spared
neither king nor commoner. "To be a leper was to be treated as dead--to
be excluded from the city as a corpse: to be spoken to by the best
beloved and most loving only at a distance: to dwell with none but
lepers; to be utterly unprivileged: to be denied the rites of the
temple and the synagogue: to go about with rent garments and covered
mouth, except when crying 'Unclean! unclean!' to find home in the
wilderness or in abandoned tombs; afraid to die, yet without hope
except in death."--_Gen. Lew Wallace in "Ben Hur"_
[End illustration]

{151}

And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him
and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. And
the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he
called his servants, and said to them, "Will ye not show me which of us
is for the king of Israel?"

And one of his servants said, "Nay, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the
prophet who is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou
speakest in thy bedchamber."

And he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him."

And it was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." Therefore sent
he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by
night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of
God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host with horses and
chariots was round about the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas,
my master! what shall we do?"

And he answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they
that be with them."

And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he
may see."

And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said,
"Smite {152} this people, I pray thee, with blindness." And he smote
them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, neither is this the city:
follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek." And he led
them to Samaria.

And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said,
"Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see."

And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in
the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said to Elisha,