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 the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

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.”

“How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

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

“Go,” said Elisha, “borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just 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.”

Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside.”

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 left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring.

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.

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

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.”

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”

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.

One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

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

Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God.

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.”

Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

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

One day Elisha came to visit and went to his upper room to lie down.

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 the Shunammite woman.” 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 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she replied.

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

So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”

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

“Call her,” said Elisha. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.

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 Elisha declared, “At this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord,” she said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”

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.

But the woman did conceive, and at that time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

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

And the child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the harvesters.

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

“My head! My head!” he complained to his father. So his father told a 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.

After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he 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. Then she shut the door 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 the woman called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.”

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.”

“Why would you go to him today?” he replied. “It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” “Everything is all right,” she said.

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 the donkey and told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”

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 set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman.

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.”

Please run out now to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’” And she answered, “Everything is all right.”

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.”

When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden 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 ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I 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.”

So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

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 boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up 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.”

Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

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

When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.

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

So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.

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.

Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became 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!

Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and 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.”

Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your 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.

She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked 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.”

When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew 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.

One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.

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.

And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat 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.

Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful 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.”

Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

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.'”

But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”

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 had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.