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!”

Now, a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets, made outcry unto Elisha, saying—Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and, thou, knowest that, thy servant, was one who revered Yahweh, —now, the creditor, hath come to take my two boys to himself as 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 unto her—What shall I do for thee? tell me what thou, hast, in the house. And she said—Thy maid-servant hath, nothing at all, in the house, save a flask 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, ask thee vessels, from without, of all thy neighbours, —empty vessels, let them 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, when thou hast come in, then shalt thou shut the door behind thee and behind thy sons, and shalt pour out into all these vessels, —and, that which is full, shalt thou set aside.

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.

So she went out from his presence, and shut the door behind her, and behind her sons, —they bringing near to her, and she pouring 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 unto her son—Bring me a vessel more. And he said unto 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.”

Then came she in, and told the man of God, and he said—Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor, —and, thou and thy sons, shall live of 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 so it was, on a day, that Elisha passed over unto Shunem, where was a woman of position, and she constrained him to eat bread, —and so it came about, whensoever he passed that way, that he turned aside 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.

Then said she unto her husband, Lo! I pray thee—I perceive that, a holy man of God, he is, —passing our way 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.”

I pray thee, let us make a little upper chamber on the wall and set for him there—a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a lampstand, —so shall it be, when he cometh to us, that he can 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, —so he turned aside into the upper chamber, and slept there.

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

Then said he unto Gehazi, his young man, Call this Shunammitess. 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—I pray thee, say unto her—Lo! thou hast cared for us with all this anxious care, what can be done for thee? Is it, that we should speak for thee, unto the king, or unto the general of the army? But she said, In the midst of mine own people, do, I, dwell.

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.

So he said, What then can be done for thee? And Gehazi said, Verily, she hath 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. So 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!”

Then said he—At this season, about the time of spring, thou, shalt be embracing a son. And she said—Nay! my lord, thou man of God, do not delude thy maid-servant.

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 bare a son, at this season, about the time of spring, when Elisha, had spoken unto her.

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

And, when the child was grown, it came to pass, on a certain day, that he went out unto his father, unto 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 unto his father—My head! my head! So he said unto the young man, 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, when he had carried him, and brought him in unto his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then 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 him in, and then 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 unto her husband, and said—Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, —that I may run unto the man of God, and return!

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—Wherefore art thou going unto him, to-day, neither new moon nor sabbath? And she said—Peace!

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 saddled she the ass, and said unto her young man—Lead on, and go forward, —do not slacken, for my sake, the riding, except I have bidden 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!

So she went her way, and came unto the man of God, unto Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her, opposite, that he said unto Gehazi young man, Lo! this Shunammitess!

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

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

But, when she came unto the man of God, on the mount, she caught hold of his feet, —and Gehazi drew near to thrust her away, when the man of God said—Let her alone! for, her life, is embittered to her, howbeit, Yahweh, hath hidden it from me, and hath 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’?”

Then said she, Did I ask a son, of my lord? Said I not, Thou must not mislead 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 thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way, if thou meet with any man, thou must not bless him, and, if any man bless thee, thou must not respond to him, —then shalt thou lay my staff upon the face of the boy.

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.

But the mother of the boy said, By the life of Yahweh and by the life of thine own soul, I will not leave thee. So he arose 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.”

Now, Gehazi, had passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the boy, but there was neither voice, nor attention, —so he returned to meet him, and told him, saying—The boy hath not awaked.

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

And, when Elisha had come into the house, lo! the boy, was dead, laid upon his bed.

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

So he went in, and shut the door upon them two, —and prayed unto Yahweh.

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.

Then gat he up, and lay upon the child, and put his own mouth upon his mouth, and his own eyes upon his eyes, and his own hands upon his hands, and bowed himself upon him, —and the flesh of the child, waxed 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.

Then retraced he, and walked in the house—once to and fro, and then went up and bowed himself upon him, —and the boy sneezed as many as seven times, and the boy 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.”

Then called he Gehazi, and said—Call this Shunammitess. So he called her, and, when she was come in unto him, 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.

So she came in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, —and took up her son, and went forth.

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.”

Now, Elisha, returned to Gilgal, and there was, a famine, in the land, and, the sons of the prophets, being seated before him, he said to his young man—Put on the large pot, and boil a mess of food, 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.

And one went out into the field, to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered thereof wild gourds, his lap full, and came in, and sliced them into the pot; for they knew them not.

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.

So they poured out for the men to eat, —and it came so pass, as they were eating of the mess, that, they, made outcry and said—Death in the pot, O man of God! And they could not eat.

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 fetch meal. And he cast it into the pot, —and then 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, a man, came in from Baal-Shalisha, and brought for the man of God firstfruit bread, twenty barley loaves, and garden grain in the husk thereof. 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.’”

But his attendant said—How can I set this before a hundred men? And he said—Give to the people, that they may eat, for, Thus, saith Yahweh, They are about to eat and to leave remaining.

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

So he set before them, and they did eat and left remaining, according to the word of Yahweh.