2 Kings 4

1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying: 'Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen.'

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 Elisha said unto her: 'What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?' And she said: 'Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.'

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 Then he said: 'Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

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

4 And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.'

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 she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out.

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

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 Then 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 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 it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great 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.

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 unto her husband: 'Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passeth by us continually.

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 make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the roof; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.'

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

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

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant: 'Call this Shunammite.' And when he had called her, she stood before him.

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

13 And he said unto him: 'Say now unto 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 answered: 'I dwell among mine 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 then is to be done for her?' And Gehazi answered: 'Verily 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 And he said: 'Call her.' And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

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

16 And he said: 'At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son.' And she said: 'Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto 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 bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her.

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 when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that 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 And he said unto his father: 'My head, my head.' And he said to his servant: '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, he sat on her knees till noon, and then 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 on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went 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 And she called unto her husband, and said: 'Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come back.'

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: Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath.' And she said: 'It shall be well.'

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 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: 'Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except 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, 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 Gehazi his servant: 'Behold, yonder is that Shunammite.

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 Run, I pray thee, now 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 answered: 'It is 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 hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said: 'Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; 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 Then she said: 'Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say: 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 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; 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 And the mother of the child said: 'As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And he arose, 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 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: 'The child is not awaked.'

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

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

33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto 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 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 waxed 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 went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child 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 Gehazi, and said: 'Call this Shunammite.' So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, 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 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she 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 Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant: 'Set on the great pot, and seethe 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 herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not.

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 So 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: 'O man of God, there is death in the pot.' 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: 'Then bring meal.' And he cast it into the pot; and he said: 'Pour out for the people, that they may eat.' And there was no harm 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 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 unto 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 said: 'How should I set this before a hundred men?' But he said: 'Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the LORD: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.'

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 did eat, and left thereof, 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.