20. When they arrived at Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes, and the Aramean army saw they were in the city of Samaria!
21. The king of Israel saw the Aramean army and said to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”
22. Elisha answered, “No, don’t kill them. They are not soldiers you captured in battle. Give them some bread and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go home to their leader.”
23. So the king prepared a big meal for the Aramean army. After they ate and drank, he sent them back home to their leader. The Arameans did not send any more soldiers into the land of Israel to make raids.
24. After this happened, King Ben-Hadad of Aram gathered all his army and went to surround and attack the city of Samaria.
25. The soldiers would not let people bring food into the city, so there was a time of terrible hunger in Samaria. It was so bad in Samaria that a donkey’s head was sold for 80 pieces of silver and one pint of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver.
26. The king of Israel was walking on the wall around the city. A woman shouted out to him. She said, “My lord and king, please help me!”
27. The king of Israel said, “If the Lord does not help you, how can I help you? I cannot give you grain from the threshing floor or wine from the winepress.”
28. Then he said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’
29. So we boiled my son and ate him. Then the next day, I said to this woman, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him.’ But she has hidden her son!”