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!”

And one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisaie, saying, Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his servants.

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 Elisaie said, What shall I do for you? tell me what you have in the house. And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house, except oil wherewith I anoint myself.

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 for yourself vessels without of all your neighbors, [even] empty vessels; borrow 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 you shall go in and shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and you shall pour forth into these vessels, and remove that which is filled.

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.

And she departed from him, and shut the door upon herself and upon her sons: they brought the vessels near to her, and she poured in until the vessels were filled.

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 she said to her sons, Bring me yet a vessel. And they said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

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 Elisaie said, Go, and sell the oil, and you shall pay your debts, and you and your sons shall live of the remaining oil.

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 a day came, when Elisaie passed over to Soman, and [there was] a great lady there, and she constrained him to eat bread: and it came to pass as often as he went into [the city, that] he turned aside to eat there.

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 the woman said to her husband, See now, I know that this [is] a holy man of God who comes over continually to 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 now make for him an upper chamber, a small place; and let us put there for him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall come to pass that when he comes in to us, he shall turn in there.

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

And a day came, and he went in there, and turned aside into the upper chamber, and lay 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 me this Somanite. and he 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.

And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have taken all this trouble for us; what should I do for you? Hast you any request [to make] to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell in the midst of my 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 to Giezi, What must we do for her? and Giezi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband [is] old.

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

And he called her, and she stood by 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.”

And Elisaie said to her, At this time [next year], as the season [is], you [shall be] alive, and embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, do not lie to your servant.

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 bore a son at the very time, as the season was, being alive, as Elisaie said to her.

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

And the child grew: and it came to pass 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.”

that he said to his father, My head, my head. and [his father] said to a servant, 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 he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon, and 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 carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of god; and she shut the door upon him, and went 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.”

And she called her husband, and said, Send now for me one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I will ride quickly to the man of God, and return.

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, Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon, nor the Sabbath. And she said, [It is] well.

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 the ass, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell you. Go, and you shall proceed, and come to the man of God to mount Carmel.

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.

And she rode and came to the man of God to the mountain: and it came to pass when Elisaie saw her coming, that he said to Giezi his servant, See now, that Somanite comes.

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.”

Now run to meet her, and you shall say, [Is it] well with you? [is it] well with your husband? [is it] well with the child? and she said, [It is] 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 she came to Elisaie to the mountain, and laid hold of his feet; and Giezi drew near to thrust her away. And Elisaie said, Let her alone, for her soul [is] much grieved in her, and the Lord has hidden [it] from me, and has not told [it] 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, Did I ask a son of my lord? For did I not say, Do not deal deceitfully with 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.”

And Elisaie said to Giezi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go: if you meet any man, you shall not salute him, and if a man salute you you shall not answer him: and you shall lay my staff on the child's face.

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.

And the mother of the child said, [As] the Lord lives and [as] your soul lives, I will not leave you. And Elisaie arose, and went after 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.”

And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

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

And Elisaie went into the house, and, behold, the dead child was laid upon his bed.

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

And Elisaie went into the house, and shut the door upon themselves, the two, 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 put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and bowed himself upon him, and the flesh of the child 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.

And he returned, and walked up and down in the house: and he went up, and bowed himself on the child seven times; and the child 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 Elisaie cried out to Giezi, and said, Call this Somanite. So he called her, and she came in to him: and Elisaie said, Take your son.

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

And the woman went in, and fell at his feet, and did obeisance [bowing] to the ground; and she took 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 Elisaie returned to Galgala: and a famine [was] in the land; and the sons of the prophets sat before him: and Elisaie said to his servant, 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 he went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered of it wild gourds, his garment full; and he cast it into the caldron of pottage, for they knew [them] not.

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 he poured it out for the men to eat: and it came to pass, when they were eating of the pottage, that behold! they cried out, and said, [There is] death in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat.

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.

And he said, Take meal, and cast it into the pot. And Elisaie said to his servant Giezi, Pour out for the people, and let them eat. And there was no longer there any hurtful thing 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 there came a man over from Baetharisa, and brought to the man of God twenty barley loaves and cakes of figs, of the first fruits. And he said, Give to the people, and let them 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 said, Why should I set this before a hundred men? and he said, Give to the people, and let them eat; for thus says the Lord, They shall eat and leave.

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

And they ate and left, according to the word of the Lord.