3. One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.”
4. So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees.
5. As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!”
6. The prophet asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float.
7. He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.
8. Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, “Invade at such and such a place.”
9. But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, “Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.”
10. So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions.
11. This made the king of Syria upset. So he summoned his advisers and said to them, “One of us must be helping the king of Israel.”
12. One of his advisers said, “No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom.”
13. The king ordered, “Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him.” The king was told, “He is in Dothan.”
14. So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. They arrived during the night and surrounded the city.
15. The prophet’s attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, “Oh no, my master! What will we do?”
16. He replied, “Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.”
17. Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18. As they approached him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” The Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha requested.
19. Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria.
20. When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.