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.

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 small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks 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 a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria.Samaria’s food supply ran out. They laid siege to it so long that a donkey’s head was selling for eighty shekels of silver and a quarter of a kab of dove’s droppings for five shekels of silver.While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him,“ Help us, my master, O king!”He replied,“ No, let the LORD help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty.”Then the king asked her,“ What’s your problem?” She answered,“ This woman said to me,‘ Hand over your son; we’ll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.’So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day,‘ Hand over your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!”When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.Then he said,“ May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!”Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. The king sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders,“ Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?” Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.”He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said,“ Look, the LORD is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the LORD to help?”Elisha replied,“ Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says,‘ About this time tomorrow a seah of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’”An officer who was the king’s right-hand man responded to the prophet,“ Look, even if the LORD made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” Elisha said,“ Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another,“ Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, we’ll live; if they kill us– well, we were going to die anyway.”So they started toward the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there.The LORD had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another,“ Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!”So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it and went and hid what they had taken.Then they said to one another,“ It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. If we wait until dawn, we’ll be punished. So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.”So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them,“ We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.”The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.The king got up in the night and said to his advisers,“ I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking,‘ When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’”One of his advisers replied,“ Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city.( Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people– we’re all going to die!) Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.”So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. He ordered them,“ Go and find out what’s going on.”So they tracked them as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The scouts went back and told the king.Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the LORD had said they would.Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him.The prophet told the king,“ Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.”But the officer replied to the prophet,“ Look, even if the LORD made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” Elisha said,“ Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.

So Joab’s men came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through the wall so that it would collapse,a wise woman called out from the city,“ Listen up! Listen up! Tell Joab,‘ Come near so that I may speak to you.’”When he approached her, the woman asked,“ Are you Joab?” He replied,“ I am.” She said to him,“ Listen to the words of your servant.” He said,“ Go ahead. I’m listening.”She said,“ In the past they would always say,‘ Let them inquire in Abel,’ and that is how they settled things.I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to destroy an important city in Israel. Why should you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”Joab answered,“ Get serious! I don’t want to swallow up or destroy anything!That’s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Sheba son of Bicri. He has rebelled against King David. Give me just this one man, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Joab,“ This very minute his head will be thrown over the wall to you!”Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. Joab blew the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each going to his own home. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.