The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.”

They replied, ¹  “He was a hairy man ²  and had a leather belt ³  tied around his waist.” The king ⁴  said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, ¹  who were standing at a distance, ²  saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah ³  rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our ¹  master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” ² 

The Moabites ¹  said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! ²  They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!”

The stew was poured out ¹  for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it.

Some of the prophets ¹  said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you ²  is too cramped ³  for us.

Now four men with a skin disease ¹  were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? ² 

But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, ¹  “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’”

Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s ¹  feet on the steps. ²  The trumpet was blown ³  and they shouted, “Jehu is ⁴  king!”

They were absolutely terrified ¹  and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! ²  How can we?” ³ 

Jehoiada ¹  led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ²  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ³  They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).

May the Lord God of Israel be praised, in the future and forevermore. ¹  Then all the people said, “We agree! ²  Praise the Lord!”

Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ¹  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ²  They declared, “Long live the king!”

They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable ¹  adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” ² 

Our adversaries also boasted, ¹  “Before they are aware or anticipate ²  anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!”

So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly ¹  about all the schemes ²  they were plotting ³  against us.

They replied, “We will return these things, ¹  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ²  swear to do what had been promised. ³ 

even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious ¹  blasphemies.