THE STORY OF NAAMAN 50 The little maid--The leper--Letter of Benhadad to Jehoram--His indignation--Elisha's message--Naaman's disappointment and anger--His servants--His healing--His gratitude--Bowing in the house of Rimmon--Mean cupidity of Gehazi--Stricken with leprosy--The axe-head. CHAPTER VII ELISHA AND THE SYRIANS 66 Syrian marauders--They are baffled--Anger of Benhadad--The vision at Dothan--Meaning of the promises--How fulfilled to God's saints on earth--Some are delivered, some are not--Elisha misleads the Syrians--His generosity to them--Its effects--A fresh Syrian invasion. CHAPTER VIII THE FAMINE AND THE SIEGE 76 Horrible straits of the besieged Samaritans--Stress of famine--The King of Israel--The miserable women--Sackcloth under the purple--The king's fury and despair--He threatens Elisha--The messenger--The king upbraids him--Prophecy of sudden plenty--The disbelieving lord--The extramural lepers--The Syrian camp--The king's misgivings--The lord killed in the rush of the people. CHAPTER IX THE SHUNAMMITE AND HAZAEL 87 The lady of Shunem leaves her estate--Her return--Gehazi talks with the king--Entrance of the Shunammite--Her estates restored--Elisha visits Damascus--A royal present--Benhadad's illness--Hazael--The dark prophecy--Unexplained death of Benhadad--Hazael's usurpation--Real meaning of Elisha's words to Hazael. CHAPTER X TWO SONS OF JEHOSHAPHAT 99 Jehoram (B.C. 851-843)--Ahaziah (B.C. 843-842)--Jehoram ben-Jehoshaphat of Judah--Perplexing uncertainty of minute chronological details--The blight of the Jezebel-alliance--The husband of Athaliah--His apostasies--Revolt of Edom--Narrow escape of Jehoram--Revolt of Libnah--Jehoram's murder by his brethren--Philistine invasion--Incurable disease--Ahaziah ben-Jehoram--Joins his uncle (Jehoram ben-Ahab) in the campaign against Ramoth-Gilead--Visits him at Jezreel--Shot down by Jehu. CHAPTER XI THE REVOLT OF JEHU (B.C. 842) 106