the
way, neither is this the city, etc., because he spoke with relation to
the way and to the city, which was represented to them.

6:19. And Eliseus said to them: This is not the way, neither is this the
city: follow me, and I will shew you the man whom you seek. So he led
them into Samaria.

6:20. And when they were come into Samaria, Eliseus said: Lord, open the
eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes,
and they saw themselves to be in the midst of Samaria.

6:21. And the king of Israel said to Eliseus, when he saw them: My
father, shall I kill them?

6:22. And he said: Thou shalt not kill them: for thou didst not take
them with thy sword, or thy bow, that thou mayst kill them: but set
bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to
their master.

6:23. And a great provision of meats was set before them, and they ate
and drank; and he let them go: and they went away to their master: and
the robbers of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

6:24. And it came to pass, after these things, that Benadad, king of
Syria, gathered together all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.

6:25. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and so long did the siege
continue, till the head of an ass was sold for fourscore pieces of
silver, and the fourth part of a cabe of pigeons' dung, for five pieces
of silver.

6:26. And as the king of Israel was passing by the wall, a certain woman
cried out to him, saying: Save me, my lord, O king.

6:27. And he said: If the Lord doth not save thee, how can I save thee?
out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said to her:
What aileth thee? And she answered:

6:28. This woman said to me: Give thy son, that we may eat him today,
and we will eat my son tomorrow.

6:29. So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next
day: Give thy son, that we may eat him. And she hath hid her son.

6:30. When the king heard this, he rent his garments, and passed by upon
the wall. And all the people saw the haircloth which he wore within next
to his flesh.

6:31. And the king said: May God do so and so to me, and may he add
more, if the head of Eliseus, the son of Saphat, shall stand on him this
day.

6:32. But Eliseus sat in his house, and the ancients sat with him. So he
sent a man before: and before that messenger came, he said to the
ancients: Do you know that this son of a murderer hath sent to cut off
my head? Look then when the messenger shall come, shut the door, and
suffer him not to come in: for behold the sound of his master's feet is
behind him.

6:33. While he was yet speaking to them, the messenger appeared, who was
coming to him. And he said: Behold, so great an evil is from the Lord:
what shall I look for more from the Lord?

4 Kings Chapter 7

Eliseus prophesieth a great plenty, which presently ensueth upon the
sudden flight of the Syrians; of which four lepers bring the news to the
city. The incredulous nobleman is trod to death.

7:1. And Eliseus said: Hear ye the word of the Lord: Thus saith the
Lord: Tomorrow, about this time, a bushel of fine flour shall be sold
for a stater, and two bushels of barley for a stater, in the gate of
Samaria.

A stater... It is the same as a sicle or shekel.

7:2. Then one of the lords, upon whose hand the king leaned, answering
the man of God, said: If the Lord should make flood-gates in heaven, can
that possibly be which thou sayest? And he said: Thou shalt see it with
thy eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

7:3. Now there were four lepers, at the entering in of the gate: and
they said one to another: What mean we to stay here till we die?

7:4. If we will enter into the city, we shall die with the famine: and
if we will remain here, we must also die: come therefore, and let us run
over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare us, we shall live: but if
they kill us, we shall but die.

7:5. So they arose in the evening, to go to the Syrian camp. And when
they were come to the first part of the camp of the Syrians, they found
no man there.

7:6. For the Lord had made them hear, in the camp of Syria, the noise of
chariots, and of horses, and of a very great army: and they said one to
another: Behold, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of
the Hethites, and of the Egyptians; and they are come upon us.

7:7. Wherefore they arose, and fled away in the dark, and left their
tents, and their horses and asses in the camp, and fled, desiring to
save their lives.

7:8. So when these lepers were come to the beginning of the camp, they
went into one tent, and ate and drank: and they took from thence silver,
and gold, and raiment, and went, and hid it: and they came again, and
went into another tent, and carried from thence in like manner, and hid
it.

7:9. Then they said one to another: We do not well: for this is a day of
good tidings. If we hold our peace, and do not tell it till the morning,
we shall be charged with a crime: come, let us go, and tell it in the
king's court.

7:10. So they came to the gate of the city, and told them, saying: We
went to the camp of the Syrians, and we found no man there, but horses,
and asses tied, and the tents standing.

7:11. Then the guards of the gate went, and told it within in the king's
palace.

7:12. And he arose in the night, and said to his servants: I tell you
what the Syrians have done to us: They know that we suffer great famine,
and therefore they are gone out of the camp, and lie hid in the fields,
saying: When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and
then we may get into the city.

7:13. And one of his servants answered: Let us take the five horses that
are remaining in the city (because there are no more in the whole
multitude of Israel, for the rest are consumed), and let us send and
see.

7:14. They brought therefore two horses, and the king sent into the camp
of the Syrians, saying: Go, and see.

7:15. And they went after them, as far as the Jordan: and behold, all
the way was full of garments, and vessels, which the Syrians had cast
away, in their fright, and the messengers returned, and told the king.

7:16. And the people going out, pillaged the camp of the Syrians: and a
bushel of fine flour was sold for a stater, and two bushels of barley
for a stater, according to the word of the Lord.

7:17. And the king appointed that lord on whose hand he leaned, to stand
at the gate: and the people trod upon him in the entrance of the gate;
and he died, as the man of God had said, when the king came down to him.

7:18. And it came to pass, according to the word of the man of God,
which he spoke to the king, when he said: Two bushels of barley shall be
for a stater, and a bushel of fine flour for a stater, at this very time
tomorrow, in the gate of Samaria.

7:19. When that lord answered the man of God, and said: Although the
Lord should make flood-gates in heaven, could this come to pass which
thou sayest? And he said to him: Thou shalt see it with thy eyes, and
shalt not eat thereof.

7:20. And so it fell out to him, as it was foretold, and the people trod
upon him in the gate, and he died.

4 Kings Chapter 8

After seven years' famine foretold by Eliseus, the Sunamitess returning
home, recovereth her lands, and revenues. Eliseus foresheweth the death
of Benadad, king of Syria, and the reign of Hazael. Joram's wicked reign
in Juda. He dieth, and his son Ochozias succeedeth.

8:1. And Eliseus spoke to the woman, whose son he had restored to life,
saying: Arise, and go thou, and thy household, and sojourn wheresoever
thou canst find: for the Lord hath called a famine, and it shall come
upon the land seven years.

8:2. And she arose, and did according to the word of the man of God: and
going with her household, she sojourned in the land of the Philistines
many days.

8:3. And when the seven years were ended, the woman returned out of the
land of the Philistines, and she went forth to speak to the king for her
house and for her lands.

8:4. And the king talked with Giezi, the servant of the man of God,
saying: Tell me all the great things that Eliseus hath done.

8:5. And when he was telling the king how he had raised one dead to
life, the woman appeared, whose son he had restored to life, crying to
the king for her house, and her lands. And Giezi said: My lord, O king,
this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Eliseus raised to life.

8:6. And the king asked the woman: and she told him. And the king
appointed her an eunuch, saying: Restore her all that is hers, and all
the revenues of the lands, from the day that she left the land to this
present.

8:7. Eliseus also came to Damascus, and Benadad, king of Syria was sick;
and they told him, saying: The man of God is come hither.

8:8. And the king said to Hazael: Take with thee presents, and go to
meet the man of God, and consult the Lord by him, saying: Can I recover
of this my illness?

8:9. And Hazael went to meet him, taking with him presents, and all the
good things of Damascus, the burdens of forty camels. And when he stood
before him, he said: Thy son, Benadad, the king of Syria, hath sent me
to thee, saying: Can I recover of this my illness?

8:10. And Eliseus said to him: Go tell him: Thou shalt recover: but the
Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

Tell him: thou shalt recover... By these words the prophet signified
that the king's disease was not mortal: and that he would recover if no
violence were used. Or he might only express himself in this manner, by
way of giving Hazael to understand that he knew both what he would say
and do; that he would indeed tell the king he should recover; but would
be himself the instrument of his death.

8:11. And he stood with him, and was troubled so far as to blush: and
the man of God wept.

8:12. And Hazael said to him: Why doth my lord weep? And he said:
Because I know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel.
Their strong cities thou wilt burn with fire, and their young men thou
wilt kill with the sword, and thou wilt dash their children, and rip up
their pregnant women.

8:13. And Hazael said: But what am I, thy servant, a dog, that I should
do this great thing? And Eliseus said: The Lord hath shewed me that thou
shalt be king of Syria.

8:14. And when he was departed from Eliseus he came to his master, who
said to him: What said Eliseus to thee? And he answered: He told me:
Thou shalt recover.

8:15. And on the next day, he took a blanket, and poured water on it,
and spread it upon his face: and he died, and Hazael reigned in his
stead.

8:16. In the fifth year of Joram, son of Achab, king of Israel, and of
Josaphat, king of Juda, reigned Joram, son of Josaphat, king of Juda.

And of Josaphat, etc... That is, Josaphat being yet alive, who sometime
before his death made his son Joram king, as David had done before by
his own son Solomon.

8:17. He was two and thirty years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

8:18. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of
Achab had walked: for the daughter of Achab was his wife: and he did
that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

8:19. But the Lord would not destroy Juda, for David his servant's sake,
as he had promised him, to give him a light, and to his children always.

8:20. In his days Edom revolted from being under Juda, and made
themselves a king.

8:21. And Joram came to Seira, and all the chariots with him: and he
arose in the night, and defeated the Edomites that had surrounded him,
and the captains of the chariots, but the people fled into their tents.

8.22. So Edom revolted from being under Juda, unto this day. Then Lobna
also revolted at the same time.

8:23. But the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they
not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?

8:24. And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the
city of David, and Ochozias, his son, reigned in his stead.

8:25. In the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Achab, king of Israel,
reigned Ochozias, son of Joram, king of Juda.

8:26. Ochozias was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned one year in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Athalia the
daughter of Amri king of Israel.

Daughter... That is, grand-daughter; for she was daughter of Achab son
of Amri, ver. 18.

8:27. And he walked in the ways of the house of Achab: and he did evil
before the Lord, as did the house of Achab: for he was the son in law of
the house of Achab.

8:28. He went also with Joram, son of Achab, to fight against Hazael,
king of Syria, in Ramoth Galaad, and the Syrians wounded Joram:

8:29. And he went back to be healed, in Jezrahel: because the Syrians
had wounded him in Ramoth, when he fought against Hazael, king of Syria
And Ochozias, the son of Joram, king of Juda, went down to visit Joram,
the son of Achab, in Jezrahel, because he was sick there.

4 Kings Chapter 9

Jehu is anointed king of Israel, to destroy the house of Achab and
Jezebel. He killeth Joram king of Israel, and Ochozias king of Juda.
Jezebel is eaten by dogs.

9:1. And Eliseus the prophet, called one of the sons of the prophets,
and said to him: Gird up thy loins, and take this little bottle of oil
in thy hand, and go to Ramoth Galaad.

9:2. And when thou art come thither, thou shalt see Jehu the son of
Josaphat the son of Namsi: and going in, thou shalt make him rise up
from amongst his brethren, and carry him into an inner chamber.

9:3. Then taking the little bottle of oil, thou shalt pour it on his
head, and shalt say: Thus saith the Lord: I have anointed thee king over
Israel. And thou shalt open the door and flee, and shalt not stay there.

9:4. So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went away to Ramoth
Galaad,

9:5. And went in thither: and behold, the captains of the army were
sitting, and he said: I have a word to thee, O prince. And Jehu said:
Unto whom of us all? And he said: To thee, O prince.

9:6. And he arose, and went into the chamber: and he poured the oil upon
his head, and said: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: I have anointed
thee king over Israel, the people of the Lord.

9:7. And thou shalt cut off the house of Achab, thy master, and I will
revenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the
servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezabel.

9:8. And I will destroy all the house of Achab, and I will cut off from
Achab, him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up, and
the meanest in Israel.

9:9. And I will make the house of Achab, like the house of Jeroboam, the
son of Nabat, and like the house of Baasa, the son of Ahias.

9:10. And the dogs shall eat Jezabel, in the field of Jezrahel, and
there shall be no one to bury her. And he opened the door and fled.

9:11. Then Jehu went forth to the servants of his Lord: and they said to
him: Are all things well? why came this madman to thee? And he said to
them: You know the man, and what he said.

9:12. But they answered: It is false; but rather do thou tell us. And he
said to them: Thus and thus did he speak to me: and he said: Thus saith
the Lord: I have anointed thee king over Israel.

9:13. Then they made haste, and taking every man his garment, laid it
under his feet, after the manner of a judgment seat, and they sounded
the trumpet, and said: Jehu is king.

9:14. So Jehu, the son of Josaphat, the son of Namsi, conspired against
Joram. Now Joram had besieged Ramoth Galaad, he, and all Israel,
fighting with Hazael, king of Syria:

9:15. And was returned to be healed in Jezrahel of his wounds; for the
Syrians had wounded him, when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria. And
Jehu said: If it please you, let no man go forth or flee out of the
city, lest he go, and tell in Jezrahel.

9:16. And he got up, and went into Jezrahel for Joram was sick there,
and Ochozias king of Juda, was come down to visit Joram.

9:17. The watchman therefore, that stood upon the tower of Jezrahel, saw
the troop of Jehu coming, and said: I see a troop. And Joram said: Take
a chariot, and send to meet them, and let him that goeth say: Is all
well?

9:18. So there went one in a chariot to meet him, and said: Thus saith
the king: Are all things peaceable? And Jehu said: What hast thou to do
with peace? go behind and follow me. And the watchman told, saying: The
messenger came to them, but he returneth not.

9:19. And he sent a second chariot of horses: and he came to them, and
said: Thus saith the king: Is there peace? And Jehu said: What hast thou
to do with peace? pass, and follow me.

9:20. And the watchman told, saying: He came even to them, but returneth
not: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Namsi; for
he drives furiously.

9:21. And Joram said: Make ready the chariot. And they made ready his
chariot: and Joram, king of Israel, and Ochozias, king of Juda, went
out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him in
the field of Naboth, the Jezrahelite.

9:22. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said: Is there peace, Jehu? And he
answered: What peace? so long as the fornications of Jezabel, thy
mother, and her many sorceries, are in their vigour.

9:23. And Joram turned his hand, and fleeing, said to Ochozias: There is
treachery, Ochozias.

9:24. But Jehu bent his bow with his hand, and shot Joram between the
shoulders: and the arrow went out through his heart, and immediately he
fell in his chariot.

9:25. And Jehu said to Badacer, his captain: Take him, and cast him into
the field of Naboth, the Jezrahelite: for I remember, when I and thou,
sitting in a chariot, followed Achab, this man's father, that the Lord
laid this burden upon him, saying:

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