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 a certain woman, of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried unto Elisha', saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou well knowest that thy servant was one who feared the Lord: and now the creditor is come to take my two sons unto himself for 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 Elisha' said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy hand-maid hath nothing in the house, save a pot of oil.

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

And he said, Go, borrow for thyself vessels from abroad from all thy neighbors, empty vessels, let them not be 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 then go home, and lock the door behind thee and behind thy sons, and then pour out into all those vessels; and that which is full thou shalt set aside.

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 she went from him, and locked the door behind her and behind her sons, who brought the vessels near to her, and she poured out.

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 it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring near to me yet another vessel; and he said unto 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.”

Then came she and told it to the man of God; and he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and thou with thy children shalt 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 it happened one day, that Elisha' passed over to Shunem, and there was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread; and it happened, that as oft as he passed by, he used to turn in thither 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 unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who passeth through by us continually.

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 then make a little upper chamber, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a chair, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

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

And it happened one day, that he came thither, and he turned 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 Gechazi his servant, Call this Shunammite: 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 unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been at pains to take all this trouble for us: what is to be done for thee? wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or to the chief of the army? And she said, 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 then is to be done for her? And Gechazi said, Verily, she hath no son, and her husband is old.

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

And he said, Call her: and he called her, and she stood in 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 he said, At this season, next year, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, No, my Lord, man of God, do not deceive thy hand-maid.

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.

But the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season in the following year, as Elisha' had spoken unto her.

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

And the child grew up; and it happened one day, that 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.”

And he said unto his father, My head, my head: and he said to a lad, 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 took him up, and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees till noon, when 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 on the bed of the man of God, and locked the door behind 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 unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the she-asses, that I may hasten as far as 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, Wherefore art thou going to him today? it is neither new moon, nor 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.”

Then she saddled the she-ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; do not restrain me in riding, unless I say it to 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 and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel; and it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gechazi his servant, Behold, yonder that Shunammite.

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 do run to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with thy child? and she answered, 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 the man of God to the mount, and caught hold of his feet; and Gechazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is grieved within her; and the Lord hath hidden it from me, and hath 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 request a son from my Lord? did I not say, Do not lead me astray?

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 said he to Gechazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, thou shalt not salute him; and if any salute thee, thou shalt not answer him; and lay my staff upon the face of the lad.

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 lad said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose 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.”

And Gechazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the lad; but there was neither voice, nor perceptible sound; wherefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, The lad is not awakened.

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

And when Elisha' was come into the house, behold, the lad was dead, laid upon his bed.

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

And he went in and locked the door behind both of them, and prayed unto 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 laid himself upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon him: and the flesh of the child became 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 to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself [again] upon him; and the lad sneezed as many as seven times, and the lad 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 Gechazi, and said, Call this Shunammite: so he called her, and she came in unto 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.

Then went she in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to 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 Elisha' returned to Gilgal; and there was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the large pot, and seethe 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 herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild colocynths his garment full, and came and cut them up into the pot 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 they poured it out for the men to eat; and it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, Death is 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.

But he said, Then bring some meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour it out for the people, that they may eat. And there was nothing bad 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 from Ba'alshalishah, and brought unto the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh ears of corn in his scrip: and he said, Give it unto 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 servitor said, What, shall I set this before a hundred men? And he said, Give it unto the people, that they may eat; for thus hath said the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave [thereof].

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 left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.