2 Kings 4

1 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. You know that your servant feared the LORD. Now the creditor has come to take for himself my two children to be slaves.”

Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant was one that feared God, and behold the creditor is come to take away my two sons to serve him.

2 Elisha said to her, “What should 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 Eliseus said to her: What wilt thou have me to do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she answered: I thy handmaid have nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me.

3 Then he said, “Go, borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not borrow just a few containers.

And he said to her: Go, borrow of all thy neighbours empty vessels not a few.

4 Go in and shut the door on you and on your sons, and pour oil into all those containers; and set aside those which are full.”

And go in, and shut thy door, when thou art within, and thy sons: and pour out thereof into all those vessels: and when they are full take them away.

5 So she went from him, and shut the door on herself and on her sons. They brought the containers to her, and she poured oil.

So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she poured in.

6 When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” He said to her, “There is not another container.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

And when the vessels were full, she said to her son: Bring me yet a vessel. And he answered: I have no more. And the oil stood.

7 Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

And she came, and told the man of God. And he said: Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor: and thou and thy sons live of the rest.

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman; and she persuaded him to eat bread. So it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread.

And there was a day when Eliseus passed by Sunam: now there was a great woman there, who detained him to eat bread; and as he passed often that way, he turned into her house to eat bread.

9 She said to her husband, “See now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God who passes by us continually.

And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us.

10 Please, let’s make a little room on the roof. Let’s set a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp stand for him there. When he comes to us, he can stay there.”

Let us therefore make him a little chamber, and put a little bed in it for him, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick, that when he cometh to us, he may abide there.

11 One day he came there, and he went to the room and lay there.

Now there was a certain day when he came and turned in to the chamber, and rested there.

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

And he said to Giezi his servant Call this Sunamitess. And when he had called her, and she stood before him,

13 He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have cared for us with all this care. What is to be done for you? Would you like to be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

He said to his servant: Say to her Behold thou hast diligently served us in all things, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? hast thou any business, and wilt thou that I speak to the king, or to the general of the army? And she answered: I dwell in the midst of my own people.

14 He said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Most certainly she has no son, and her husband is old.”

And he said: What will she then that I do for her? And Giezi said: Do not ask, for she hath no son, and her husband is old.

15 He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door.

Then he bid him call her: And when she was called, and stood before the door.

16 He said, “At this season next year, you will embrace a son.” She said, “No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your servant.”

He said to her: At this time, and this same hour, if life accompany, thou shalt have a son in thy womb. But she answered: Do not, I beseech thee, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

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

And the woman conceived, and brought forth a son in the time, and at the same hour, that Eliseus had said.

18 When the child was grown, one day he went out to his father to the reapers.

And the child grew. And on a certain day, when he went out to his father to the reapers,

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

He said to his father: My head acheth, my head acheth. But he said to his servant: Take him, and carry him to his mother.

20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died.

And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, she set him on her knees until noon, and then he died.

21 She went up and laid him on the man of God’s bed, and shut the door on him, and went out.

And she went up and laid him upon the bed of the man of God, and shut the door: and going out,

22 She called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come again.”

She called her husband, and said: Send with me, I beseech thee, one of thy servants, and an ass that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23 He said, “Why would you want to go to him today? It is not a new moon or a Sabbath.” She said, “It’s all right.”

And he said to her: Why dost thou go to him? today is neither new moon nor sabbath. She answered: I will go.

24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward! Do not slow down for me, unless I ask you to.”

And she saddled an ass, and commanded her servant: Drive, and make haste, make no stay in going. And do that which I bid thee.

25 So she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her afar off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, there is the Shunammite.

So she went forward, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel: and when the mall of God saw her coming towards, he said to Giezi his servant: Behold that Sunamitess.

26 Please run now to meet her, and ask her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with your child?’” She answered, “It is well.”

Go therefore to meet her, and say to her: Is all well with thee, and with thy husband, and with thy son? and she answered: Well.

27 When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is troubled within her; and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

And when she came to the man of God to the mount, she caught hold on his feet: and Giezi came to remove her. And the man of God said: Let her alone for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

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

And she said to him: Did I ask a son of my lord? did I not say to thee: Do not deceive me?

29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand, and go your way. If you meet any man, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him again. Then lay my staff on the child’s face.”

Then he said to Giezi: Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go. If any man meet thee, salute him not: and if any man salute thee, answer him not: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

30 The child’s mother said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose, and followed her.

But the mother of the child said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He arose, therefore, and followed her.

31 Gehazi went ahead of them, and laid the staff on the child’s face; but there was no voice and no hearing. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense: and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen.

32 When Elisha had come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and lying on his bed.

Eliseus therefore went into the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed.

33 He went in therefore, and shut the door on them both, and prayed to the LORD.

And going in he shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord.

34 He went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself on him; and the child’s flesh grew warm.

And he went up, and lay upon the child: and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he bowed himself upon him, and the child’s flesh grew warm.

35 Then he returned, and walked in the house once back and forth, then went up and stretched himself out on him. Then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

Then he returned and walked in the house, once to and fro: and he went up, and lay upon him: and the child gaped seven times, and opened his eyes.

36 He called Gehazi, and said, “Call this Shunammite!” So he called her. When she had come in to him, he said, “Take up your son.”

And he called Giezi, and said to him: Call this Sunamitess. And she being called, went in to him: and he said: Take up thy son.

37 Then she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; then she picked up her son, and went out.

She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground: and took up her son, and went out.

38 Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Get the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

And Eliseus returned to Galgal, and there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets dwelt before him. And he said to one of his servants: Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 One went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered a lap full of wild gourds from it, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew; for they did not recognize them.

And one went out into the field to gather wild herbs: and he found something like a wild vine, and gathered of it wild gourds of the field, and filled his mantle, and coming back he shred them into the pot of pottage, for he knew not what it was.

40 So they poured out for the men to eat. As they were eating some of the stew, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

And they poured it out for their companions to eat: and when they had tasted of the pottage, they cried out, saying: Death is in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat thereof.

41 But he said, “Then bring meal.” He threw it into the pot; and he said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

But he said: Bring some meal. And when they had brought it, he cast it into the pot, and said: Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was now no bitterness in the pot.

42 A man from Baal Shalishah came, and brought the man of God some bread of the first fruits: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give to the people, that they may eat.”

And a certain man came from Baalsalisa bringing to the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty leaves of barley, and new corn in his scrip. 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 he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for the LORD says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”

And his servant answered him: How much is this, that I should set it before a hundred men? He said again: Give to the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord: They shall eat, and there shall be left.

44 So he set it before them and they ate and had some left over, according to the LORD’s word.

So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left according to the word of the Lord.