< 2 Kings 4 >

1 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.
And one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisaie, saying, Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his servants.
2 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.
And Elisaie said, What shall I do for you? tell me what you have in the house. And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house, except oil wherewith I anoint myself.
3 And he said to her: Go, borrow of all thy neighbours empty vessels not a few.
And he said to her, Go, borrow for yourself vessels without of all your neighbours, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 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.
And you shall go in and shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and you shall pour forth into these vessels, and remove that which is filled.
5 So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she poured in.
And she departed from him, and shut the door upon herself and upon her sons: they brought the vessels near to her, and she poured in until the vessels were filled.
6 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.
And she said to her sons, Bring me yet a vessel. And they said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 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.
And she came and told the man of God: and Elisaie said, Go, and sell the oil, and you shall pay your debts, and you and your sons shall live of the remaining oil.
8 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.
And a day came, when Elisaie passed over to Soman, and [there was] a great lady there, and she constrained him to eat bread: and it came to pass as often as he went into [the city, that] he turned aside to eat there.
9 And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us.
And the woman said to her husband, See now, I know that this [is] a holy man of God who comes over continually to us.
10 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.
Let us now make for him an upper chamber, a small place; and let us put there for him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall come to pass that when he comes in to us, he shall turn in there.
11 Now there was a certain day when he came and turned in to the chamber, and rested there.
And a day came, and he went in there, and turned aside into the upper chamber, and lay there.
12 And he said to Giezi his servant Call this Sunamitess. And when he had called her, and she stood before him,
And he said to Giezi his servant, Call me this Somanite. and he called her, and she stood before him.
13 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.
And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have taken all this trouble for us; what should I do for you? Hast you any request [to make] to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell in the midst of my people.
14 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.
And he said to Giezi, What must we do for her? and Giezi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband [is] old.
15 Then he bid him call her: And when she was called, and stood before the door.
And he called her, and she stood by the door.
16 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.
And Elisaie said to her, At this time [next year], as the season [is], you [shall be] alive, and embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, do not lie to your servant.
17 And the woman conceived, and brought forth a son in the time, and at the same hour, that Eliseus had said.
And the woman conceived, and bore a son at the very time, as the season was, being alive, as Elisaie said to her.
18 And the child grew. And on a certain day, when he went out to his father to the reapers,
And the child grew: and it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reapers,
19 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.
that he said to his father, My head, my head. and [his father] said to a servant, carry him to his mother.
20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, she set him on her knees until noon, and then he died.
And he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon, and died.
21 And she went up and laid him upon the bed of the man of God, and shut the door: and going out,
And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of god; and she shut the door upon him, and went out.
22 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.
And she called her husband, and said, Send now for me one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I will ride quickly to the man of God, and return.
23 And he said to her: Why dost thou go to him? today is neither new moon nor sabbath. She answered: I will go.
And he said, Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon, nor the Sabbath. And she said, [It is] well.
24 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.
And she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell you. Go, and you shall proceed, and come to the man of God to mount Carmel.
25 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.
And she rode and came to the man of God to the mountain: and it came to pass when Elisaie saw her coming, that he said to Giezi his servant, See now, that Somanite comes.
26 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.
Now run to meet her, and you shall say, [Is it] well with you? [is it] well with your husband? [is it] well with the child? and she said, [It is] well.
27 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.
And she came to Elisaie to the mountain, and laid hold of his feet; and Giezi drew near to thrust her away. And Elisaie said, Let her alone, for her soul [is] much grieved in her, and the Lord has hidden [it] from me, and has not told [it] me.
28 And she said to him: Did I ask a son of my lord? did I not say to thee: Do not deceive me?
And she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? For did I not say, Do not deal deceitfully with me?
29 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.
And Elisaie said to Giezi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go: if you meet any man, you shall not salute him, and if a man salute you you shall not answer him: and you shall lay my staff on the child's face.
30 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.
And the mother of the child said, [As] the Lord lives and [as] your soul lives, I will not leave you. And Elisaie arose, and went after her.
31 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.
And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 Eliseus therefore went into the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed.
And Elisaie went into the house, and, behold, the dead child was laid upon his bed.
33 And going in he shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord.
And Elisaie went into the house, and shut the door upon themselves, the two, and prayed to the Lord.
34 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.
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 bowed himself upon him, and the flesh of the child grew warm.
35 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.
And he returned, and walked up and down in the house: and he went up, and bowed himself on the child seven times; and the child opened his eyes.
36 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.
And Elisaie cried out to Giezi, and said, Call this Somanite. So he called her, and she came in to him: and Elisaie said, Take your son.
37 She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground: and took up her son, and went out.
And the woman went in, and fell at his feet, and did obeisance [bowing] to the ground; and she took her son, and went out.
38 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.
And Elisaie returned to Galgala: and a famine [was] in the land; and the sons of the prophets sat before him: and Elisaie said to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.
39 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.
And he went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered of it wild gourds, his garment full; and he cast it into the cauldron of pottage, for they knew [them] not.
40 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.
And he poured it out for the men to eat: and it came to pass, when they were eating of the pottage, that behold! they cried out, and said, [There is] death in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat.
41 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.
And he said, Take meal, and cast it into the pot. And Elisaie said to his servant Giezi, Pour out for the people, and let them eat. And there was no longer there any hurtful thing in the pot.
42 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.
And there came a man over from Baetharisa, and brought to the man of God twenty barley loaves and cakes of figs, of the first fruits. And he said, Give to the people, and let them eat.
43 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.
And his servant said, Why should I set this before a hundred men? and he said, Give to the people, and let them eat; for thus says the Lord, They shall eat and leave.
44 So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left according to the word of the Lord.
And they ate and left, according to the word of the Lord.

< 2 Kings 4 >