there was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it.

就是有一小城，其中的人数稀少，有大君王来攻击，修筑营垒，将城围困。

就是有一人口稀少的小城，遇大君王前来攻击，修筑营垒，将城围困。

就是有一人口稀少的小城，遇大君王前来攻击，修筑营垒，将城围困。

有一个势力强大的君王来攻击一个人口不多的小城，他建造营垒围困这城。

有一座小城，人数不多；有一个大君王来进攻，把它包围，建造巨大的高垒攻城。

有一座小城，城中的人很少；一个大君王来到，把它包围，并建造巨大的高垒来攻城。

就是有一小城，其中的人數稀少，有大君王來攻擊，修築營壘，將城圍困。

就是有一人口稀少的小城，遇大君王前來攻擊，修築營壘，將城圍困。

就是有一人口稀少的小城，遇大君王前來攻擊，修築營壘，將城圍困。

有一個勢力強大的君王來攻擊一個人口不多的小城，他建造營壘圍困這城。

有一座小城，人數不多；有一個大君王來進攻，把它包圍，建造巨大的高壘攻城。

有一個小城，裏邊的人稀少；有一個大王來攻擊它，圍繞它，修築大高壘來攻打它。

有一座小城，城中的人很少；一個大君王來到，把它包圍，並建造巨大的高壘來攻城。

有一小邑、其人鮮少、有一大王至而圍之、築高壘以攻之、

設也城邑褊小、人民鮮少、大國之君圍之、築高壘以環攻、

即如有一小邑、其中人民稀少、大力之王來攻、築高壘以圍之、

There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it.

There was once a small city. Only a few people lived there. A powerful king attacked it. He brought in war machines all around it.

There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it.

There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it.

There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it.

There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it.

[ There was] a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

Now it came about after this, that Ben hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.So there was a severe famine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying,“ Help, my lord the king!”But he said,“ If the Lord does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?”Then the king said to her,“ What is on your mind?” And she said,“ This woman said to me,‘ Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day,‘ Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes— and he was passing by on the wall— and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body.Then he said,“ May God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.”Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders,“ Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?”While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said,“ Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”Then Elisha said,“ Listen to the word of the Lord; this is what the Lord says:‘ About this time tomorrow a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning responded to the man of God and said,“ Even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” Then he said,“ Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another,“ Why are we sitting here until we die?If we say,‘ We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; but if we sit here, we will also die. Now then come, and let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, then we will die.”So they got up at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there.For the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, that is, the sound of a great army; and they said to one another,“ Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians against us, to attack us!”So they got up and fled at twilight, and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys— indeed the camp itself, just as it was; and they fled for their lives.When these men with leprosy came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver, gold, and clothes, and they went and hid them; then they returned and entered another tent, and carried valuables from there also, and went and hid them.Then they said to one another,“ We are not doing the right thing. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent about it; if we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now then come, let’s go and inform the king’s household.”So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying,“ We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor a human voice; only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.”And the gatekeepers called and announced it inside the king’s house.Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants,“ I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying,‘ When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’ ”One of his servants responded and said,“ Please, have some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send them and see.”Therefore they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying,“ Go and see.”They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away when they fled in a hurry. Then the messengers returned and informed the king.So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in accordance with the word of the Lord.Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to be in charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying,“ Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold about this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.”At that time the royal officer had responded to the man of God and said,“ Now even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could such a thing as this happen?” And he had said,“ Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”And this is what happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.

And they came and besieged him in Abel Beth maacah, and they built up an assault ramp against the city, and it stood against the outer rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction in order to topple the wall.Then a wise woman called out from the city,“ Listen, listen! Please tell Joab,‘ Come here that I may speak with you.’ ”So he approached her, and the woman said,“ Are you Joab?” And he answered,“ I am.” Then she said to him,“ Listen to the words of your slave.” And he said,“ I am listening.”Then she spoke, saying,“ In the past they used to say,‘ They will undoubtedly ask advice at Abel,’ and that is how they ended a dispute.I am one of those who are ready for peace and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city, even a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?”Joab replied,“ Far be it, far be it from me that I would consume or destroy!Such is not the case. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against King David. Only turn him over, and I will depart from the city.” And the woman said to Joab,“ Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”Then the woman wisely came to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, each to his tent. Joab also returned to the king at Jerusalem.