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!”

Forsothe sum womman of the wyues of prophetys criede to Elisee, and seide, Thi seruaunt, myn hosebonde, is deed, and thou knowist that thi seruaunt dredde God; and lo! the creaunser, `that is, he to whom the dette is owid, cometh to take my two sones to serue hym.

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.”

To whom Elisee seide, What wolt thou that Y do to thee? seie thou to me, what hast thou in thin hows? And she answeride, Y thin handmayde haue not ony thing in myn hows, no but a litil of oile, bi which Y schal be anoyntid.

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

To whom he seide, Go thou, and axe bi borewyng of alle thi neiyboris voide vessels not fewe.

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 entre, and close thi dore, whanne thou art with ynne, thou and thi sones; and putte ye therof in to alle these vessels; and whanne tho schulen be ful, thou schalt take awei.

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.

Therfor the womman yede, and closide the dore on hir silf and on hir sones, thei brouyten vessels, and sche `heldide 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 whanne the vessels weren fulle, sche seide to hir sone, Brynge thou yit a vessel to me. And he answeride, Y haue not. And the oyle 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.”

Forsothe sche cam, and schewide to the man of God; and he seide, Go thou, sil thou the oile, and yelde to thi creauncer; forsothe thou and thi children lyue of the residue.

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.

Forsothe sum day was maad, and Elisee passide bi a citee, Sunam; sotheli a greet womman was there, which helde hym, that he schulde ete breed. And whanne he passide ofte therbi, `he turnede to hir, that he schulde ete breed.

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.

`Which womman seide to hir hosebonde, Y perseyue that this is an hooli man of God, that passith ofte bi vs;

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.”

therfor make we a litil soler to hym, and putte we therynne a litil bed to hym, and a boord, and a chaier, and a candilstike; that whanne he cometh to vs, he dwelle there.

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

Therfor sum dai was maad, and he cam, and turnede in to the soler, and restide 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 seide to Giezi, his child, Clepe thou this Sunamyte. And whanne he hadde clepid hir, and sche hadde stonde

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.

bifor hym, he seide to his child, Speke thou to hir, Lo! thou hast mynystride to vs bisili in alle thingis; what wolt thou that Y do to thee? Whether thou hast a cause, and wolt that Y speke to the kyng, ether to the prince of the chyualrye? And sche answeride, I dwelle in the myddis of my puple.

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 seide, What therfor wole sche that Y do to hir? Giezi seide to hym, Axe thou not, for she hath no sone, and hir hosebonde is eeld.

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

Therfor Elisee comaundide, that he schulde clepe hir. And whanne sche was clepid, and stood bifor the dore,

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 seide to hir, In this tyme and in this same our, if lijf schal be felow, thou schalt haue a sone in the wombe. And sche answeride, Nyle thou, my lord, the man of God, Y biseche, nyle thou lye to thin hondmaide.

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 womman conseyuede, and childide a sone in the tyme, and in the same our, in which Elisee hadde seid.

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

Sotheli the child encreeside; and whanne sum day was, and the child was goon out, and yede to his fadir,

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

and to the repers, he seide to his fadir, Myn heed akith, myn heed akith. And he seide to a child, Take, and lede hym to his modir.

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 whanne he hadde take, and hadde brouyt hym to his modir, sche settide hym on hir knees `til to myddai, and he was deed.

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

Sotheli she stiede, and leide hym on the litil bed of the man of God, and closide the dore.

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 sche yede out, and clepide hir hosebonde, and seide, Y biseche, sende thou with me oon of the children, and an asse, and Y schal renne out `til to the man of God, and Y schal turne ayen.

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 seide to hir, For what cause goist thou to hym? to dai ben not calendis, nether sabat. And she answeride, Y schal 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 sche sadlide the asse, and comaundide to the child, Dryue thou, and haaste; make thou not tariyng to me in goyng, and do thou this thing which Y comaunde 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.

Therfor sche yede forth, and cam to the man of God, in to the hil of Carmele. And whanne the man of God hadde seyn hir euene ayen, he seide to Giezi, his child, Lo! thilke Sunamyte; go thou therfor in to the metyng of hir,

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.”

and seie thou to hir, Whether it is doon riytfuli aboute thee, and aboute thin hosebonde, and aboute thi sone? And sche answeride, Riytfuli.

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 whanne sche hadde come to the man of God, in to the hil, sche took his feet; and Giezi neiyede, that he schulde remoue hir. And the man of God seide, Suffre thou hir; for hir soule is in bitternesse, and the Lord helde priuy fro me, and schewide not to me.

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

And sche seide to hym, Whether I axide my sone of my lord? Whether Y seide not to thee, Scorne thou not 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 he seide to Giezi, Girde thi leendis, and take my staf in thin hond, and go; if a man metith thee, grete thou not hym; and if ony man gretith thee, answere thou not hym; and putte thou my staf on 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.

Forsothe the `modir of the child seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, Y schal not leeue, `ether forsake, thee. Therfor he roos, and suede hir.

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.”

Sotheli Giezi yede bifor hem, and puttide the staaf on the face of the child; and `vois was not, nether wit. And Giezi turnede ayen to the meetyng of hym; and telde to him, and seyde, The child `roos not.

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

Therfor Elisee entride in to the hows, and, lo! the deed child lai in his bed.

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

And he entride, and closide the dore on hym silf, and on the child; and preiede 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 stiede, and lay on the child; and he puttide his mouth on the mouth of the child, and hise iyen on the iyen of the child, and hise hondis on the hondis of the child. And he bouwide hym silf on the child; and the fleisch of the child was maad hoot.

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 turnede ayen, and walkide in the hows onys hidur and thidur; and Elisee stiede, and lai on the child, and the child yoxide seuene sithis, and openyde the iyen.

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 clepide Giezi, and seide to hym, Clepe thou this Sunamyte. And sche was clepid, and entride to hym. And he seide, Take thi sone.

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

She cam, and felde doun to his feet, and worschipide on erthe; and sche took hir sone, and yede 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 Elisee turnede ayen in to Galgala. Forsothe hungur was in the lond, and the sones of prophetis dwelliden bifor hym. And Elisee seide to oon of his children, Set thou a greet pot, and sethe thou potage to the sones of prophetis.

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 oon yede out in to the feeld to gadere eerbis of the feeld; and he foond as a wilde vyne, and he gaderide therof gourdis of the feeld. And he fillide his mentil, and he turnede ayen, and schredde in to the pot of potage; for he wiste 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.

Therfor thei helden yn to felowis to ete; and whanne thei hadden taastid of the sething, thei crieden out, and seiden, Deth in the pot! deeth in the pot! thou man of God. And thei miyten not ete. And he seide, Brynge ye meele.

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 whanne thei hadden brouyt, he puttide in to the pot, and seide, Helde ye to the cumpany, that thei ete; and ony thing of bitternesse was nomore 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.

Forsothe sum man cam fro the pleyn of Salisa, and bar to the man of God looues of the firste fruytis, ten looues of barli, and newe wheete, in his scrippe. And the man of God seide, Yyue thou to the puple, that it ete.

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 mynystre answeride to hym, `Hou myche is this, that Y sette bifor an hundrid men? Eft Elisee seide, Yyue thou to the puple, that it ete; for the Lord seith these thingis, Thei schulen ete, and it shal leeue.

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

Therfor he puttide bifor hem, whiche eeten; and it lefte, bi the word of the Lord.