Aram, the King of Syria, was at war with Israel. Aram sent raiders into the land to kill the King of Israel, only his plans never succeeded. Each time he sent a raid out, the King would be warned and would escape. Elisha, a prophet, would hear from the Lord and warn the King where the raids would be. Aram was outraged and assumed that there was a leak in his camp. He questioned his men and asked them who the spy was. His men informed him that it was not one of them, but that it was Elisha that was warning the King. That he knew of even the talks Aram had in his bedroom.

Aram was angered and sent men to find out where Elisha was so that he could have him killed. He found out that Elisha and his servant were staying in the city of Dothan. Aram sent an army with chariots, horses and many men to surround Dothan by night so that they would catch Elisha by surprise.

In the morning, Elisha’s servant woke up and went outside. He immediately saw the men surrounding them on all sides. Afraid, he ran to tell Elisha. Elisha was able to see something, though, that his servant could not. He told his servant to not be afraid, that there were more for them than against them. His servant still did not understand, as he could visibly see an enemy army surrounding them. Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant so that he could see. Immediately, the servant’s eyes were opened and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. God’s angel army was ready for battle.

When the Syrian army came down to attack, Elisha prayed to God that they would be struck with blindness. God answered Elisha’s prayer and the men could no longer see. They did not know that it was Elisha speaking to them. He told them that the man they were looking for was not in that city, but that he would lead them to where they could find him. The army had no choice but to follow. Elisha led the army to Samaria, where the Israelites were. When they arrived, Elisha prayed to God that the Syrian’s eyes would be opened. They saw at once that they were surrounded by the Israelite army and were trapped. The King of Israel asked Elisha if he should kill the Syrian raiders so that they would stop their attempts on his life. Elisha told the King that he should not kill them, but that he should feed them and let them go back to their master. The King of Israel had a feast set before the men and when they had finished eating and drinking they went back to their master and never returned to the land of Israel.