2 Kings 4

1 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant was one that feared God, and behold the creditor is come to take away my two sons to serve him.

2 “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

And Eliseus said to her: What wilt thou have me to do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she answered: I thy handmaid have nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me.

3 “Go,” said Elisha, “borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few.

And he said to her: Go, borrow of all thy neighbours empty vessels not a few.

4 Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside.”

And go in, and shut thy door, when thou art within, and thy sons: and pour out thereof into all those vessels: and when they are full take them away.

5 So she left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring.

So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she poured in.

6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another.” But he replied, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

And when the vessels were full, she said to her son: Bring me yet a vessel. And he answered: I have no more. And the oil stood.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”

And she came, and told the man of God. And he said: Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor: and thou and thy sons live of the rest.

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

And there was a day when Eliseus passed by Sunam: now there was a great woman there, who detained him to eat bread; and as he passed often that way, he turned into her house to eat bread.

9 Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God.

And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us.

10 Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

Let us therefore make him a little chamber, and put a little bed in it for him, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick, that when he cometh to us, he may abide there.

11 One day Elisha came to visit and went to his upper room to lie down.

Now there was a certain day when he came and turned in to the chamber, and rested there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, she stood before him,

And he said to Giezi his servant Call this Sunamitess. And when he had called her, and she stood before him,

13 and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she replied.

He said to his servant: Say to her Behold thou hast diligently served us in all things, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? hast thou any business, and wilt thou that I speak to the king, or to the general of the army? And she answered: I dwell in the midst of my own people.

14 So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”

And he said: What will she then that I do for her? And Giezi said: Do not ask, for she hath no son, and her husband is old.

15 “Call her,” said Elisha. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.

Then he bid him call her: And when she was called, and stood before the door.

16 And Elisha declared, “At this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord,” she said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”

He said to her: At this time, and this same hour, if life accompany, thou shalt have a son in thy womb. But she answered: Do not, I beseech thee, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

17 But the woman did conceive, and at that time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

And the woman conceived, and brought forth a son in the time, and at the same hour, that Eliseus had said.

18 And the child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the harvesters.

And the child grew. And on a certain day, when he went out to his father to the reapers,

19 “My head! My head!” he complained to his father. So his father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

He said to his father: My head acheth, my head acheth. But he said to his servant: Take him, and carry him to his mother.

20 After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.

And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, she set him on her knees until noon, and then he died.

21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door and went out.

And she went up and laid him upon the bed of the man of God, and shut the door: and going out,

22 And the woman called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.”

She called her husband, and said: Send with me, I beseech thee, one of thy servants, and an ass that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23 “Why would you go to him today?” he replied. “It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” “Everything is all right,” she said.

And he said to her: Why dost thou go to him? today is neither new moon nor sabbath. She answered: I will go.

24 Then she saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”

And she saddled an ass, and commanded her servant: Drive, and make haste, make no stay in going. And do that which I bid thee.

25 So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman.

So she went forward, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel: and when the mall of God saw her coming towards, he said to Giezi his servant: Behold that Sunamitess.

26 Please run out now to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’” And she answered, “Everything is all right.”

Go therefore to meet her, and say to her: Is all well with thee, and with thy husband, and with thy son? and she answered: Well.

27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

And when she came to the man of God to the mount, she caught hold on his feet: and Giezi came to remove her. And the man of God said: Let her alone for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’”

And she said to him: Did I ask a son of my lord? did I not say to thee: Do not deceive me?

29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

Then he said to Giezi: Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go. If any man meet thee, salute him not: and if any man salute thee, answer him not: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

30 And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

But the mother of the child said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He arose, therefore, and followed her.

31 Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense: and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen.

32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.

Eliseus therefore went into the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed.

33 So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.

And going in he shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord.

34 Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm.

And he went up, and lay upon the child: and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he bowed himself upon him, and the child’s flesh grew warm.

35 Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Then he returned and walked in the house, once to and fro: and he went up, and lay upon him: and the child gaped seven times, and opened his eyes.

36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”

And he called Giezi, and said to him: Call this Sunamitess. And she being called, went in to him: and he said: Take up thy son.

37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground: and took up her son, and went out.

38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”

And Eliseus returned to Galgal, and there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets dwelt before him. And he said to one of his servants: Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.

And one went out into the field to gather wild herbs: and he found something like a wild vine, and gathered of it wild gourds of the field, and filled his mantle, and coming back he shred them into the pot of pottage, for he knew not what it was.

40 And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it.

And they poured it out for their companions to eat: and when they had tasted of the pottage, they cried out, saying: Death is in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat thereof.

41 Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

But he said: Bring some meal. And when they had brought it, he cast it into the pot, and said: Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was now no bitterness in the pot.

42 Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

And a certain man came from Baalsalisa bringing to the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty leaves of barley, and new corn in his scrip. And he said: Give to the people, that they may eat.

43 But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”

And his servant answered him: How much is this, that I should set it before a hundred men? He said again: Give to the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord: They shall eat, and there shall be left.

44 So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left according to the word of the Lord.