2 Kings 4

1 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.

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets came crying to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

2 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.

So Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.”

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

Then Elisha said, “Go out to borrow jars from your neighbors, empty jars. Borrow as many as possible.

4 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.

Then you must go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all those jars; set aside the jars that are full.”

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

So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her, and she filled them with oil.

6 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.

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

7 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.

Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil; pay your debt, and live with your sons on the rest.”

8 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.

One day Elisha walked to Shunem where an important woman lived; she urged him to eat food with her. So as often as Elisha passed by, he would stop there to eat.

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

The woman said to her husband, “See, now I realize that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by.

10 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.

Let us make a little room on the roof for Elisha, and let us put in it a bed, a table, a seat, and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he will stay there.”

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

So when the day came again that Elisha stopped there, he stayed in the room and rested there.

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

Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him.

13 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.

Elisha said to him, “Say to her, 'You have gone to all this trouble to care for us. What can be done for you? Can we speak for you to the king or to the army commander?'” She answered, “I live among my own people.”

14 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.

So Elisha said, “What can we do for her, then?” Gehazi answered, “Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

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

So Elisha answered, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door.

16 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.

Elisha said, “At this time of year, in one year's time, you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master and man of God, do not lie to your servant.”

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

But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time in the following year, as Elisha had said to her.

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

When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father, who was with harvesters.

19 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.

He said to his father, “My head, my head.” His father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

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

When the servant had picked him up and brought the boy to his mother, the child sat on her knees until noon and then died.

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

So the woman got up and laid the boy on the bed of the man of God, shut the door, and went out.

22 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.

She called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys so that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back.”

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

Her husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It is not a new moon nor a Sabbath.” She replied, “It will be all right.”

24 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.

Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on quickly; do not slow down for me unless I say so.”

25 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.

So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So when the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, here comes the Shunammite woman.

26 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.

Please run to meet her and say to her, 'Is everything alright with you and with your husband and child?'” She answered, “It is alright.”

27 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.

When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset, and Yahweh has hidden the problem from me, and has told me nothing.”

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

Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my master? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?”

29 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.

Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Dress for travel and take my staff in your hand. Go to her home. If you meet any man, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Lay my staff on the child's face.”

30 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.

But the mother of the child said, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha arose and followed her.

31 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.

Gehazi hurried on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child's face, but the child did not speak or hear. So then Gehazi returned to meet Elisha and told him saying, “The child has not awakened.”

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

When Elisha arrived at the house, the child was dead and was still on the bed.

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

So Elisha went in and shut the door on the child and himself and prayed to Yahweh.

34 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.

He went up and lay on the child; he put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself out on the boy, and the boy's body grew warm.

35 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.

Then Elisha got up and walked around the room and again went up and stretched himself out on the boy. The child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes!

36 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.

So Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite!” So he called her, and when she came into the room, Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”

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

Then she lay facedown on the ground at his feet and bowed to the ground, and then picked up her son and went out.

38 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.

Then Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire and cook stew for the sons of the prophets.”

39 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.

One of them went out into a field to gather vegetables. He found a wild vine and gathered enough wild gourds to fill the fold of his robe. They cut them up and put them into the stew, but did not know what kind they were.

40 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.

So they poured out the stew for the men to eat. Later, as they were eating, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” So they could not eat it anymore.

41 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.

But Elisha said, “Bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat.” Then there was no longer anything hurtful in the pot.

42 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.

A man came from Baal Shalishah to the man of God and brought twenty loaves of barley bread in his sack from the new harvest, and fresh ears of grain. He said, “Give this to the people so they can eat.”

43 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.

His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha said, “Give this to the people, so they can eat, because Yahweh says, 'They will eat and will have some left.'”

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

So his servant set it before them; they ate, and left some remaining, just as the word of Yahweh promised.