2 Kings 4

1 Now a certain woman, the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, came crying to Elisha and said, Your servant my husband is dead; and to your knowledge he was a worshipper of the Lord; but now, the creditor has come to take my two children as servants in payment of his debt.

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 Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot 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 Then he said, Go out to all your neighbours and get vessels, a very great number of them.

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 in, and, shutting the door on yourself and your sons, put oil into all these vessels, putting on one side the full ones.

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 went away, and when the door was shut on her and her sons, they took the vessels to her and she put oil into them.

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 And when all the vessels were full, she said to her son, Get me another vessel. And he said, There are no more. And the flow of oil was stopped.

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 So she came to the man of God and gave him word of what she had done. And he said, Go and get money for the oil and make payment of your debt, and let the rest be for the needs of yourself and your sons.

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 Now there came a day when Elisha went to Shunem, and there was a woman of high position living there, who made him come in and have a meal with her. And after that, every time he went by, he went into her house for a meal.

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 And she said to her husband, Now I see that this is a holy man of God, who comes by day after day.

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 So let us make a little room on the wall; and put a bed there for him, and a table and a seat and a light; so that when he comes to us, he will be able to go in 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 Now one day, when he had gone there, he went into the little room and took his rest there.

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, Send for this Shunammite. So in answer to his voice she came before him.

And he said to Gechazi his servant, Call this Shunammite: and he called her, and she stood before him.

13 And he said to him, Now say to her, See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? will you have any request made for you to the king or the captain of the army? But she said, I am living among my people.

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 said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi made answer, Still there is this, she has no son 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 Then he said, Send for her. And in answer to his voice she took her place at the door.

And he said, Call her: and he called her, and she stood in the door.

16 And Elisha said, At this time in the coming year you will have a son in your arms. And she said, No, my lord, O man of God, do not say what is false to your servant.

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 Then the woman became with child and gave birth to a son at the time named, in the year after, as Elisha had said to her.

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

18 Now one day, when the child was older, he went out to his father to where the grain was being cut.

And the child grew up; and it happened one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

19 And he said to his father, My head, my head! And the father said to a servant, Take him in 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 And he took him in to his mother, and she took him on her knees and kept him there till the middle of the day, when his life went from him.

And he took him up, and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees till noon, when he died.

21 Then she went up and put him on the bed of the man of God, shutting the door on him, 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 she said to her husband, Send me one of the servants and one of the asses so that I may go quickly to the man of God and come back again.

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 And he said, Why are you going to him today? it is not a new moon or a Sabbath. But she said, It is well.

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 made the ass ready and said to her servant, Keep driving on; do not make a stop without orders from me.

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 went, and came to Mount Carmel, to the man of God. And when the man of God saw her coming in his direction, he said to Gehazi, his servant, See, there is the Shunammite;

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 Go quickly to her, and on meeting her say to her, Are you well? and your husband and the child, are they well? And she said in answer, All is well.

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 And when she came to where the man of God was on the hill, she put her hands round his feet; and Gehazi came near with the purpose of pushing her away; but the man of God said, Let her be, for her soul is bitter in her; and the Lord has kept it secret from me, and has not given me word of it.

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 make a request to my lord for a son? did I not say, Do not give me false words?

And she said, Did I request a son from my Lord? did I not say, Do not lead me astray?

29 Then he said to Gehazi, Make yourself ready, and take my stick in your hand, and go: if you come across anyone on the way, give him no blessing, and if anyone gives you a blessing, give him no answer. And put my stick on the child'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 But the mother of the child said, As the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not go back without you. So he got up and went with 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 And Gehazi went on before them and put the stick on the child's face; but there was no voice, and no one gave attention. So he went back, and meeting him gave him the news, saying, The child is not awake.

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 And when Elisha came into the house he saw the child dead, stretched 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, and shutting the door on the two of them, made prayer to the Lord.

And he went in and locked the door behind both of them, and prayed unto the Lord.

34 Then he got up on the bed, stretching himself out on the child, and put his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands; and the child'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 Then he came back, and after walking once through the house and back, he went up, stretching himself out on the child seven times; and the child's eyes became open.

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 And he gave orders to Gehazi, and said, Send for the Shunammite. And she came in answer to his voice. And he said, Take 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 And she came in, and went down on her face to the earth at his feet; then she took her son in her arms 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 And Elisha went back to Gilgal, now there was very little food in the land; and the sons of the prophets were seated before him. And he said to his servant, Put the great pot on the fire, and make soup 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 And one went out into the field to get green plants and saw a vine of the field, and pulling off the fruit of it till the fold of his robe was full, he came back and put the fruit, cut up small, into the pot of soup, having no idea what it was.

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 Then they gave the men soup from the pot. And while they were drinking the soup, they gave a cry, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot; and they were not able to take any more food.

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 But he said, Get some meal. And he put it into the pot, and said, Now give it to the people so that they may have food. And there was nothing bad 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 came from Baal-shalishah with an offering of first-fruits for the man of God, twenty barley cakes and garden fruit in his bag. And he said, Give these to the people for food.

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 said, How am I to put this before a hundred men? But he said, Give it to the people for food; for the Lord says, There will be food for them and some 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 put it before them, and they had a meal and there was more than enough, as the Lord had said.

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