22. And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them; would thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and return to their master.
23. And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
24. And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad, king of Syria, gathered all his host and went up and besieged Samaria.
25. And there was a great famine in Samaria as they besieged it until an ass’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
26. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, a woman cried unto him, saying, Save me, my lord, O king.
27. And he said, If the Lord does not save thee, from where shall I save thee? Out of the threshingfloor, or out of the winepress?
28. And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
29. So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son that we may eat him. But she has hid her son.
30. And when the king heard the words of the woman, he rent his clothes; and he passed by like this upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, shall remain upon him today.