5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly his iron axe head fell in the water. “What shall I do, sir?” he exclaimed to Elisha. “It was a borrowed axe!”
6 “Where did it fall?” Elisha asked.The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the axe head float.
7 “Take it out,” he ordered, and the man bent down and picked it up.
8 The king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his officers and chose a place to set up his camp.
9 But Elisha sent word to the king of Israel, warning him not to go near that place, because the Syrians were waiting in ambush there.
10 So the king of Israel warned the people who lived in that place, and they were on guard. This happened several times.
11 The Syrian king became greatly upset over this; he called in his officers and asked them, “Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel?”