gem, or by sudden and secret incursions, and resolved to make war openly with his whole. force, and crush his enemy by the overpowering number of his troops. Accordingly, he entered the kingdom of Israel with so formidable a host, that Jehoram, not daring to encounter him in the field, shut himself up in the city of Samaria, whither Benhadad immediately followed, and besieged him. The art of attacking fortified towns was then but little understood: the usual method was to encamp round the walls, and by preventing any supplies of food from entering the city, reduce the place by famine. It was thus that the king of Syria laid siege to Samaria; and soon there prevailed so great a scarcity, that the most loathsome food was eaten by the wretched inhabitants, and meats forbidden by the law were bought at a higher price than the richest luxuries at another time: an ass's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, although the ass was an animal unclean by law; but the famine was so dreadful that every feeling was absorbed in the single one of intense, ravenous hunger. The king of Israel was afraid the people would revolt, and betray the city to the enemy, rather than endure the famine; and he went himself daily round the walls, to watch for and prevent treachery. One day as he was passing along, a woman cried, "Help, my lord, O king." At first, Jehoram was irritated, concluding she was going to ask him for food, and replied with bitter mockery, "If the LORD do

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not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barn floor? or out of the wine-press?" But the woman did not seek food of the king, but related a tale of horror, which filled with despair even the hardened heart of Jehoram. She complained, that she had made a compact with another famished woman, that they should kill and eat each her child-that the woman said, "Give thy son that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow." "So we boiled my son, and did eat him; and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him and she hath hid her son:" this was her dreadful tale. The king was struck with horror; but instead of humbling himself before God, and recognising, as he could scarcely fail to do, the fulfilment of the punishment threatened by Moses, in case of the nation becoming idolatrous, that "in the straitness of their sieges, they should eat their own children for food;"-instead of seeing the hand of God in such unparalleled sufferings, the angry king denounced the prophet Elisha as the cause :-he tore his clothes, and cried out, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, shall stand upon him this day:" and he sent a man instantly to execute the wicked command. But he had scarcely quitted the angry king, when, according to Josephus, he repented his intended crime, and followed to prevent it. Meanwhile, Elisha was seated in his house surrounded by the elders before the messenger arrived, he in

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formed them of the king's order to slay him, and desired them to arrest the man at the door, and wait for the king's coming. When the king arrived, the prophet thus addressed him. "Thus saith the LORD, To-morrow about this time, shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria." The king heard the prophet's prediction in respectful silence, but such incredible plenty in so short a time, and in a city surrounded by the enemy, appeared impossible to one of his unbelieving lords, on whose hand he leant, and he answered scoffingly, "if the LORD would make windows in heaven might this thing be." Then said the prophet, "Behold thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof."

During the ensuing night, it happened that four lepers who were outside the gates, and whose wants were neglected to be supplied in a time of such sore distress, became so reckless of their lives by reason of the famine, that they resolved to leave the protection of the walls, and give themselves up to the enemy; for, said they, "why sit we here until we die. If we say, we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here we shall die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall into the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die." Thus resolved, they rose up in

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the twilight, and went towards the camp of the Syrians: but what was their astonishment to find it entirely deserted: the tents with their rich furniture were open, the horses and asses tied as usual for the night; arms and valuables scattered on the ground, but not a man was to be found; everything bore the appearance of the army having taken to sudden flight: and such was the case. A report that the king of Egypt was marching against them with a great host had so terrified the Syrians, that they had fled panic-struck, leaving their camp a prey to the Israelites. The lepers satisfied their hunger, and carried off some of the spoil, and then went to the city, and told what they had seen: but their report was scarcely believed; the king suspected it might only be a snare to draw him from the city, therefore he dispatched two men mounted on horseback, (for five chariot horses yet remained,) to go and see if it were really so; these went and followed the retreating host as far as the Jordan, and lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. When the messengers returned with this confirmation of the lepers' account, the people rushed out of the city, eager to taste food, and share the spoil of their enemy; and such plenty was found in the camp, that a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, as the prophet foretold. But the unbelieving lord who mocked at the prediction, saw it, but tasted

it not. Being appointed by the king to have charge of the gate, the people in crowding through, trode upon him, and he died.

Thus was the word of Moses fulfilled; by "famine, pestilence, and the sword," were the people punished for leaving the worship of Jehovah, while the divine authority of his prophets was repeatedly and strikingly shown to both king and people. But they hardened their hearts, and "chose darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

B. C.

II. Kings viii-x.

"AND Elisha came to Damascus and 885. Benhadad the king of Syria was sick, and it was told him saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?"

When Hazael bore his master's message to Elisha, the prophet was greatly moved; for he knew that the man then before him was ap