2 Kings 4

1 The wife of one of the sons of the prophets appealed to Elisha, “My husband, your servant, is dead, and you know that he honored the Lord. But now to pay his debts his creditor is coming to take my two sons as his slaves!”

And a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha saying, Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant feared Jehovah; and the creditor is come to take my two children to be bondmen.

2 “What can I do to help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “I, your servant, don't have anything in my house except a jar of olive oil,” she replied.

And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid has not anything at all in the house but a pot of oil.

3 “Go and borrow empty jars from your neighbors—as many as possible, not just a few,” Elisha told her.

And he said, Go, borrow for thyself vessels abroad from all thy neighbours, empty vessels; let it not be few;

4 “Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and start pouring olive oil into all these jars, placing the full jars to one side.”

and go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels, and set aside what is full.

5 She left Elisha, went home, and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept on pouring.

And she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons: they brought [the vessels] to her, and she poured out.

6 When all the jars were full, she told her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There aren't any jars left.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing.

And it came to pass when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7 She went and told the man of God what had happened, and he said, “Go and sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what's left.”

And she came and told the man of God; and he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou [and] thy sons on the rest.

8 One day as Elisha was passing through Shunem, a wealthy woman who lived there convinced him to have a meal. After that, whenever he was passing by he would stop there to eat.

And it came to pass on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a wealthy woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, [that] as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9 She told her husband, “I'm sure that this man who regularly visits us is a holy man of God.

And she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us continually.

10 Please let's make a small room on the roof, We can put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it for him. Then he can stay there whenever he visits us.”

Let us make, I pray thee, a small upper chamber with walls, and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a lampstand; and it shall be when he cometh to us, he shall turn in thither.

11 One day Elisha arrived and went up to his room and lay down.

And it came to pass on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the upper chamber, and lay there.

12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” Gehazi called her and she came to see Elisha.

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

13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Please tell her, ‘You have gone to a lot of trouble on our behalf. Now what can we do for you? Do you want us to speak for you to the king or the army commander?’” “I live with my own people,” she replied.

And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell among mine own people.

14 After she had left, Elisha asked, “What can we do for her?” “She doesn't have a son, and her husband is old,” Gehazi replied.

And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi said, Verily, she has no son, and her husband is old.

15 Elisha said, “Ask her to come back.” So Gehazi called her, and she came stood by the door.

And he said, Call her; and he called her; and she stood in the doorway.

16 Elisha told her, “Around this time next year, you will be holding a son in your arms.” “No, my lord!” she responded. “Man of God, don't tell your servant lies!”

And he said, At this appointed time, when thy term is come, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

17 But the woman did indeed become pregnant, and the next year around that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised her.

And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that appointed time in the next year as Elisha had said to her.

18 The child grew up, but one day he when went out to see his father who was with the reapers,

And the child grew, and it came to pass one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

19 he complained to his father, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father told one of his servants, “Carry him back to his mother.”

And he said to his father, My head, my head! And he said to the servant, Carry him to his mother.

20 The servant picked him up and took him back to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.

And he carried him, and brought him to his mother; and he sat on her knees till noon, and died.

21 She went upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door behind her and left.

And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut [the door] upon him, and went out.

22 She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can run to the man of God and come back.”

And she called to her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I will run to the man of God, and come again.

23 “Why do you need to go and see him today?” he asked. “It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” “Don't worry about it,” she replied.

And he said, Why wilt thou go to him to-day? It is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, [It is] well.

24 She put the saddle on the donkey and told her servant, “Let's go quickly! Don't slow down for me unless I tell you to!”

Then she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Drive and go forward; slack not the riding for me, except I bid thee.

25 So she set off, and went to the man of God who was at Mount Carmel. When he saw her way in the distance, the man of God told his servant Gehazi, “Look! There's the Shunammite woman!

And she went and came to 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 Gehazi his servant, Behold, there is the Shunammite:

26 Please run to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything fine with you, your husband, and your boy?’” “Everything's fine,” she replied.

run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she said, It is well.

27 But when she got to the man of God at the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she's in terrible misery, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not explained it to me.”

And she came to the man of God to the mountain, and caught him by the feet; and Gehazi drew near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone, for her soul is troubled within her, and Jehovah has hidden it from me, and has not told me.

28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she asked. “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't tell me lies’?”

And she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

29 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Put your cloak in your belt, pick up my staff, and go! Don't even say hello to anyone you meet, and if anyone says hello you, don't reply. Place my staff on the boy's face.”

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

30 But the boy's mother said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I'm not leaving without you!” So he got up and went with her.

And the mother of the lad said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee! And he rose up and followed her.

31 Gehazi ran on ahead and placed the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy hasn't woken up.”

And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the lad; but there was neither voice, nor sign of attention. And he returned to meet him, and told him saying, The lad is not awaked.

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

And when Elisha came into the house, behold, the child was dead, [and] laid upon his bed.

33 He went in, shut the door behind them both, and prayed to the Lord.

And he went in and shut the door upon them both, and prayed to Jehovah.

34 Then he got on the bed and lay on top of the boy, and put his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, his hands on the boy's hands. As he stretched out on him, the boy's body warmed up.

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 bent over him; and the flesh of the child grew warm.

35 Elisha got up, walked back and forth once in the room, and then got back on the bed and stretched out on him again. The boy sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.

And he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and bent over him. And the lad sneezed seven times, and the lad opened his eyes.

36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come.” So he did. When she arrived, Elisha said to her, “Here's your son. You can pick him up.”

And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. And he called her; and she came to 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 left.

And she came and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

38 When Elisha went back to Gilgal, there was a famine in that area. The sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, and he said to his servant, “Use the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”

And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And there was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 One of them went out into the countryside to pick herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as many wild gourds as his cloak could hold. Then he came back and chopped them up into the pot of stew. But nobody knew they were dangerous to eat.

Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it his lap full of wild colocynths, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they did not know them.

40 They served it to the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they shouted, “There's death in the pot, man of God!” They couldn't eat it.

And they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out and said, Man of God, there is death in the pot! And they could not eat [it].

41 Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people to eat.” There was nothing bad to eat in the pot.

And he said, Then bring meal. And he cast [it] into the pot, and said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

42 A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of firstfruits—the first grain of the year, along with twenty loaves of barley bread. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in his sack. And he said, Give to the people that they may eat.

43 “How can I serve just twenty loaves to a hundred men?” his servant asked. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and there will still be some left over.’”

And his attendant said, How shall I set this before a hundred men? And he said, Give the people that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah: They shall eat, and shall have to spare.

44 So he served the bread to them. They ate, and had some left over, just as the Lord had said.

And he set [it] before them, and they ate and left [thereof], according to the word of Jehovah.