2 Kings 4

1 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.”

Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou know that thy servant feared Jehovah, and the creditor has come to take my two children to him to be bondmen.

2 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.”

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

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

Then he said, Go, borrow for thee vessels abroad from all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4 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.”

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

5 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.

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.

6 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.

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 no more a vessel. And the oil halted.

7 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.”

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 from the rest.

8 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.

And it fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem where there was a prominent woman. And she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as often as he passed by he turned in there to eat bread.

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

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

10 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.”

Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall. And let us set a bed for him there, and a table, and a seat, and a lampstand. And it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there.

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

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

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

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

13 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.”

And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou have been caring for us with all this care. What is to be done for thee? Would thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the army? And she answered, I dwell among my own people.

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

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

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

And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

16 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.”

And he said, At this season, when the time comes round, thou shall embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

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

And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said to her.

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

And when the child was grown, it fell on a day that he went out to his father to the reapers.

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

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

20 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.

And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

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

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 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.”

And she called to her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23 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.”

And he said, Why will thou go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

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

Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward. Do not restrain my riding unless I bid thee.

25 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.

So 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, yonder is the Shunammite.

26 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.”

Run now, 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 answered, It is well.

27 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.”

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 vexed within her, and Jehovah has hid it from me, and has not told me.

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

Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, do not deceive me?

29 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.”

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, do not salute him, and if any salute thee, do not answer him again. And lay my staff upon the face of the child.

30 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.

And the mother of the child said, As Jehovah lives, and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

31 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.”

And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child has not awakened.

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

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

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

He went in therefore, and shut the door upon the two of them, and prayed to Jehovah.

34 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.

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 grew warm.

35 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!

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.

36 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.”

And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, Take up thy son.

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

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

38 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.”

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 to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 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.

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

40 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.

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 of it.

41 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.

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.

42 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.”

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

43 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.'”

And his servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give to the people that they may eat, for thus says Jehovah, They shall eat, and shall leave of it.

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

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