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.”
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!”
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.”
“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.
3 Then Elisha said, “Go out to borrow jars from your neighbors, empty jars. Borrow as many as possible.
“Go and borrow empty jars from your neighbors—as many as possible, not just a few,” Elisha told her.
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 start pouring olive oil into all these jars, placing the full jars to one side.”
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.
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.
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 told her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There aren't any jars left.” Then the olive 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 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.”
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 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.
9 The woman said to her husband, “See, now I realize that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by.
She told her husband, “I'm sure that this man who regularly visits us 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'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.”
11 So when the day came again that Elisha stopped there, he stayed in the room and rested there.
One day Elisha arrived and went up to his room and lay down.
12 Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him.
He said to his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” Gehazi called her and she came to see Elisha.
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.”
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.
14 So Elisha said, “What can we do for her, then?” Gehazi answered, “Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
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.
15 So Elisha answered, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door.
Elisha said, “Ask her to come back.” So Gehazi called her, and she came stood by 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.”
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!”
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 indeed become pregnant, and the next year around that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised her.
18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father, who was with harvesters.
The child grew up, but one day he when went out to see his father who was with the reapers,
19 He said to his father, “My head, my head.” His father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
he complained to his father, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father told one of his servants, “Carry him back 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.
The servant picked him up and took him back 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.
She went upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door behind her and left.
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.”
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.”
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 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.
24 Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on quickly; do not slow down for me unless I say so.”
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!”
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 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!
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 to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything fine with you, your husband, and your boy?’” “Everything's fine,” she replied.
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.”
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.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my master? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?”
“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she asked. “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't tell me lies’?”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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 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.”
32 When Elisha arrived at the house, the child was dead and was still on the bed.
When Elisha got to 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.
He went in, shut the door behind them both, 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 left.
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 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.”
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.'”
“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.’”
44 So his servant set it before them; they ate, and left some remaining, just as the word of Yahweh promised.
So he served the bread to them. They ate, and had some left over, just as the Lord had said.
